When Sogn Valley Farm transitioned out of intensive production of vegetable crops, it opened up opportunities to utilize a unique cousin of wheat as a way to steward the land. More Information • Sogn Valley Farm • Forever Green Initiative • Ear to the Ground 367: Disrupting the Food Chain • Ear to the Ground… Read More →
AUSTIN, Minn. — Consumers, farmers and community members are invited to the “Second Annual Hemp & Food Health Day on a Regenerative Farm” event Saturday, Sept. 17, from 9 a.m. to 3: 30 p.m., at the Tom Cotter farm near Austin (50203 205th St.). This free event, which includes lunch and a beer social, is… Read More →
LEWISTON, Minn. — Are you looking to improve profitability from rotationally grazing livestock by marketing your grass-fed and pastured-based meats directly to the consumer? A workshop featuring local farmers sharing their experiences with direct marketing grass-fed meats will be held Thursday, Dec. 12, from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., at the Church of the Brethren… Read More →
ROLLINGSTONE, Minn. — Ways farmers can build soil health will be the focus of a Land Stewardship Project (LSP) field day Wednesday, July 26, from 10 a.m. to noon, at the Rory, Richard and Sharon Beyer farm near Rollingstone (18622 Dixie Drive). Registration starts at 9:30 a.m. and a noon barbecue lunch will follow the… Read More →
CALEDONIA, Minn. — Building soil health and integrating cover crops on area farming operations is the focus of a Land Stewardship Project (LSP) workshop Wednesday, Feb. 15, at the Good Times Restaurant in Caledonia (118 Bissen Street). The keynote speaker is Dr. Kristine Nichols, chief scientist at the Rodale Institute and an internationally known soil… Read More →
This winter, when you reach for a nice, perfectly-shaped tomato in the produce section of your local supermarket, think of Lucas Mariano Domingo. For two and a half years the Guatemalan lived in the back of a windowless box truck with three other men while he picked tomatoes in the fields surrounding the Florida community… Read More →
Surrounded by Crops in Minnesota Farm Country, but with Little to Eat (2/26/25) Star Tribune columnist Karen Tolkkinen writes about the paradox plaguing rural communities in western Minnesota: despite massive amounts of land being devoted to agricultural production, little fresh, affordable food is available for local residents. Highlights: A recent study of the food system in… Read More →
For residents of southeastern Minnesota, the past few months must seem like “The Season of the Nitrate.” It turns out nitrogen, that critical source of crop fertility, is quite adept at escaping our farm fields, and, in the form of nitrate, polluting groundwater. So much so that scientists, government officials, and physicians now recognize it… Read More →
The past few months have been harder than ever for thousands of Minnesotans. Our communities were already facing a serious farm crisis, inaccessible and unaffordable healthcare, increasing impacts of climate change, corporate consolidation across our economy, and more. On top of that, a pandemic has wreaked havoc on our healthcare system, farm and food system,… Read More →
Local Control & Environmental Review Stay Strong Despite Attacks; Some Gains for Sustainable Ag Research & Beginning Farmer Land Access The 2017 session of the Minnesota Legislature was highlighted by a tough fight over corporate agriculture’s push to make it easier for factory farms to force their way into communities. Corporate ag and its supporters… Read More →
