Groups Concerned That Trump’s USDA Will Continue to Favor Industry Family farm-based organizations in Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri and South Dakota sent a letter to Congress today calling for strong oversight of the recently passed Covid-19 aid package to ensure the USDA disburses aid to people and rural communities, not global agribusiness firms that reaped tens… Read More →
In 2012, I had the great fortune to get a tip about a group of farmers, scientists and government soil conservationists who had teamed up in south-central North Dakota to take a holistic approach to making the land more resilient. By focusing intensively on building soil health utilizing a combination of practices—no-till, managed rotational grazing,… Read More →
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — Farmers now have an online tool available for calculating the potential soil erosion impact of various crop rotations. The Land Stewardship Project (LSP) today launched a component of its popular Cropping Systems Calculator that provides insights into how decisions made on an individual farm will influence water-caused soil loss in the immediate… Read More →
As the staff and member-leaders of the Land Stewardship Project conduct our organization’s work for stewardship and justice on the land, the central concept that keeps arising is “change comes from the ground up.” Whether the subject is farming practices, public policy or community vitality, thinking about positive change in this way is enormously helpful… Read More →
As spring gathers momentum, so does planning for the 2015 Simon Lake BioBlitz, which is being held July 10-11 at Sheepberry Fen in west-central Minnesota. And along with the planning come the questions: What is it? Why have it? Why should I come? The answers to those questions crash down in a tidal wave of… Read More →
A picture may be worth a thousand words, but a good infographic can be the equivalent of thousands of pounds of soil. That thought occurred to me recently while viewing the cool illustration below. Produced by scientists who are studying the effects of adding some targeted diversity to row-cropped fields in central Iowa, it tells… Read More →
Land Stewardship Project members and staff joined allies from across Minnesota on Oct. 5 for the National Day of Dignity and Respect march and rally. During the day thousands of people from around the country joined together in calling on Congress to pass comprehensive immigration reform. In Minnesota, LSP joined with members of the state’s… Read More →
On Tuesday, Sept. 1, Stevens County officials approved Riverview’s conditional use permit for the proposed West River Dairy expansion near Morris, Minn. This decision largely clears the way for what will become the largest concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO) in Minnesota history. Once completed, this 18,855-cow facility will be more than 60 times the size… Read More →
Minnesota has a chance right now to stand up for independent dairy farmers, rural communities, and fair markets — but state decision-makers need to hear from us. Take action today: RSVP for a July 28 virtual public meeting and submit a written comment to the Minnesota Department of Agriculture between July 28 and October 1. The Minnesota Department… Read More →
Note: This commentary originally ran in the Minnesota Star Tribune on Oct. 17. When Minnesota’s growing season draws to a close, so does another kind of season: that period between spring and fall when farmers invite other farmers onto their land for “field days,” so they can share ideas about what’s working and what isn’t.… Read More →
