On a January evening in western Minnesota, Carol Ford braves 20-degree temperatures and a wind that’s packing snow as she walks the few yards from her house to the garage. Once inside, she approaches a door with a colorful, hand-painted sign above it that reads: “The Door into Summer.” She opens the door and, sure… Read More →
En una tarde de Enero en Minnesota occidental, Carol Ford afronta 20- grados de temperatura y vientos que empacan nieve cuando ella camina las pocas yardas de su casa al garaje. Una vez que adentro, ella se acerca a una puerta con un pintado de una mano pintada y que encima dice. “La Puerta en… Read More →
Amy Rager wasn’t thrilled about moving from the North Woods to the land of grass. But three decades later, she’s an impassioned advocate for this treeless biome. More Information • Minnesota Master Naturalist Program • Land Stewardship Letter review of Sea of Grass • Ear to the Ground episode 258: Prairie’s Horizontal Grandeur • LSP Soil… Read More →
Gilbert Williams is a pioneer in processing local grains for local markets. His advice? Go stand in the field, put your name on the package, and tell your story. More Information • Ear to the Ground 378 with Noreen Thomas • Ear to the Ground 377 with Peter & Brittany Haugen • Ear to the… Read More →
Noreen Thomas got into organic crop farming almost three decades ago as a way to produce healthy food and survive economically. Today, she’s the mentor she never had. More Information • Register for LSP’s “Bringing Small Grains Back to Minnesota” Networking Meeting on Aug. 2, 2025, in Madison, Minn. • Doubting Thomas Farms • 2025… Read More →
Citizens, community members, landowners — do you have local natural resource concerns? Do you want to share your ideas, voice your opinions, or ask questions about how your local conservation programs are addressing these issues? Your local offices of the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) want to… Read More →
On April 15, the Land Stewardship Project saw farmers, community members, agency staffers, nonprofit folks, legislators, school district staff, and champions of Farm to School engage in this farm-to-fork initiative in the most hands-on way possible — by breaking bread together over school lunch trays at the Hutchinson High School. This diverse group of people… Read More →
As you know, farmers across the country are facing critical challenges as the federal funding freeze continues to impact essential agricultural programs. Although farmers were not supposed to be affected by the federal funding freeze, we know that is not the reality on the ground. Last week, Land Stewardship Project staff traveled to Washington, D.C.,… Read More →
Note: This is the 4th installment in the 12-part “A Sense of Where You Are” series. Jerry and Nancy Ackermann’s context is this: for around four decades, they have been raising corn and soybeans in southwestern Minnesota’s Jackson County, a region dominated by the kind of flat, fertile fields that regularly churn out impressive yields… Read More →
Note: This is the 11th installment in the 12-part “A Sense of Where You Are” series. Be careful who you invite onto the farm, especially if it’s a return visit. Jon and Carin Stevens learned that lesson in late August when a nationally known soil health expert walked their fields and grubbed up some samples… Read More →
