With spring fully and finally here, things are busy on my farm, but I wanted to take a moment to write to you about an issue moving forward at the Minnesota Capitol that goes against some of the most important principles and values I have. And I want to ask you to take action with… Read More →
Integrating Diverse Cropping, Livestock & Grazing Key to Developing ‘Soil Smart’ Farms MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — At a time of skyrocketing water pollution levels and increasing climate-related calamities, a new resource released today describes how farmers in Minnesota and the rest of the Midwest can play a key role in helping fix these serious environmental problems.… Read More →
The telephone rang late one afternoon in early October. It was a call from a jubilant, if exhausted, dairy farmer who said he’d planted 20 acres of rye the previous night. He said he’d been attending Land Stewardship Project cover crop/soil health events and that despite the pitfalls of harvest, machinery and too much rain,… Read More →
When I started working with the Land Stewardship Project on the Chippewa 10% Project, the work felt far away. Based out of Minneapolis, I was working on the Cropping Systems Calculator to help farmers in the Chippewa River watershed region in west-central Minnesota determine what financial differences they would see by switching a marginal corn/soybean… Read More →
CHATFIELD, Minn. — Farmers and landowners gearing up for cover crops this year are invited to learn from innovative area farmers at a free Land Stewardship Project (LSP) “Spring Prep!” program Thursday, March 3, in Chatfield. The program will be held at the United Methodist Church (124 Winona St. SE) from 1 p.m. to 3:30… Read More →
The Land Stewardship Project (LSP) report, “Breaking the Rules for Profit: An Analysis of the Frac Sand Industry’s Violations of State Regulations & Manipulation of Local Governments in Wisconsin,” posted on our website on Nov. 6, 2014, inadvertently contained errors regarding AllEnergy. These errors have been retracted in a revised version of the report, which… Read More →
When it comes to introducing and supporting innovative sustainable farming practices, nothing beats a field day. Such events provide an opportunity for farmers to see firsthand how profitable, environmentally sound production practices are performing on their neighbor’s land under climatic, agronomic and economic conditions they can relate to. Studies have shown that while sustainable farming… Read More →
I originally downloaded the audio version of Elizabeth Kolbert’s new book, The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History, to simply keep me awake during a long wintry drive across the southern part of Minnesota and through the heart of Iowa. But by the time I arrived at my destination—a national conference on cover crops and soil… Read More →
Despite the unrelenting rain, more than 100 people congregated on the corner of Franklin and Portland Avenue in Minneapolis last Tuesday to celebrate the launch of the South Quarter IV development project, which included a heartfelt speech from Mayor RT Rybak. The ceremony was hosted by Aeon, affordable housing developers and long-time partners in Hope… Read More →
The best farming system in the world means little if it isn’t resilient enough to bounce back from all the nastiness nature can toss its way. That’s become painfully clear in recent years as extreme weather events increase in frequency. Two upcoming Land Stewardship Project field days will focus on how diverse farming systems can… Read More →
