Note: Land Stewardship Project member Jim VanDerPol raises crops and livestock on Pastures a Plenty Farm near Kerkhoven in western Minnesota. He recently wrote this commentary expressing his opinions on the farm financial crisis for his own blog, and has given permission to re-post it here. Farmer suicide is on an uptrend. Some would call… Read More →
LEWISTON, Minn. — The Land Stewardship Project (LSP) applauded today’s ruling by the Minnesota Court of Appeals upholding a county’s right to limit the size of large animal feedlots operating within its borders. The ruling confirms an earlier state District Court’s decision that there was “no actual evidence of bias” when Winona County denied Daley… Read More →
On Monday, June 24, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) opened a public comment period for Minnesotans to respond to proposed changes to two permits that regulate the state’s largest animal feedlots. The aim of these changes is to protect Minnesota water by reducing nitrate contamination from manure produced by feedlots that are 1,000 animal… Read More →
You are invited to join fellow Land Stewardship Project members and supporters at the U.S. House Agriculture Committee Farm Bill Listening Session, Thursday, Aug. 3, at Farmfest outside of Redwood Falls. During this crucial time, when the 2018 Farm Bill is starting to be written, we need to make our voices heard for the 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 →
LEWISTON, Minn. — The Land Stewardship Project (LSP) has released a pair of music videos highlighting key themes of the growing farmer interest in building soil health. The two songs-of-the-soil, “Got Cover Crops” and “Back to Soil,” were commissioned from Austin, Minn., native and singer-songwriter Bret Hesla and performed with the band Six Feet Deep.… Read More →
Oct. 15: An LSP Round-up of News Covering Land, People & Communities World Food Prize Laureate Advocates for Re-Carbonizing Soil to Protect Food Production (10/13/20) Soil scientist Rattan Lal, the 2020 Word Food Prize laureate, makes the case that agriculture globally must take better care of its most valuable resource to not only produce more,… Read More →
LEWISTON, Minn. — Composting and soil biology will be the focus of a Land Stewardship Project field day on Thursday, Sept. 12, from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., at the Lewiston dairy farm of Dale and Carmene Pangrac and Kim and Andy Olson (19300 Trestle Drive). The field day will explore the soil microbial universe… Read More →
Below is a picture from the close of a thought-provoking, challenging and energizing two-day meeting the Land Stewardship Project hosted this week at our Minneapolis office. Leaders and staff from state-based rural membership organizations representing 10 Midwest and Western states came together in Minnesota and shared our experiences and our analyses related to organizing for… Read More →
Good news! State legislation that reinstates the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) Citizens’ Board is moving forward, but legislators are going to need to hear from constituents for it to pass (HF 973—Persell, SF 627—Marty). You may recall that during the last hours of the 2015 Minnesota legislative session, language was inserted into a massive… Read More →
