Les Macare is the co-owner of Racing Heart Farm, a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) vegetable operation near Colfax, Wis. Les is a graduate of LSP’s Journeyperson course and recently participated in the organization’s Climate Resiliency Cohort. Les, along with partner Els Dobrick, who is also a Journeyperson graduate, found their land via LSP’s Farmland Clearinghouse.
Minnesota’s state agencies are in the midst of gathering information and setting their priorities for the 2025 legislative session. They are deciding how they should spend their dollars, what programs to continue, what policy changes are needed, and more. What do you need? Could you take five minutes to share your ideas with the Minnesota Department… Read More →
On a warm, overcast day in early fall, a low line of shrubby trees blocks the view of a seemingly empty lot on Penn Avenue, a busy thoroughfare in the Willard-Hay Neighborhood of North Minneapolis. A television with a cracked screen lays in some weeds at the edge of the lot, a reminder that if… Read More →
The USDA’s recent creation of urban ag service centers is a recognition that growing food in the city is more than a quirky news story. More Information • Kajsa Beatty Contact • USDA Office of Urban Ag & Innovative Production • USDA Urban Service Centers • USDA Resources for Urban Farmers • LSP’s Farm Beginnings Course You can… Read More →
Beverly Dougherty’s Real Food Hub is out to prove that connecting local farmers and local eaters makes sense nutritionally and financially — and is just plain fun. More Information • Read Food Hub • Minnesota Farmers’ Market Hubs • LSP’s Community-Based Food Systems Web Page • Ear to the Ground 322: Lunchroom Stewardship • MDA Farm-to-School &… Read More →
Soil, cows, ecology, economics: to milk producer Derek Schmitz, they are all linked, and that feeds his optimism even as tough times cast a shadow over dairy farming. More Information • LSP’s Grazing & Soil Health Web Page • Soil Health Academy Case Study: Derek & Taylor Schmitz • Regenerative Livestock Systems Symposium: April 5, 2024 You can… Read More →
The 2024 Minnesota legislative session has begun in Saint Paul and nitrate contamination is top of mind for our legislators. Next week, committees in both the State House and Senate will host hearings about nitrates in our soil and water. This is an opportunity to make it known that Minnesotans expect our state’s decisionmakers to… Read More →
Climate change may impact a vegetable producer and a livestock farmer in different ways, but the result is the same: uncertainty, stress…and a deeper desire to connect with community. More Information • Ear to the Ground 299: Road to Resilience • LSP’s Soil Health page • Prairie Drifter Farm • Early Boots Farm You can find LSP Ear… Read More →
Whitney Terrill joined LSP’s staff as a Farm Beginnings organizer in 2023. She co-leads LSP’s Farm Beginnings organizing and Land Access and Land Legacy initiatives. She has a bachelor’s degree in sociology (Hampton University), as well as executive certificates in conservation and environmental sustainability (Columbia University) and in social impact strategy (University of Pennsylvania). Whitney… Read More →
Shea-Lynn Ramthun is a 6th generation farmer in Cannon Falls, Minn. Her family has a herd of rotationally-grazed Black Angus cattle that they raise from start to finish. Additionally, they farm a variety of crops using no-till and cover cropping methods. Shea-Lynn has been involved with LSP for the past couple of years, attending workshops,… Read More →
