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Jeepers Cats That’s Some Healthy Soil!

Turning a Massive Problem into Soil Fertility & Economic Value

I recently witnessed the return of life to Jordan and Rachelle Meyers’ fields, which are transitioning from giant ragweed and thistles into soil-building plants such as chicory, red clover, and wild bergamot. During the past few years, the family, which farms in southeastern Minnesota’s Houston County, has used hard work and attention to the soil…  Read More

A Raw Deal on Farmland

Using Farm Beginnings & Soil Health to Push Marginal Land Beyond Expectations

There are upsides to launching a farm on raw, open land: no broken-down outbuildings or junk piles to deal with, the ability to truly start anew from the soil up. Then…there’s the other side of the fence, so to speak. “I decided to move the sheep before they move themselves,” says Hannah Bernhardt with a…  Read More

Midwestern Farms Can Counter Climate Change

One of the best approaches for combating climate change lies beneath every Midwestern farm: the soil. By increasing soil organic carbon, farmers can help the climate, their bottom lines, and their farms and communities better adapt to the impacts of extreme weather. The Land Stewardship Project is part of the Midwest Sustainable Agriculture Working Group…  Read More

Grazing & Soil Health Field Day July 24 Near Lewiston

LEWISTON, Minn. — A field day focused on successfully raising grass-fed beef and building soil health through managed rotational grazing will be held Tuesday, July 24, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., at Mike and Jennifer Rupprechts’ Earth-Be-Glad Farm, 18828 County Road 20, in Lewiston. Registration for this free Land Stewardship Project (LSP) event will…  Read More

The Cropping Systems Calculator’s Real World Roots

During my first meeting on a farm that was testing the Cropping Systems Calculator tool, there was plenty of skepticism about how this differed from the numerous other budget tools already available to farmers. This particular resource has been developed by the Land Stewardship Project through the Chippewa 10% Project initiative. Its purpose is to…  Read More

Healthy Soil, Healthy Farms, Healthy Communities (1st of 2 parts)

On a crisp morning in September, North Dakota farmer Gabe Brown held two handfuls of soil and searched for signs of life—theoretically not a difficult task considering one teaspoon of humus contains more organisms than there are humans in the world. But many of the bacteria and invertebrates that lurk in the dark basement of…  Read More

Land Line: Riverview, Suppressing Speech? Groundwater, Archived Nitrogen, Unsafe Lettuce, Saving Ag From Itself, Wendell Berry, Jostocks’ Risk Reduction

Sign Up for E-mail Delivery of The Land Line Stevens County OKs Permit for Expansion of Riverview’s West River Dairy (9/8/26) The West Central Tribune reports that the Stevens County Board of Commissioners has given the green light to what will be the largest dairy operation in Minnesota history. Highlights: Morris, Minn.-based Riverview is seeking…  Read More

LSP Applauds MPCA Citizens’ Board Ordering of EIS on Massive Dairy Factory Farm

Historical Move Puts Mega-Operation Under the Microscope The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency’s Citizens’ Board ruled this week that Riverview LLP’s proposed 8,850-cow dairy operation in Stevens County must undergo an in-depth Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). To my knowledge, this is the first time that the MPCA has ordered an EIS of a factory farm. The…  Read More