Ear to the Ground 135
How farmers are improving trout streams with grazing.
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Searched for: milk cows closeup grazing
LSP Mourns the Loss of Farmer-Leader Dan Specht
The Land Stewardship Project, sustainable agriculture and family farming lost a true friend this week when Dan Specht was killed in a tragic farm accident. He was 63. (See obituary here.) Dan, who farmed above the banks of the Mississippi River near McGregor, in northeast Iowa, had been a pioneer in innovative, sustainable farming methods… Read More →
Land Line: Commodity Ag Regrets, Bailout Blues, Corn & Climate, USDA Regenerative Ag Pilot, Manure Monitoring, Conservation & Community, Farmer-to-Farmer
Iowa Farm & Rural Life Poll: 2025 Summary (November) The majority of farmers responding to the latest Iowa Farm & Rural Life Poll feel that a reliance on specialized commodity agriculture is bad for them and their communities. Highlights: Sixty-nine percent agreed with the statement “Increased specialization in commodities (corn, soybeans, hogs, etc.) has led… Read More →
Land Line: Govt. Shutdown, Avian Flu, Nitrate Pollution, Nitrogen-Fixing Grains, Monopolies, Kernza, Farm to School
Government Shutdown Ends, Farm Bill Programs Extended (11/13/25) On Nov. 12, President Donald Trump signed into law a measure to end the longest-ever government shutdown after 43 days, providing full funding for the USDA for fiscal 2026, and ending a legal battle over November’s SNAP benefits, reports several news sources. Highlights: By getting full-year funding… Read More →
Land Line: Corn Belt Cancer, Integrating Crops & Livestock, Trade Turmoil, Farmland Access, Erosion, SNAP, Microbe Memory
Report: Cancer Rates Rising Among Young People in the Corn Belt (10/29/25) The Minnesota Reformer reports on an analysis conducted by The Washington Post showing that the six states that lead in corn production — Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Illinois, Indiana, and Kansas — have seen higher rates of cancer among young people than other states… Read More →
Protect Local Control & Include Farmer Voices for Conservation
Let NRCS Leadership Know Local Farmers' Voices Matter
Local control provides local governments the ability to make decisions that benefit their communities. It can happen at the township, county, city, or regional level. The decisions that are made can impact everything from local policy to how public funds are spent. Right now, the federal government is considering changing the rules for local decision-making… Read More →
Area Farmers Share Land Access & Marketing Concerns with Legislators From 9 States
Pre Farm-Aid SIX Tour Highlights Environmental, Health Benefits Provided by Cannon Falls & Rochester Farmers
CANNON FALLS, Minn. — Shea-Lynn Ramthun stood in a recently harvested oat field on her family’s farm near Cannon Falls last week and described to a couple dozen lawmakers a dilemma that’s all-too-common in the agriculture business: she had just successfully raised a bumper crop, only to run into the brick wall of not having… Read More →
Seeking Farmland to Rent: Minnesota, Wisconsin
Andi is seeking to rent 20 acres (tillable, pasture, forest) in Minnesota or western WI with a house. Ideally there would be a barn or shed for livestock (goats, pigs and ducks) and/or tool storage. Some fencing and water infrastructure for livestock would be a great plus. Andi is looking to start a small scale… Read More →
Kernza
Kernza is a form of intermediate wheatgrass, a distant cousin of wheat that was introduced to this country over a century ago as a forage crop. Over the years, groups like the The Land Institute have been working with the University of Minnesota’s Forever Green Initiative to develop a line of Kernza that can produce… Read More →
Land Line: Senate Budget Bill, Who Owns Land?, Nitrates, Conservation Cuts, Immigration, Drought When Wet, Judging Soil, Sea of Grass
Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Clears Senate, Sending it Back to House (7/1/25) Vice President JD Vance broke a 50-50 tie in the U.S. Senate today to pass President Donald Trump’s centerpiece legislation on tax cuts and spending, the 940-page “One Big Beautiful Bill,” reports Oklahoma Farm Report. In order to pay for spending on… Read More →