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Searched for: regional food system

From Empty Lot to Full Blown Garden

Gardeners at Hope Community in the Phillips Community of South Minneapolis have been working hard this week to prepare soil and create a design for the urban agriculture space that has come to be known as the “2012 Garden,” in honor of its address at 2012 Oakland Avenue. The 2012 Garden has gone through many…  Read More

The (Growing) High Price of an Unreformed Crop Insurance Program

Just when you think the facts and figures around federal subsidized crop insurance can’t get any more outlandish, new numbers emerge exposing the out-of-control spending and lack of accountability for this area of farm policy. Earlier this month, USDA released the most recent data on crop insurance costs. It’s ugly: the federal government anticipates doling…  Read More

Eating Our Own Farm Financial Cooking

One winter evening in 1999 I was sitting in on a Farm Beginnings class being held in the southeast Minnesota community of Plainview when a local banker stood up and made a statement that about knocked me out of my chair. “We need to eat our own cooking,” said the banker, Dean Harrington. The statement…  Read More

Bringing Lawmakers to the Farm

Legislative Ag Leaders Get a Firsthand Look at Challenges, Opportunities SE MN Farmers Face

On a recent July afternoon, southeastern Minnesota farmer Martin Larsen stopped his Gleaner R-62 combine in the middle of oat harvest, climbed down the ladder, and walked a hundred yards or so to where the Chair of the Minnesota Senate Agriculture Committee was standing at the edge of the field. Larsen then described to Sen.…  Read More

Rocket Surgery, Farming & Water

A Lobe Rangers Field Day Highlights Why We Need to 'Rethink Nitrogen'

On a muggy, overcast July day in northwestern Iowa, Matt Bormann and Zack Smith were standing in front of a sophisticated piece of conservation tillage equipment that farmers like themselves use to keep soil in place while planting corn and soybeans. A few yards away, another farmer, James Hepp, was standing in front of a…  Read More

Seeking Farmland to Rent or Buy: Wisconsin

Jessica is seeking to rent or buy tillable, pasture and forested acres in Wisconsin.   Fencing & Land Management: Established Perimeter Fencing: Existing high-tensile, predator-proof woven wire fencing for livestock containment. Cross-Fencing Potential: Open acreage that allows for the implementation of rotational grazing paddocks (to support long-term pasture health and parasite management). Terrain: Clear, rock-free, and…  Read More

Ear to the Ground 404: Closing the Loop

Paul and Delores Moechnig are working to prove to the next generation that the road to farming’s future doesn’t have to pass through corn and soybean fields. It turns out the bluebirds and swallows appreciate the offramp they’ve taken into rotational grazing as well.    More Information • LSP’s Soil Builders’ Network • Blog: Soil Health…  Read More

Farmland for Sale: Minnesota

Tom is seeking a farmer to buy 10 acres (5 tillable, 2 pasture, 2 forest, 1 other) in Hugo, Minnesota, Washington County.  There is a house available, 2 1/2 unattached garage; and footings installed for 30′ x 15 greenhouse.  The house was built in 1991-92 with 4 Bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, plus 450 sq ft.…  Read More

Ear to the Ground 381: A Key Ingredient

Chris MacLeod came to Mill City hoping to source local grain while pursuing his passion for baking. When confronted with the reality of the export-driven commodity system, he doubled down on connecting with local farmers.  More Information • Laune Bread • Baker’s Field Flour & Bread • LSP’s Small Grains Web Page • Ear to…  Read More

Ear to the Ground 370: Bending the Bird Curve

  The feathered residents of America’s grasslands are in big trouble, but Audubon ecologist Krysten Zummo sees regenerative grazing as a way for bovines to benefit birds. More Information • Audubon Conservation Ranching Program • Krysten Zummo Contact Information • LSP Grazing & Soil Health Page • The Monitoring Tool Box • Wild Farm Alliance…  Read More