How to improve our health insurance system is an urgent matter for nearly everyone in Minnesota. It’s a top issue for farmers across Minnesota, and one of the most frequent concerns heard by clergy. For months, policymakers in St. Paul worked on details for how to provide immediate assistance to people who buy health insurance… Read More →
Sign Up for E-mail Delivery of The Land Line Opinion: Huge Dairy Operations Change the Fabric of Farm Country (5/28/26) Dairy farmer Duane Holker writes in the Minnesota Star Tribune that plans to build the largest dairy operation in Minnesota are a threat to producers like himself, as well as rural communities in general. Highlights:… Read More →
The 2017 Minnesota state legislative session is complete, including a four-day special session that was needed for the Legislature to finish passing a budget. Land Stewardship Project members and staff were active throughout the session fighting for healthcare policies that put people before corporate profits. On a positive note for healthcare, the Legislature provided short-term… Read More →
When Renville County dairy farmer James Kanne addressed a Minnesota Senate hearing on environmental review Jan. 29, he made it clear that size does matter when it comes to assessing the impact of an agricultural operation on the land and community. “If you have 50 cows in one spot, they have a small impact,” Kanne… Read More →
MORRIS, Minn. — The Land Stewardship Project (LSP) is calling for a thorough environmental review of an unprecedented proposal that would create the largest livestock operation in the state. Riverview, LLP is proposing to expand an existing concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO) in Stevens County to 18,855 dairy cattle, resulting in 26,397 animal units housed… Read More →
Periodically, I get this question from our members, allies, and the general public: Why is the Land Stewardship Project involved in supporting the immigrant community? What does standing with allied organizations as they speak out against unfair treatment of immigrants — documented and undocumented — have to do with our mission of fostering an ethic… Read More →
Corporation Yet Again Ignores Local Democracy & the Will of the People Today, Minnesota Sands, LLC filed a petition asking the United States Supreme Court to hear an appeal in its lawsuit seeking to overturn the Winona County frac sand mining ban. Such requests are not automatically accepted by the Court, and given the utter… Read More →
When Words Matter…& When They Don’t When it comes to farming, “regenerative” is having a bit of a moment. For example, Cargill wants to help farmers convert 10 million acres of row crop farmland to “regenerative practices,” and General Mills has said it is committed to advancing “regenerative agriculture practices” on a million acres of… Read More →
MORRIS, Minn. — As state regulators consider an unprecedented proposal for creating the largest livestock operation in Minnesota, it’s clear a convergence of rapid consolidation, economic distress and large-scale expansion raises urgent questions about whether existing policies are adequately protecting fair competition, rural communities and public resources, argues a new white paper released by the Land… Read More →
The Invisible Hand, Elasticity, and the Vanishing Farmer (5/7/25) Writing on the AGDAILY website, farmer and international consultant Ben Henson describes how the traditional building blocks of the American agricultural economy are being undermined by unprecedented consolidation in farming. Highlights: One basis of economic theory is “inelastic” versus “elastic” demand for products. Food is considered… Read More →
