There’s a bit of a disagreement over how many enterprises were originally on a certain wish list when Hannah Frank and Justin Thomas were considering launching a farm. “Didn’t we have, like, 40 different enterprises on our goal sheet?” Thomas asks Frank on an overcast day in July while the couple stands next to a… Read More →
LEWISTON, Minn. — Innovative grazing techniques, custom grazing and marketing of grass-fed livestock products will be the focus of two Land Stewardship Project (LSP) pasture walks in the southeastern Minnesota communities of Altura and Zumbrota in mid-October. These events are free and open to the public. On Tuesday, Oct. 11, from 4 p.m. to 6:30… Read More →
One day in 2014, a man stopped by Bill and Bonnie McMillin’s farm tucked away in the hills of southeastern Minnesota’s Wabasha County and offered to pay cash for all 160 acres, lock, stock and barrel. Such an offer can be tempting. After all, Bill and Bonnie had worked hard over the previous few decades… Read More →
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — Now that spring has finally arrived, it brings with it a reminder that this region is home to dozens of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farms that provide regular deliveries of produce and other locally raised food throughout the growing season. The Land Stewardship Project’s 2019 Twin Cities, Minnesota and Western Wisconsin Region… Read More →
Minnesotans value a vibrant democratic process and we won’t let it be undermined to serve corporate interests. We know that this process includes respect for free speech and dissent, which has been critical to achieving progress towards justice in our state. Critical farm policy reforms such as the 1986 statewide legislation that included mandatory mediation… Read More →
“The reinsurance bill passed today by the Minnesota House and Senate gives $542 million of public money to insurance companies, but it does not give certainty or stability to rural Minnesotans who need affordable health care,” said Mark Schultz, Executive Director of the Land Stewardship Project. “The farmers and other rural members of the Land… Read More →
After a lifetime of working for others in agricultural jobs, and retired after a career with the postal service, Tom Hoekstra and his wife, Lisa, bought a 150-acre farm outside of Plainview in southeastern Minnesota. Tom was 59 when they bought the farm in 2009. Right after their purchase, they immediately went to work re-building… Read More →
The Land Stewardship Project recently published a three-part expose of the federal crop insurance program. The white papers are titled: “Crop Insurance-the Corporate Connection,” “Crop Insurance Ensures the Big Get Bigger” and “How Crop Insurance Hurts the Next Generation of Farmers.” The final paper title provides the key to LSP’s concern. The introductory article says… Read More →
Across South Dakota, North Dakota, and Minnesota, rural residents are facing a growing wave of industrial dairy proposals that could reshape their communities for decades. On June 3, a coalition of organizations hosted “Community Responses to Industrial Dairy Proposals in SD, ND, and MN,” a webinar where community members and advocates shared what they are seeing on… Read More →
The Land Stewardship Project is an organization that believes we will not have a truly sustainable farm and food system until it is sustainable for everyone. That point was reinforced recently when we gathered input from our members and allies while putting together our current long range plan. That’s one reason LSP is working closely… Read More →
