Gary Van Ryswyk’s concern for how his farming methods impact the landscape is obvious. A practitioner of a no-till system that avoids disturbing a field’s surface as much as possible, he is particularly focused on keeping soil in place. “None of us who farm want the soil to move—we care,” Van Ryswyk told me one… Read More →
On a blustery late summer day, Jan Libbey and Tim Landgraf hike through a waist-high prairie to the top of a dramatic knob on their farm in north-central Iowa. As they stand amongst big bluestem, Indian grass and switchgrass, corn and soybean fields flow in every direction, the monocultural landscape broken up only by a… Read More →
History Professor James E. McWilliams’ recent doubled-barreled attack on sustainable livestock production and the local food movement in general is so contradictory and full of factual holes, it’s tough to know where to begin to pick it apart. But it must be picked apart, since it has appeared in the New York Times and subsequently… Read More →
It’s hard to believe it’s been almost a month since the Land Stewardship Project participated in The Brave of Us: The Midwest Democracy and Power Summit June 11-12 at the Minneapolis Convention Center. The Summit was an inspiring two days focused on both learning from what we’ve accomplished and creating the future we want. Programming… Read More →
Farming, we love this life. No matter what type of farmer you are, we all know how tough it can be to live the farming life. From unpredictable weather, markets we have no control over, input cost increases, equipment breaking down, exhaustion, and now tariffs — the U.S. agriculture system is entering a crisis not… Read More →
Some sins against the land can be masked over with deep tillage, chemical inputs, and, when all else fails, moving dirt around with heavy equipment. But you can’t fool a good soil probe. For Mike and Jennifer Rupprecht, that revelation came when a retired soil scientist sunk his equipment deep into a couple spots on… Read More →
Hannah (she/her) is the owner/operator of Medicine Creek Farm in NE Minnesota where she raises grass fed beef and lamb and pastured pork for direct market online. She also educates about regenerative agriculture through agritourism on the farm and public speaking. She grew up on a corn and soybean farm in southern Minnesota and returned to agriculture… Read More →
Building healthy soil across Minnesota is key to creating resiliency in the face of a changing climate and is also incredibly important in supporting clean water. We all want clean drinking water for our families and communities. Right now, bills are being heard in the Minnesota Legislature that could affect drinking water throughout the state… Read More →
The Land Stewardship Project knows that immigrants are an important part of our farm economy, and have been throughout history. That’s why we’re inviting you to join LSP and the Immigrant Defense Network this week at one of four powerful teach-in opportunities in the Minnesota towns of Montevideo, Minneapolis, Mankato, and Rochester. We will learn… Read More →
Building healthy soil across Minnesota is key to creating resiliency in the face of a changing climate and is also incredibly important in supporting clean water. We all want clean drinking water for our families and communities. Right now, bills are being heard in the Minnesota Legislature that could affect drinking water throughout the state… Read More →
