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 →
One of the most anti-environmental pieces of legislation to come out of the Minnesota Capitol in several years became law on Saturday, June 13. The Agriculture and Environment Omnibus Budget Bill was supposed to provide funding for numerous initiatives of importance to rural Minnesotans. However, as the session wound down, several policy provisions were plugged… Read More →
Interested in hearing directly from the next generation of innovative farmers? Check out the Land Stewardship Project’s Ear to the Ground “Fresh Voices” podcast series. You can read profiles of Farm Beginnings grads here. You can check out all 295 episodes of our Ear to the Ground podcast here. Ear to the Ground 294: Rootless Regeneration … Read More →
As you may have heard, the Land Stewardship Project is currently searching for a new executive director as a result of the departure of Mike McMahon earlier this year. We’d like to provide a brief update on the hiring process and where LSP stands during this time of transition. First, let’s address the reality of… Read More →
There’s farm planning. And then there’s long-term farm planning. Figuring out what kind of rotation to use the following growing season is one thing; picturing what the entire farm will look like in a decade or so is quite another. Abbie Baldwin and Mitch Hawes are well aware that when the enterprise you are undertaking… Read More →
Gale Woods Farm is owned and managed by Three Rivers Park District. It is a 438-acre park with the mission of demonstrating small-scale, productive, contemporary, sustainable agriculture and offering farming-related educational opportunities to school groups and the general public. The park includes gardens and orchards, an educational barn, pasture-raised beef cattle, pigs, sheep and chickens,… Read More →
