Note: This is the 5th installment in the 12-part “A Sense of Where You Are” series. Grazing livestock have been described as “combines that poop.” That’s an accurate, if somewhat graphic, depiction of how moving cattle and other animals through well-managed paddocks can rebuild soil that’s been decimated by tillage, chemical use, and compaction. Langdon… Read More →
Note: This is the 6th installment in the 12-part “A Sense of Where You Are” series. When your context is farming in the city, everything is a little faster, denser, and louder. “We grow everything very intensively,” said Elyssa Eull on a warm evening in early September while she stood near the entrance to California… Read More →
Note: This is the 10th installment in the 12-part “A Sense of Where You Are” series. There’s nothing like getting diminishing returns on your investment in time, labor, and resources to put things in context. “I just got sick and tired of spending money on fertilizer, planting in the dry powder, and watching the soil blow… Read More →
I am not seeing any solid program that addresses access to land for new farmers. I do see networking and apprentice efforts (such as the one we have at our Earth Wisdom Farm) but I am not seen a comprehensive program that actually provides a viable path to ownership, or resident stewardship. With so much… Read More →
When you grow up on a farm in the shadow of the Jolly Green Giant, you can’t help but think that size matters when it comes to success in agriculture. Josh Reinitz’s family’s land sits between Minneapolis and Mankato, just a few miles from where a wooden likeness of the Green One and his apprentice… Read More →
While leading a group of natural resource professionals through one of his dairy pastures one early fall day, Martin Jaus made it crystal clear he farms the land for more than a milk check. “Every day we see something that just amazes us,” he said with a smile. “One day I was making hay and… Read More →
LEWISTON, Minn. — One of the most successful beginning farmer training programs in the country is now accepting applications for its 2026-2027 course session serving the Minnesota, western Wisconsin and northern Iowa region. The Land Stewardship Project’s (LSP) Farm Beginnings initiative is a training program that focuses on the goal-setting, marketing and financial skills needed… Read More →
MORRIS, Minn. — The Land Stewardship Project (LSP) today sharply criticized the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency’s (MPCA) decision to allow Riverview LLP’s massive West River Dairy expansion to move forward without requiring a full environmental impact statement (EIS). If approved, the project would expand the operation from 7,855 cows to 18,855 cows, making it the… Read More →
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Minnesota farmers traveled to the nation’s capital last week with a clear message for lawmakers: the federal government is creating a situation that makes it next to impossible to farm in a manner that’s economically viable, agronomically resilient and sustainable in the long term. “There’s a lot of volatility in farming these… Read More →
Every year during Minnesota’s Give to the Max day, Land Stewardship Project highlights the work of several BIPOC-led or rural-based organizations and asks our members to also support the work of these partners. This year, in light of continuing food insecurity and lingering effects of the recent government shutdown, LSP staff wanted to shout-out organizations… Read More →
