Many good arguments can be made for supporting a type of agriculture less reliant on energy, technology and Wall Street, and more on soil, communities and people: it’s better for the environment, produces good food and keeps more Main Street businesses open, to name a few. But after reading Jim Van Der Pol’s just-published collection… Read More →
A few years ago, Brad and Shelley Schrandt faced a dilemma: should they keep their dairy herd at around 20 cows for a few more years while working off the farm, or should they expand enough to justify quitting those town jobs? They went for the expansion in an attempt to simplify their life. Shelley,… Read More →
On a January evening in western Minnesota, Carol Ford braves 20-degree temperatures and a wind that’s packing snow as she walks the few yards from her house to the garage. Once inside, she approaches a door with a colorful, hand-painted sign above it that reads: “The Door into Summer.” She opens the door and, sure… Read More →
En una tarde de Enero en Minnesota occidental, Carol Ford afronta 20- grados de temperatura y vientos que empacan nieve cuando ella camina las pocas yardas de su casa al garaje. Una vez que adentro, ella se acerca a una puerta con un pintado de una mano pintada y que encima dice. “La Puerta en… Read More →
Citizens, community members, landowners — do you have local natural resource concerns? Do you want to share your ideas, voice your opinions, or ask questions about how your local conservation programs are addressing these issues? Your local offices of the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) want to… Read More →
On April 15, the Land Stewardship Project saw farmers, community members, agency staffers, nonprofit folks, legislators, school district staff, and champions of Farm to School engage in this farm-to-fork initiative in the most hands-on way possible — by breaking bread together over school lunch trays at the Hutchinson High School. This diverse group of people… Read More →
As you know, farmers across the country are facing critical challenges as the federal funding freeze continues to impact essential agricultural programs. Although farmers were not supposed to be affected by the federal funding freeze, we know that is not the reality on the ground. Last week, Land Stewardship Project staff traveled to Washington, D.C.,… Read More →
Alex Udermann and his family at Meadowbrook Dairy were tired of working harder and harder for less and less. So they invested in building the kind of healthy soil that pays off economically, environmentally, and from a quality of life point of view. More Information • LSP’s Soil Health Web Page • Minnesota Agricultural Water… Read More →
MONTEVIDEO, Minn. — The bankruptcy and subsequent shutdown of the Pure Prairie Poultry processing plant in St. Charles, Iowa, has once more laid bare the dangers and the inadequacies of our industrial farming structure. “Too big to fail” is no longer just a condition of the financial sector, it is now a concept that is reaching… Read More →
The award-winning Meander Art Crawl is a free, self-guided tour of artist studios featuring 30 local artists — including several Land Stewardship Project members — from the Upper Minnesota River Valley. The Meander Art Crawl is held yearly during the first weekend of October. It’s a chance to visit artists in their own environment who celebrate… Read More →
