I have been a member of the Land Stewardship Project since 2008, first joining through the Farm Beginnings program. Since then, and even before, as a grass-fed beef farmer, a professor of sustainable agriculture law issues, and now renting our farm fields to Farm Beginning’s graduates, I have observed and participated in LSP’s campaigns and… Read More →
On Thursday, Sept. 22, Land Stewardship Project members will be traveling to Boone County, Iowa, to stand with our allies, Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement (CCI), against the Dakota Access Pipeline. Can you join us? Energy Transfer Partners is trying to force through a massive (half-million barrels of oil a day) pipeline from the Bakken… Read More →
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 →
Sometimes, there’s nothing like a speed bump to send you on your way toward that ultimate goal. In the case of Jason and Juli Montgomery-Riess, that slight detour was in the form of the Land Stewardship Project’s Farm Beginnings course. Before taking the class, both had worked on some of the top produce operations in… 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 →
This week, the President of the United States leveled a tirade of dehumanizing and vulgar insults at our Somali friends and neighbors. It was shocking and offensive and in stark contrast to the values we hold and practice within the Land Stewardship Project community. Immigrants are valued members of our communities, within and beyond Minnesota.… Read More →
Note: LSP believes that a more sustainable food production system must be based on the kinds of farmer-to-farmer education networks that thrive at workshops, field days, and during informal conversations in the field and at the kitchen table. That’s why LSP is committed to building Soil Health Hubs and otherwise bringing farmers together to share… Read More →
Chris MacLeod came to Mill City hoping to source local grain while pursuing his passion for baking. When confronted with the reality of the export-driven commodity system, he doubled down on connecting with local farmers. More Information • Laune Bread • Baker’s Field Flour & Bread • LSP’s Small Grains Web Page • Ear to… Read More →
Amy Rager wasn’t thrilled about moving from the North Woods to the land of grass. But three decades later, she’s an impassioned advocate for this treeless biome. More Information • Minnesota Master Naturalist Program • Land Stewardship Letter review of Sea of Grass • Ear to the Ground episode 258: Prairie’s Horizontal Grandeur • LSP Soil… Read More →
Gilbert Williams is a pioneer in processing local grains for local markets. His advice? Go stand in the field, put your name on the package, and tell your story. More Information • Ear to the Ground 378 with Noreen Thomas • Ear to the Ground 377 with Peter & Brittany Haugen • Ear to the… Read More →
