On Aug. 30, frac sand corporation Minnesota Sands filed a petition with the Minnesota Supreme Court in a continued attempt to subvert local democracy and undo the frac sand ban in southeastern Minnesota’s Winona County. The ordinance was passed by Winona County Commissioners after they listened to the will of the people, and has already… Read More →
Meeting Focuses on Need for Policies that Support Family Farmers, Affordable Healthcare & Strong Local Government STAPLES, Minn.— If the 2018 session of the Minnesota Legislature is to advance policies that support rural communities, then lawmakers need to support family farmers, affordable healthcare and strong local government, according to a group of farmers and other… Read More →
Over Thanksgiving, I was perusing the Dairy Star at my brother-in-law’s house in Stillwater, Minn. Having grown up on a dairy farm, I still like to see how the industry is doing. A column by Sadie Frerichs called, “The Negative Impacts of Health Insurance,” caught my eye. Because of the recent health insurance rate increases… Read More →
As last week’s Congressional Research Service report on bee health makes clear, the crisis plaguing pollinators is not a single, big bad bogey man. It’s likely a combination of factors such as habitat loss, pesticide poisoning, introduced diseases and the stress of making domesticated honey bees the insect equivalent of migrant workers. That’s the bad… Read More →
When I and four other college students from Winona participated in the Southern civil rights movement of the 1960s, we were proud of Minnesota. Like the dozens from all over Minnesota who spent months or years helping people to register and vote in the face of poll taxes, literacy tests, threats and murder, we knew… Read More →
The temperature hovers a few degrees above zero and fresh snow swirls around their feet as Bryan Crigler and Katelyn Foerster bend into a fierce wind and head into a stand of walnut trees on a recent January day. In contrast to the wild woods, neat rows of ironwood logs are leaning on wires amidst… Read More →
We wanted to share an important update from Stevens County, where Riverview LLP is seeking approval to expand its West River Dairy near Morris from 7,855 cows to 18,855 cows — a project that would make it the largest dairy facility and largest concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO) in Minnesota. On Aug. 19, the Stevens… Read More →
LEWISTON, Minn.—Oral arguments in Minnesota Sands, LLC’s, appeal of its lawsuit attempting to overturn Winona County’s frac sand ban will be heard at the Minnesota Court of Appeals on Thursday, May 10, at 10:05 a.m. in Room #200 of the Minnesota Judicial Center, 25 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., St. Paul. The Land… Read More →
NORTHFIELD, Minn. — Details on how to apply for the newly launched Minnesota Beginning Farmer Tax Credit will be the focus of a Land Stewardship Project workshop on Monday, Jan. 22, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., at First United Church of Christ, 300 Union St., in Northfield. Dessert and coffee will be served. There… 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 →
