Ear to the Ground 61
How changes to Minnesota’s Green Acres program threaten farmland stewardship.
How changes to Minnesota’s Green Acres program threaten farmland stewardship.
Farming, we love this life. No matter what type of farmer you are, we all know how tough it can be to live the farming life. From unpredictable weather, markets we have no control over, input cost increases, equipment breaking down, exhaustion, and now tariffs — the U.S. agriculture system is entering a crisis not… Read More →
Some sins against the land can be masked over with deep tillage, chemical inputs, and, when all else fails, moving dirt around with heavy equipment. But you can’t fool a good soil probe. For Mike and Jennifer Rupprecht, that revelation came when a retired soil scientist sunk his equipment deep into a couple spots on… Read More →
Hannah (she/her) is the owner/operator of Medicine Creek Farm in NE Minnesota where she raises grass fed beef and lamb and pastured pork for direct market online. She also educates about regenerative agriculture through agritourism on the farm and public speaking. She grew up on a corn and soybean farm in southern Minnesota and returned to agriculture… Read More →
Building healthy soil across Minnesota is key to creating resiliency in the face of a changing climate and is also incredibly important in supporting clean water. We all want clean drinking water for our families and communities. Right now, bills are being heard in the Minnesota Legislature that could affect drinking water throughout the state… Read More →
The Land Stewardship Project knows that immigrants are an important part of our farm economy, and have been throughout history. That’s why we’re inviting you to join LSP and the Immigrant Defense Network this week at one of four powerful teach-in opportunities in the Minnesota towns of Montevideo, Minneapolis, Mankato, and Rochester. We will learn… Read More →
Building healthy soil across Minnesota is key to creating resiliency in the face of a changing climate and is also incredibly important in supporting clean water. We all want clean drinking water for our families and communities. Right now, bills are being heard in the Minnesota Legislature that could affect drinking water throughout the state… Read More →
This week, the House and Senate Agriculture Committees in the Minnesota Legislature are rolling out their budgets for the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. Both the House and Senate have included important items, such as funding for the Emerging Farmers Office and establishing a Meat and Poultry Liaison position in the Department of Agriculture, as well… Read More →
Like many people, I watched with hope as the protests in Minneapolis and across the country made possible the idea of significant police reform. I also watched with horror in 2021 as those reform efforts stalled in the Minnesota Senate. Being a white farmer living in rural Minnesota, I felt removed and powerless as all… Read More →
Monday, Jan. 31, is the first day of the 2022 Minnesota legislative session — and we have an incredible opportunity to win millions of dollars for soil health, local processing, local markets, emerging farmers, and more. In the past two weeks, Governor Tim Walz and the Minnesota House Climate Climate Action Caucus have put together exciting… Read More →