There is less than one month left in the 2024 Minnesota legislative session. This week, the House and Senate are finalizing and passing their separate omnibus policy and supplemental budget bills, which will then be sent to conference committees where differences between the proposals will be hammered out. This session, the Land Stewardship Project has… Read More →
Feb. 28: An LSP Round-up of News Covering Land, People & Communities New Evidence Shows Fertile Soil Gone From Midwestern Farms (2/24/21) National Public Radio reports on a new study showing the most fertile topsoil is entirely gone from a third of all the land devoted to growing crops across the upper Midwest. Highlights: The… 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 →
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — As discussions around the 2023 Farm Bill get off the ground, a key group of people are being asked to share their views on the future of agricultural policy: farmers. During the next several weeks, the Land Stewardship Project (LSP) is circulating the National Young Farmer Survey in Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin in… Read More →
Are you a farmland owner or retiring farmer looking to transition ownership or rent your farmland in ways that reflect your values? The Land Stewardship Project (LSP) is putting on a free winter series of virtual workshops designed to help you act on your conservation and social values. LSP has introductory workshops for retiring farmers… Read More →
2025-2026 Farm Beginnings Class LSP is now accepting applications for its 2025-2026 Farm Beginnings class session. For details, click here. ♦ ♦ ♦ In a sense, when the brothers Andy and Ben Klein enrolled in the Land Stewardship Project’s Farm Beginnings course in 2023, it was a return engagement for at least one of them.… Read More →
AUSTIN, Minn. — Ready to roll up your sleeves for roller crimping and no-till on your cropping operation? Get your efforts kick-started at a free workshop on Wednesday, March 2, from 1 p.m. – 4 p.m., at Riverland Community College’s West Event Center in Austin (14th Street SW and 8th Avenue SW). All farmers interested… Read More →
AUSTIN, Minn. — A field day focused on cover crops, interseeding, grazing cover crop mixes, and roller crimping will be held Tuesday, July 10, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., at the Tom Cotter farm, 50203 205th St., in Austin. Registration for this free event, which is co-sponsored by the Land Stewardship Project and the… Read More →
I coordinate a project in western Minnesota that is based on the idea that producing positive environmental impacts in a watershed can happen without having to remake the entire region’s landscape. Scientific studies and on-the-farm experience suggest that just a 10 percent increase in diverse crop rotations, grasses and other perennial plant systems can be enough to meaningfully improve the safety of the water, reduce flood potential, restore wildlife habitat and stimulate a thriving local and regional foods economy. This is especially true if we can target fields that are particularly sensitive to problems like erosion.
Hannah is seeking a farmer to buy 7 acres (5 tillable) in Dorchester, WI, Clark County. Main field spent summer of 2022 in cover crop followed by 3 seasons of market/CSA vegetable production. Not certified organic, but upholding those standards. Established pollinator habitat surrounds main field. Fields have been rotated between summer & winter cover… Read More →
