Ear to the Ground Podcast

Here you will find LSP’s 15-year collection of podcasts featuring farmers, scientists, and others telling stories from the land. You can find LSP Ear to the Ground podcast episodes on Pandora, iTunes, and other podcast platforms.

Ear to the Ground 350: Cranking Up Capacity

By building soil biology via managed grazing, Langdon Collom is learning that expanding a farm’s capacity doesn’t always require horizontal expansion — sometimes you can simply go vertical. More Information • LSP’s Grazing & Soil Health Web Page • Match Made in Heaven: Livestock + Crops • Sustainable Farming Association • Midwest Grazing Exchange • Minnesota Cropland…  Read More

Ear to the Ground 349: Family, Farming & Forages

Since taking over their family’s livestock operation, Parker and Sam Beard have added a few new twists. But one thing will never change: those hills will remain in grass. More Information • LSP’s Grazing & Soil Health Web Page • LSP’s Farm Transitions Tools Web Page • Iowa Organic Association You can find LSP Ear…  Read More

Ear to the Ground 348: Urban Agrarian

Elyssa Eull’s tiny farm is tucked between railroad tracks and an empty lot in the heart of a major metropolitan area, but its city soil is producing food on a commercial scale. More Information • LSP’s Farm Beginnings Course • California Street Farm • Twin Cities Metro Growers Network • USDA Urban Agriculture Programs at a Glance…  Read More

Ear to the Ground 347: Bite-by-Bite

Mapping a rural region’s “community food assets” reveals isolated islands of opportunity in a sea of corn and soybeans. LSP’s Scott DeMuth says now is the time to connect the dots and create a new relationship between farmers, eaters, and the places they live in. For a transcript of this podcast, click here. More Information •…  Read More

Ear to the Ground 346: Pasture Pixie Dust

The NRCS’s Jeff Duchene has set up grazing plans in 50 Minnesota counties, and has yet to find that proverbial “magic grass.” But he’s more convinced than ever that good management and good planning are their own kind of silver bullet. (Fifth and last episode in a series on LSP’s 2024 Grazing School.) More Information • 4th in…  Read More

Ear to the Ground 345: Grazing’s Generational Jump

Rick Matt was flat on his back when it became evident how he and his son, Damien, could build an intergenerational farming operation based on soil health, diversity, and grazing.  (Fourth episode in a series on LSP’s 2024 Grazing School.) More Information • 5th in the Grazing School Podcast Series: “Pasture Pixie Dust” • 3rd in the…  Read More

Ear to the Ground 344: Flerd is the Word

Poor soil, short growing seasons, and little infrastructure: beginning farmer George Heller is proving that a successful grazing operation doesn’t require optimal conditions. (Third episode in a series on LSP’s 2024 Grazing School.) More Information • 5th in the Grazing School Podcast Series: “Pasture Pixie Dust” • 4th in the Grazing School Podcast Series: “Grazing’s Generational…  Read More

Ear to the Ground 343: Healthy Soil Vs. Plastic Worms

Clifford Johnson calls himself an “honest regenerative hypocrite,” which says a lot about his approach to building soil health on his family’s crop and livestock farm.  (Second episode in a series on LSP’s 2024 Grazing School.) More Information • 5th in the Grazing School Podcast Series: “Pasture Pixie Dust” • 4th in the Grazing School…  Read More

Ear to the Ground 342: Ignoring the Red Dress

Wholesome Family Farms is known for juggling enough enterprises to overwhelm even the most ambitious farmer. But Rachelle Meyer says a “three-legged stool” strategy keeps them balanced. (First episode in a series on LSP’s 2024 Grazing School.) More Information • 5th in the Grazing School Podcast Series: “Pasture Pixie Dust” • 4th in the Grazing School Podcast…  Read More

Ear to the Ground 341: Seeds of Local Democracy

LSP’s political action partner, the Land Stewardship Action Fund, is working to show that vibrant rural communities require local people participating in decision-making — one vote at a time. More Information • Land Stewardship Action Fund • Land Stewardship Letter Article: “Land Stewardship Action Fund’s Local Impact”  • LSP’s Policy Campaigns You can find LSP Ear…  Read More