BENSON, Minn. — Farmers, agricultural professionals and community members in western Minnesota are invited to a Small Grain Markets Workshop on Saturday, March 15, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., at McKinney’s on Southside (300 14th St. South) in Benson, Minn. This free Land Stewardship Project (LSP) event is an opportunity to learn from regional growers and innovators about the benefits of reintroducing small grains into farming operations and ways to rebuild the markets and infrastructure needed to support them. Coffee and refreshments are provided and pre-registration is requested by Thursday, March 13. To register and to secure a spot, visit bit.ly/westernsmallgrain. For more information, contact LSP’s Alex Kiminski at 925-207-3721 or akiminski@landstewardshipproject.org.
Interest in small grains has seen gaining momentum in Minnesota recently. During a similar event hosted by LSP in Albert Lea in January, over 150 farmers and ag professionals gathered to learn how others are rebuilding markets and vital infrastructure for small grains, which in recent years have disappeared from most crop rotations in the Corn Belt. In addition to providing farmers with a cash crop diversification option, incorporating small grains into rotations helps control weeds and reduces feed and fertilizer costs, as well as boosts soil fertility while lowering water nitrate levels.
“We want to build on the momentum of our small grain markets workshop held in Albert Lea earlier this year,” said Kiminski, a soil health organizer in LSP’s Montevideo office. “We know that one of the best ways to move new ideas forward is getting farmers in the same room and sharing the opportunities and challenges they face, finding ways to problem-solve together.”
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The Land Stewardship Project (LSP) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering an ethic of stewardship for farmland, promoting sustainable agriculture and developing healthy communities in the food and farming system. LSP has offices in the Minnesota communities of Montevideo, Lewiston and South Minneapolis.