Soil Builders’ E-Letters - Land Stewardship Project

Below are back issues of LSP’s Soil Builders’ e-letter. To receive this newsletter via e-mail, sign up here.

April 2025: Signs of Spring, Flower Power, Soil Legislation, Small Grains, Kernza Podcasts, Dodge County, NRCS Working Meetings
February 2025: Small Grains Workshop Wrap-up, Soil Health Steering Committee, Small Grains Videos, Landon Plagge Podcast
December 2024: Oats & Resiliency, Small Grains Workshop, Soil Health Steering Committee, Grazing Group Meetings, Allen & Kathleen Deutz Podcast
October 2024: Soil Health Survey, Value-Added Grant, Meet Our Steering Committee Members, Parker & Sam Beard Podcast, Roller Crimping
August 2024: Soil Health Events, Soil Health Resources, New Soil Health Organizer. Rachelle Meyer Podcast
June 2024: Driftless Grazing School, Seeking Steering Committee Members, Small Grains, Integrating Crops & Livestock, Soil Health Events, Josh Nelson Podcast
December 2023: Cover Crop Economics, Rooting Out Nitrates, Matt Tentis Podcast
August 2022: Summer Events, Scott & Amanda Holthaus
December 2021: Grazing Groups, John Snyder
August 2021: Field Days, Drought Resources, 12 Tails Farm
June 2021: Summer Events & Local Meat Processing with Eric Klein
April 2021: New Staff & Mark Erickson — Soil Health on Rentals
January 2021: New Staff, Music Video & Knutson Shorthorns
November 2020: Oppression Trainings, Virtual Winter Events & Farmer Mervin Beachy
August 2020: New Soil Health Team Member & Upcoming Events
June 2020: Sustainability & Justice Go Hand-in-Hand
April 2020: Soil Health & COVID-19, Connor McCormick
Feb. 2020: NRCS Grazing Updates, Jonathan Lundgren & Jean Erpelding
Nov. 2019: Farm Crisis, Farming Green, Selling Pastured Meat
Sept. 2019: Farm Crisis, Fall Pasture Walks, the Johnson Family Image
July 2019: Climate Change, Upcoming Field Days & Farmer Spotlight on Robb Miller
May 2019: Steering Committee, New Podcast, Thickes
March 2019: Farmer Consulting Service, Grazing Circles, Bob Mierau
Jan. 2019: Grazing Expansion, Resources & Farmer Curt Tvedt
Nov. 2018: Staff, Weather Extremes & Farmer Daryn McGowan
Sept. 18, 2018: Field Day Turnout, Nobel Conference, Farmer Willie Erdmann
July 21, 2018: Investigating Soil Biology, Chuck Henry
May 23, 2018: NRCS Seeding Rates, Resources, John Meyer
March 13, 2018: Winter Workshops, Archuleta, Ed McNamara
Jan. 19, 2018: Winter Workshops, Videos, Loran Steinlage
Nov. 11, 2017: Your Story?, Elaine Ingham, Rory Beyer
Sept. 8, 2017: CC Considerations, Resources, Olaf Haugen
July 15, 2017: Erosion Control, Field Days, Tom & Lisa Hoekstra
May 18, 2017: Videos, Resources, Myron Sylling
March 29, 2017: Sign-up for the Network, Resources, Kaleb Anderson
August 2021: Field Days, Drought Resources, 12 Tails Farm
June 2021: Summer Events & Local Meat Processing with Eric Klein
April 2021: New Staff & Mark Erickson — Soil Health on Rentals
January 2021: New Staff, Music Video & Knutson Shorthorns
November 2020: Oppression Trainings, Virtual Winter Events & Farmer Mervin Beachy
August 2020: New Soil Health Team Member & Upcoming Events
June 2020: Sustainability & Justice Go Hand-in-Hand
April 2020: Soil Health & COVID-19, Connor McCormick
Feb. 2020: NRCS Grazing Updates, Jonathan Lundgren & Jean Erpelding
Nov. 2019: Farm Crisis, Farming Green, Selling Pastured Meat
Sept. 2019: Farm Crisis, Fall Pasture Walks, the Johnson Family Image
July 2019: Climate Change, Upcoming Field Days & Farmer Spotlight on Robb Miller
May 2019: Steering Committee, New Podcast, Thickes
March 2019: Farmer Consulting Service, Grazing Circles, Bob Mierau
Jan. 2019: Grazing Expansion, Resources & Farmer Curt Tvedt
Nov. 2018: Staff, Weather Extremes & Farmer Daryn McGowan
Sept. 18, 2018: Field Day Turnout, Nobel Conference, Farmer Willie Erdmann
July 21, 2018: Investigating Soil Biology, Chuck Henry
May 23, 2018: NRCS Seeding Rates, Resources, John Meyer
March 13, 2018: Winter Workshops, Archuleta, Ed McNamara
Jan. 19, 2018: Winter Workshops, Videos, Loran Steinlage
Nov. 11, 2017: Your Story?, Elaine Ingham, Rory Beyer
Sept. 8, 2017: CC Considerations, Resources, Olaf Haugen
July 15, 2017: Erosion Control, Field Days, Tom & Lisa Hoekstra
May 18, 2017: Videos, Resources, Myron Sylling
March 29, 2017: Sign-up for the Network, Resources, Kaleb Anderson

To receive this newsletter via e-mail, sign up here.

Upcoming Events

June 2025

Tuesday June 17

9:00 am – 1:00 pm: Silvopasture & Brush Management Field Day
Tuesday June 17
9:00 am – 1:00 pm
Silvopasture & Brush Management Field Day
Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge 16797 289th Ave NW Zimmerman, MN 55398
The Sustainable Farming Association is hosting a field day designed for landowners and managers who find themselves struggling to manage invasive woodland brush. The day will include both indoor presentations and outdoor site tours of the Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge, including a working goat herd. To register for this free event, click here.

Saturday June 21

1:00 pm – 4:00 pm: Farm-Scale Deep Winter Greenhouse Tour
Saturday June 21
1:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Farm-Scale Deep Winter Greenhouse Tour
Owl Bluff Farm, 12314 County Road 4 Houston, MN 55943
The University of Minnesota Extension Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships (RSDP) and Owl Bluff Farm will co-host an open house to celebrate the completion of the state’s first farm-scale deep winter greenhouse. The event, held on the farm about 45 minutes east of Rochester, is free and open to the public. RSVPs are required at z.umn.edu/OwlBluffOpenHouse.

Wednesday June 25

2:00 pm – 5:00 pm

LSP-PFI Grazing Field Day at Hoosier Ridge Ranch

Wednesday June 25

2:00 pm – 5:00 pm

LSP-PFI Grazing Field Day at Hoosier Ridge Ranch

Hoosier Ridge Ranch, 15998 Wabasha County Rd 26, Altura, MN 55910, USA

Over the last 50 years, livestock have left many farms. Eric Heins is doing the reverse: bringing cattle – and their poop, pee and hooves – back to his land. Come see how Eric is using his Normande-shorthorn crosses in a variety of grazing situations. During this Land Stewardship Project-Practical Farmers of Iowa field day, you can view permanent pasture, where Eric (like everyone) is battling the cool-season grass takeover. You’ll also learn how Eric is using his cattle in cover crop mixes, prairie and woodlands.

Since purchasing the farm in 2020, Eric has converted the cropland to pasture. He also custom-farms a diverse rotation of crops, covers and small grains on neighboring farms, including an established prairie on Iowa Department of Natural Resources land. A possible bonus: Eric is hoping to have virtual fence collars by the time of the field day, but no guarantees!

A meal featuring Hoosier Ridge Ranch burgers will follow the field day.

See & Discuss

Cash-flowing the conversion to pasture on owned versus rented cropland
Stockpiling pasture for winter grazing
Mechanical buckthorn clearing for silvopasture
Grazing agreements on DNR prairie and neighboring cropland
A sudangrass mix after a canning pea crop
An extended rotation with oats, barley and Kernza

For details and to register, click here.

Friday June 27

9:00 am – 3:00 pm: Agrivoltaics Field Day
Friday June 27
9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Agrivoltaics Field Day
West Central Research and Outreach Center, 46352 MN-329, Morris, MN 56267, USA
Join University of Minnesota Extension for presentations and solar site tours at the West Central Research and Outreach Center. You’ll gain a comprehensive understanding of the benefits, considerations and opportunities of farming using solar energy. Session topics include cattle and sheep solar grazing, solar site forages, grain crops under solar panels, and solar developer perspectives. Register here. Can’t attend the field day? Check out the July 22 agrivoltaics webinar on growing forages and grains.

Saturday June 28

4:00 pm – 8:00 pm: LSP's Boots & Roots: A Celebration of Land & People
Saturday June 28
4:00 pm – 8:00 pm
LSP's Boots & Roots: A Celebration of Land & People
Dream Acres, Co Hwy 8, Spring Valley, MN 55975, USA
Join Land Stewardship Project members and supporters to kick-start the Driftless summer with an evening of good food, good music, and good times. We’ll have activities for all ages that will get you out in nature, exploring the connection between our region’s farms and your community’s food, land, and water. Bring a side or dessert to share for dinner, and the Dream Acres wood-fired oven will provide locally-sourced pizzas and flat breads. Dinner will be followed by live music and contra dancing by the Crater City String Band.

To reserve a spot, click here.

Camping sites are available at nearby Masonic Park and Forestville Mystery Cave and Lake Louise State Parks. Camping at Masonic is rustic,first-come-first-serve, free, and does not require a reservation. Fillmore County, who manages the park, only asks that you call the dispatchers at507-765-3874 when you arrive with your vehicle information and phone number in case of emergency. State Park reservations cost $25 a night and can be made online.

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