Land Stewardship Project

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Soil Health & Climate Change

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When we steward healthy soil, we are cultivating vibrant and resilient rural, urban, and suburban communities and economies. We cultivate thriving and resilient land that soaks up rain and sequesters carbon, while fostering healthy ecosystems with clean water and a sustainable climate for microorganisms, wildlife, and people. Yet, farmers are facing compounding challenges of extreme weather, financial crises, and degrading topsoil. No matter where we live or what we look like, we depend on having a sustainable and just farm and food system — which requires public investment in farming that provides a public good.

Cutting-edge research is showing that one major public good regenerative farming can provide is that it can help in the battle to prevent catastrophic climate change while making our landscape more resilient in the face of impacts we are already seeing. For example, soil healthy practices that build organic carbon can help stabilize atmospheric carbon dioxide levels via the sequestration of greenhouse gases. And healthy soil is better able to manage and weather extreme weather events created by climate change.

At the local, state, and federal level, Land Stewardship Project members are organizing for landscape-scale investments in soil-healthy practices such as managed rotational grazing, no-till, perennial cropping, cover cropping, and diversified rotations. This means pushing for comprehensive state-level soil-healthy legislation, investing in the infrastructure needed to support soil-healthy farming practices, and creating federal policy that reflects our values.

To get a sense of the work we are doing around creating public policy that helps build healthy, resilient soil, check out this recent blog on how LSP members worked successfully to create and implement the Minnesota Soil Health & Climate Campaign.

To Get Involved in Our Soil Health & Climate Change Work, Click Here

Take Action!

Check Out Our Latest Action Alerts Here

Soil Health & Climate Resources

Soil Health, Water & Climate Change: A Pocket Guide to What You Need to Know
(available as a pdf document or as a mobile-friendly app.)

White Paper: Grazing, Continuous Living Cover, Climate Change & Water

Fact Sheet: Farming with Well-Managed Grazing & Continuous Living Cover Enhances Soil Health & Addresses Climate Change

Related Posts

  • LSP Platform Calls for Farm Bill that Supports Farmers, Rural Communities & the Land

    August 16, 2022

    NORTHFIELD, Minn. — The new federal Farm Bill must benefit farmers, rural communities and the land, rather than corporate interests, said farmer-leaders of the Land…

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    2023 Farm Bill, ag consolidation, agriculture policy, beginning farmers, BIPOC farmers, climate change, crop insurance, Farm Bill Survey, local meat processing, LSP Farm Bill Platform, Midwest Farmers of Color Collective, National Young Farmers Coalition, regional food systems
    LSP Platform Calls for Farm Bill that Supports Farmers, Rural Communities & the Land
  • Ear to the Ground No. 256: From Sugar High to Soil Health

    https://landstewardshipproject.org/podcast-player/3265/ear-to-the-ground-no-256-from-sugar-high-to-soil-health.mp3

    Download file | Play in new window | Duration: 24:43 | Recorded on September 5, 2021

    Soil health cheerleader Ray Archuleta and Iowa farmer Mervin Beachy talk about taking agroecological innovations from the “excitement stage” to the “action stage”…and the importance…

    Ear to the Ground No. 256: From Sugar High to Soil Health
  • LSP’s 2022 MN Legislative Priorities

    December 23, 2021

    Over the past few months, teams of Land Stewardship Project members who are farmers, farm-workers, processors, marketers, and rural Minnesotans have been coming together to…

    Blog
    drought, healthcare, infrastructure, meat processing, Minnesota Legislature, Soil and Water Conservation Districts, soil health legislation, soil-healthy
    LSP’s 2022 MN Legislative Priorities

Contact

• Amanda Koehler, LSP policy manager,
e-mail, 612-400-6355
• Laura Schreiber, LSP organizer,
e-mail, 612-207-4693
• Jessica Kochick, LSP organizer,
e-mail, 612-400-6349

  • Creating Change
    • Community-Based Food Systems
      • Community Food Webs Learning Circles
    • Policy Campaigns
      • Soil Health & Climate Change
      • Healthcare
      • Factory Farms
      • Federal Policy
      • State Policy
      • Developing Leadership
      • Caucus for Land Stewardship
    • Justice & Stewardship
    • Organizational Stewardship
    • Building People Power
  • Join, Donate, or Renew
  • Building People Power

Upcoming Events

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February 2023

Thursday February 2 – Saturday February 4

GrassWorks Grazing Conference
GrassWorks Grazing Conference
Thursday February 2 – Saturday February 4

See https://grassworks.org/events/grazing-conference for details.

Thursday February 2

1:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Winona County Well Testing Screening
Winona County Well Testing Screening
Thursday February 2
1:00 pm – 7:00 pm

Supporting farmers who are using sustainable practices keeps our drinking water clean. On Thursday, Feb. 2, the Minnesota Well Owners Association and the Minnesota Ground Water Association will be holding a free well water testing screening clinic in western Winona County.

To participate, collect a cup (8 ounces) of water from
your well in a clean plastic or glass container and bring it to the Saint Charles Community Center. Results will be provided to you within 20 minutes.

For more information, check out this flier.

MNWOO StCharlesClinic.pdf
5:30 pm – 8:30 pm
LSP Farm Transition Planning Course: Session 2
LSP Farm Transition Planning Course: Session 2
Thursday February 2
5:30 pm – 8:30 pm

…Are you a farm family or landowner thinking about the future or next steps for your farm?

…Are you interested in planning for the next generation of farmers on your land?

…Do you have a spouse/partner helping to make these decisions? Are you both on the same page?

…Are you ready to begin the planning process but don’t know where to start?

THE WORKSHOPS WILL FOCUS ON: 

  • Values and Vision;  
  • Financial,  tax, and legal considerations; 
  • Options for farm transitions; 
  • Resources to guide the planning process,
  • Communication tools. 

YOU WILL COME AWAY WITH:

  • Tools to use that will help gain clarity around your future planning
  • Next steps toward creating a farm transition plan
  • Ideas and advice from other farmers and professionals 
  • Networks and support to continue to share and learn
  • Individualized support

Session One: Thursday, Jan. 26: The focus will be on values and vision. In addition, we will be getting to know one another, discussing expectations for the course, and understanding where folks are in the transition planning process.

Session Two: Thursday, Feb. 2: The focus will be on financial planning. Presenter Joy Kirkpatrick, a Succession Outreach Specialist for the University of Wisconsin Center for Dairy Profitability, will share her 29 years of experience working with farm families as they assess their financial needs for retirement and how that impacts their farm transition.

Session Three: Thursday, Feb. 9: The focus will be on legal issues in planning a farm transition. Jason Wagner, an attorney with Wagner Oehler Ltd., will share his experience and knowledge regarding legal aspects that need to be considered when planning a farm transition.

Session Four: Thursday, Feb. 16: The focus will be on communications and intergenerational considerations which are critical to a successful farm transition and that are often overlooked.

Session Five: Thursday, Feb. 23: The focus will be on long -term care issues. Kate Graham, an attorney with an elder law focus, will share her knowledge and experience of what needs to be considered when planning long-term care and how a farm transition can be impacted.  

Session Six: Thursday, March 2: The focus will be on integrating all that has been discussed and sharing resources (people, organizations, and materials) that are available to help continue the farm transition planning process. The goal is for each family to create individual next steps to continue the farm transition planning process once the course is over.

To register, click here.

Friday February 3

9:00 am – 10:30 am
2023 Minnesota Legislative Priorities Overview
2023 Minnesota Legislative Priorities Overview
Friday February 3
9:00 am – 10:30 am

Join public officials, partners, and members of the Land Stewardship Project to hear about LSP and LSP partner organizations’ priorities for the 2023 Minnesota legislative session. 
 
Presentation at noon and an optional Q + A portion at 1 p.m. You can register here.
 
Questions? Contact LSP Policy Manager Amanda Koehler at akoehler@landstewardshipproject.org or 612-400-6355.

Monday February 6

8:30 am – 1:30 pm
Crop, Livestock & Soil Innovation Conferences Workshop
Crop, Livestock & Soil Innovation Conferences Workshop
Monday February 6
8:30 am – 1:30 pm

The Land Stewardship Project is a co-sponsor of the 2023 I-90 & Highway 14 Tour CLASIC. Network, learn, and get inspired with area farmers and regional farming innovators as we discuss current trends for improving productivity and profitability in crop and livestock operations utilizing soil-healthy practices. The Crop, Livestock, and Soil Innovation Conferences (CLASIC) is made up of two tours in Minnesota, traveling along Interstate 90 and Highway 14, consisting of several stops.

Click this link for more details and a complete listing of workshops. Each venue’s program is unique and varied — be sure to check them all out and register for multiple events.

The speaker for the Feb. 6 event will be Dean Sponheim, a fourth-generation farmer from Mitchell County, Iowa. He began strip-tilling in 1999, aerial applying cover crops in the fall of 2012, and started a cover crop seed business in 2014 and no-tilling corn and soybeans in 2019.

To register for the Feb. 6 workshop, click here.

View Full Calendar

Recent Posts

  • Regenerative Farming Systems ‘Peer-to-Peer’ Workshop March 1 in Bellechester January 26, 2023
  • Line 3 Environmental Damage & State Regulatory Failure January 12, 2023
  • ‘Exploring Conservation on Rented Farmland’ Online Workshop Jan. 24 January 3, 2023
  • Our Minnesota Food & Farm Campaign Platform December 22, 2022
  • Changes Ahead for LSP in 2023 December 18, 2022

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117 South First Street
Montevideo, MN 56265

(320) 269-2105

Lewiston

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Lewiston, MN 55952

(507) 523-3366

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821 E. 35th Street #200
Minneapolis, MN 55407

(612) 722-6377

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https://landstewardshipproject.org/soil-climate-change