beginning farmers

LSP Supporters Talk ‘Farm to Kids,’ Land Access & Soil Health During 20th Family Farm Breakfast at the Capitol

Farmers Join MN Lt. Governor & Attorney General as Featured Speakers

March 18, 2025

SAINT PAUL, Minn. — Getting healthy, local food to Minnesota’s children, providing support for emerging farmers and building resilient soil were the topics of conversation when over 170 Land Stewardship Project (LSP) members and allies gathered in Saint Paul March 13 for the 20th iteration of the Family Farm Breakfast at the Capitol. Minnesota Lieutenant… Read More →

Category: News Releases

Tags: beginning farmers • emerging farmers • Family Farm Breakfast • farm-to-school • land access • Minnesota Department of Agriculture • Minnesota Legislature • soil health • state policy

Sign-On to Support New Farmers on the Land

Tell Lawmakers We Need Changes to the MN Down Payment Assistance Grant

February 18, 2025

Between 2012 and 2022, Minnesota lost 9,011 farms — on average 900 farms per year. During that same period, the average size of a Minnesota farm went from 349 acres to 388 acres. The average age of Minnesota farmers has reached an all-time high of 57.1 years. Ninety-nine percent of all farmland in Minnesota is… Read More →

Category: Action Alerts

Tags: beginning farmers • Down Payment Assistance Grant Program • emerging farmers • farm transition • Minnesota Legislature • state policy

Land Line: Small Grains, Manure, Soil Carbon, Rural Empowerment, Regenerative Generation

Feb. 3: An LSP Round-up of News Covering Land, People & Communities

By Brian DeVore

February 3, 2025

Growing Small Grains Market in Albert Lea Attracting Attention from Farmers (1/28/25) KAAL-TV reports on a Land Stewardship Project workshop where over 150 people gathered to talk about ways of bringing small grains back to Minnesota. Highlights: After being mostly replaced by corn and soybeans during the past several decades, small grains such as oats… Read More →

Category: Blog

Tags: beginning farmers • CAFOs • factory farms • feedlot permits • grassroots organizing • Land Line • manure • nitrogen • oats • small grains • soil carbon • soil health

A Sense of Where You Are: Red Dresses & Magic Management

Part 2 in a Series

By Brian DeVore

January 20, 2025

Note: This is the 2nd installment in the 12-part “A Sense of Where You Are” series. One of the ways Rachelle and Jordan Meyer keep things in context is to avoid being distracted by what they call “the woman in the red dress.” Is a new enterprise a good fit for the farm, or is… Read More →

Category: Blog

Tags: A Sense of Where You Are • beginning farmers • managed rotational grazing • pasture walks • pasture-based livestock • soil health

Youth Movement

From Tilling an Old Soccer Field to Helping Teens Kick-off Better Communities

By Brian DeVore

January 2, 2025

When it comes to youth programs centered around gardening and farming, a common mantra is, “We’re teaching kids about where their food comes from.” Sounds laudable, but to Marcos Giossi, such a feel-good goal is too limiting when it comes to exposing young people to the realities of the farm and food system that dominates.… Read More →

Category: Farm Beginnings Profiles

Tags: beginning farmers • Farm Beginnings • Marcos Giossi • urban agriculture • Urban Roots • youth enrichment

LSP Winter Farm Transition Planning Course Launches Jan. 28 Online

Sessions to be Led by Farmers & Financial Professionals

November 29, 2024

LEWISTON, Minn. — Are you a farmer or landowner thinking about the next steps for your farm and land? Or do you know someone who is? The Land Stewardship Project’s Farm Transition Planning Course provides a holistic opportunity to dig into important topics and learn from experienced farmers and professionals. The online course will be held… Read More →

Category: News Releases

Tags: beginning farmers • estate planning • farm transition • next generation

Oats & The 3-Legged Stool of Farm Resiliency

This Humble Grain Represents One Commonsense Approach to Diversifying the Landscape

By Shea-Lynn Ramthun

November 16, 2024

In case you haven’t noticed, the humble oat is having a bit of a moment. After decades of declines in oat plantings in Minnesota, acreage increased this year. Market demand for the small grain is up, a group of farmers are attempting to pull together funding for a major processing plant in southern Minnesota, and… Read More →

Category: Blog

Tags: beginning farmers • crop diversity • integrating livestock • nitrates • oats • rural economic development • small grains • soil health • water quality

Ear to the Ground 355: Silver Buckshot

Father-son team Joe and Matthew Fitzgerald are quite willing to share their insights with other farmers on how to get started in organic crop production. First piece of advice: sell your fishing boat. More Information • Fitzgerald Organic Mad Agriculture Video • Organic Agronomy Training Service • LSP Soil Health Web Page You can find LSP… 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 →

Networking Event for Farmers Invested in Soil Health & Sustainable Practices Aug. 22 in Austin Area

August 6, 2024

AUSTIN, Minn. — Farmers in the Austin area are invited to a special networking event Thursday, Aug. 22, from 4:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., at Lightly Farm (22238 880th Ave., Oakland, Minn.). This Land Stewardship Project (LSP) event is free and attendees are invited to bring a dish to share and a lawn chair. LSP… Read More →

Category: News Releases

Tags: beginning farmers • community • soil health • sustainable agriculture

Upcoming Events

April 2025

Monday April 7 – Wednesday April 9

Green Lands Blue Waters Conference

Monday April 7 – Wednesday April 9

Green Lands Blue Waters Conference

Madison, WI, USA

Green Lands Blue Waters is excited to bring our community of continuous living cover (CLC) agricultural enthusiasts together again! Join other ag practitioners in a peer-rich environment with timely educational opportunities, lively dialogue, and open networking time. The conference is intentionally designed to balance information delivery with engaged working time and peer connections across a diverse, multi-sector mix of researchers, technical service providers, students, farmers, and advocates committed to actualizing CLC on the Midwest landscape. Our intention is to gather to support one another in cooperation, possibility, and positivity.

Schedule:

Monday, April 7: optional courses and meetings, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. followed by an opening reception
Tuesday, April 8: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., breakfast and lunch provided
Wednesday, April 9: 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., breakfast and lunch provided

AGENDA – We are building an agenda with sessions related to:

Coalitions and networks
Diverse ways of knowing
Markets and value chains
Next generation farmers, researchers and ag practitioners
Policy approaches
Research updates and future directions
Technical assistance
Transdisciplinarity, cross-sector approaches and systems thinking

For details and to register, click here.

Tuesday April 8

4:30 pm – 6:30 pm

Montevideo: Building a Shared Vision for Western MN

Tuesday April 8

4:30 pm – 6:30 pm

Montevideo: Building a Shared Vision for Western MN

Java River, 210 S 1st St, Montevideo, MN 56265, USA

The goal of this free Land Stewardship Project program is to change the way we think about issues in our communities, our state, and our nation. We will identify the problems that are affecting us, connect over our common values, and identify existing groups that share our goals. The idea is to find common ground with your neighbors and places where we can come together to move forward in areas of shared values.

Format:
1) What are the areas of concern in your personal life and your community? Examples:

Food insecurity/inflation
Labor shortages/workforce challenges
Housing prices/unavailability
Lack of local control

2) How can I personally address those concerns in my community or with the help of my neighbors?Examples:

Expanding local options for food and food processing
Expanding workforce internships for area youth
Assisting local community in finding grant programs for new rural housing
Volunteering for get out to vote campaigns for local elections

3) What existing community groups can help achieve these goals? What groups can we build up? Examples:

Local food co-ops or farmers’ market associations
Local school programs or after-school activity groups
Local economic development or civic leadership groups
Local election boards

For more information, contact LSP organizer James Kanne at jkanne@landstewardshipproject.org.

Wednesday April 9

12:00 pm – 2:00 pm: LSP Lewiston Office Open House
Wednesday April 9
12:00 pm – 2:00 pm
LSP Lewiston Office Open House
180 E Main St, Lewiston, MN 55952, USA
The Land Stewardship Project will be hosting a potluck lunch for members and community at our newly renovated Lewiston office at 180 East Main Street. All are welcome and encouraged to bring a dish to share. We will have a local farmer spotlight and social gathering after the meal at noon. For more information, call 507-523-3366.

Monday April 14

4:30 pm – 6:30 pm

Pipestone: Building a Shared Vision for Western MN

Monday April 14

4:30 pm – 6:30 pm

Pipestone: Building a Shared Vision for Western MN

Meinders Community Library, 220 3rd Ave SE, Pipestone, MN 56164, USA

Food insecurity/inflation
Labor shortages/workforce challenges
Housing prices/unavailability
Lack of local control

2) How can I personally address those concerns in my community or with the help of my neighbors?Examples:

Expanding local options for food and food processing
Expanding workforce internships for area youth
Assisting local community in finding grant programs for new rural housing
Volunteering for get out to vote campaigns for local elections

3) What existing community groups can help achieve these goals? What groups can we build up? Examples:

Local food co-ops or farmers’ market associations
Local school programs or after-school activity groups
Local economic development or civic leadership groups
Local election boards

For more information, contact LSP organizer James Kanne at jkanne@landstewardshipproject.org.

Wednesday April 23

8:00 am – 12:30 pm: Supporting Beneficial Birds on the Farm
Wednesday April 23
8:00 am – 12:30 pm
Supporting Beneficial Birds on the Farm
15270 Haucke Ln, Viola, WI 54664, USA

Wild Farm Alliance and Keewaydin Farms invite you to join them for a farm field day all about beneficial birds on Wednesday, April 23, from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., in Viola, Wis. Tickets are $10 and include lunch.

Discover the birds that call our farms home and explore how they can support pest control and biodiversity. Join innovative farmers, avian researchers, and other experts to learn practical strategies for attracting beneficial birds to your farm. Engage in hands-on activities, including a guided bird walk, nest box installation, and monitoring demonstrations. Walk away with valuable knowledge and skills to integrate bird-friendly practices into your farming operation.

There is limited space for this event. For details and to register, click here.

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