beginning farmers

Our Minnesota Food & Farm Campaign Platform

LSP's Priorities for the 2023 MN Legislature

This summer and fall, Land Stewardship Project members have been hard at work preparing for the 2023 Minnesota state legislative session, which begins on Tuesday, January 3. Hundreds of LSP members, supporters, and allies across the state have engaged in workshops, surveys, and one-to-one visits to lay out what they’re excited for our organization to…  Read More

Solar Powered Land Access

Proving Energy & Food Production Can Co-Exist — 1 Megawatt at a Time

On an overcast day in late June, Arlo Hark drives a semi into a gravel parking lot near the southeastern Minnesota community of Rushford pulling a trailer adorned with an “Eat Lamb: 10,000 Coyotes Can’t be Wrong” bumper sticker. He opens two doors on the side of the trailer and 120 lambs and ewes explode…  Read More

Ear to the Ground 294: Rootless Regeneration

These beginning farmers are accessing land without owning it — one megawatt at a time. More Information • LSP’s Farm Beginnings Course • Farm Beginnings in other Regions: the Farm Beginnings Collaborative • Land Stewardship Letter article on Josie Trople & Arlo Hark • Fresh Voices: the Ear to the Ground podcast series on beginning farmers You can find…  Read More

Ear to the Ground 293: Middle of Somewhere

Carrie Calvo’s 7,000-mile journey to the heart of farming and local food. More Information • LSP’s Farm Beginnings Course • Farm Beginnings in other Regions: the Farm Beginnings Collaborative • Land Stewardship Letter article on Owl Bluff Farm • Fresh Voices: the Ear to the Ground podcast series on beginning farmers You can find LSP Ear…  Read More

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

Platform & Survey Results Released on Northfield Area Farm Today

  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 Stewardship Project (LSP) today during the release of the organization’s priorities for the nation’s most comprehensive agricultural policy initiative. LSP’s 2023 Farm Bill Platform, which was launched during an…  Read More

Ear to the Ground 280: Maximum vs. Optimal

Adhering to the tenets of Ag Econ 101, a pair of beginning farmers are avoiding commodity row crops and embracing grazing, silvopasturing, and “bale grazed veggies.” More Information: • LSP’s Soil Health & Grazing web page • Ear to the Ground Episode 246: Letting Livestock do the Work You can find LSP Ear to the…  Read More

Beginning Farmer Program for MN, WI & IA Accepting Applications for 2022-2023 Course

Farm Beginnings Marks a Quarter Century of Training Ag’s Next Generation

LEWISTON, Minn. — One of the most successful beginning farmer training programs in the country is now accepting applications for its 2022-2023 course session serving the Minnesota, western Wisconsin and northern Iowa region. The Land Stewardship Project’s (LSP) Farm Beginnings initiative is a year-long training program that focuses on the goal-setting, marketing and financial skills needed to…  Read More

Ear to the Ground 273: Incubating Immigrants

Dawn 2 Dusk’s dedication to helping Africans get established on Minnesota soil. More information: • Dawn 2 Dusk Farm • Kilimo Minnesota • LSP’s Farm Beginnings Class • Land Transition Resources • The Food Group/Big River Farms Incubator You can find LSP Ear to the Ground podcast episodes on Spotify, Stitcher, iTunes, and other podcast…  Read More

Legislative Session Heads into its Final Days

Wide Gap Between House & Senate Budget Proposals for Soil Health, Processing Support, Drought Relief

There are less than 20 days left in the 2022 session of the Minnesota Legislature, and with a $9.3 billion surplus, legislators have an historic opportunity to invest in our communities. Throughout the session, Land Stewardship Project members have been advocating for funding to increase access to local meat processing facilities and for helping farmers implement…  Read More

Ear to the Ground 272: Micro Milk Mentorship

Government regulators may be befuddled by Cella Langer and Emmet Fisher’s tiny dairy, but these Farm Beginnings/Journeyperson grads know exactly where it fits into their business. More information: • Land Stewardship Letter Oxheart Farm profile • Oxheart Farm • LSP’s Farm Beginnings • LSP’s Journeyperson • MOSES Farmer-to-Farmer Mentorship Program You can find LSP Ear to the…  Read More