clean water

LSP White Paper Highlights Dairy Consolidation’s Negative Impacts in Minnesota & Calls for Direct Policy Action

Riverview Proposal Could be a ‘Game Changer’ for State’s Farmers & Rural Communities

MORRIS, Minn. — As state regulators consider an unprecedented proposal for creating the largest livestock operation in Minnesota, it’s clear a convergence of rapid consolidation, economic distress and large-scale expansion raises urgent questions about whether existing policies are adequately protecting fair competition, rural communities and public resources, argues a new white paper released by the Land…  Read More

Water, White Torpedoes & The Lobe Ranger Way

For these 3 Farmers, Resisting Peer Pressure Doesn't Mean Ignoring the Power of Community

CUMBERLAND, Iowa — Here in southwestern Iowa, it’s the season of the white torpedo. Once it seemed spring wasn’t fake news, pickup trucks began towing to winter-dormant fields tubular tanks of gaseous anhydrous ammonia fertilizer here and in the rest of the Corn Belt. These white cylinders are the harbingers of a new planting season…  Read More

Nitrate’s Day at the Capitol

Special Oversight Hearing Highlights a Key Question: Who Pays for Pollution?

How critical is nitrogen to raising corn in the Midwest? Well, consider the fact that farmers feel compelled to pay for it, even at a time when the war with Iran is sending prices to dizzying heights during the 2026 planting season. The agronomic value of nitrogen became clear during a special oversight hearing held…  Read More

Land Line: Riverview, Nitrogen Cuts, H20 Poll, Bridge Payments, Meatpackers & Antitrust, Gutting Emerging Farmer Support, Rural Population

Sign Up for Email Delivery of The Land Line Plan for Largest Dairy in Minnesota History Raises Water and Pollution Concerns (4/1/26) Sentient reports on Riverview’s expansion proposal that would crate the largest dairy CAFO in Minnesota. Highlights: The expansion would more than double the capacity of an existing Riverview LLP dairy facility near Morris,…  Read More

Land Line: Riverview, Community Foods, State Farm Bills, Avian Flu, Nitrogen Fertilizer, Glyphosate & Cancer, MCOOL

Proposed Dairy in Morris Would Become Minnesota’s Largest Feedlot (3/16/26) The Minnesota Star Tribune reports on a proposal to create the largest livestock operation in Minnesota. Highlights: Riverview LLP, the state’s largest milk producer, has applied for permits to build the single largest dairy and feedlot in the state’s history by expanding one of its…  Read More

LSP’s 21st Family Farm Breakfast at the Capitol Highlights the Importance of Fighting for Choices

Farmers & Others Lobbied Lawmakers on Healthy Soil, Clean Water, Sustainable Animal Ag, Farm to Kids, Land Access & Fair Markets 

SAINT PAUL, Minn. — Guaranteeing a brighter future for rural Minnesota is about creating the opportunity for farmers and nonfarmers to make choices, Pine County livestock producer Hannah Bernhardt told over 150 Land Stewardship Project (LSP) members and allies gathered at Christ Lutheran Church on Capitol Hill in Saint Paul on March 11. The event…  Read More

Land Line: Trillion $ Landlord, Ag’s Next Generation, Fertilizer Prices, Oats, Farm Finance Grumbles, CAFO Permits, Big Meat

The $1.7 Trillion Landlord: New USDA Data Reveals the Shifting Face of Ownership (3/12/26) Farm Journal reports on new USDA showing a 47% surge in rented farmland value over the past decade, even as the footprint of available acreage shrinks. With $1.7 trillion in assets now held by a shifting demographic of landlords, the landscape…  Read More

MPCA Needs to Set the Right Precedent for this Unprecedented CAFO

Tell the MPCA by May 7 that Industrial-Scale Projects Need Industrial-Scale Review

Minnesota’s largest dairy producer has applied to build the first livestock operation in the state to hold over 20,000 animal units. If built, the concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO) will hold 18,855 dairy cattle, bringing the total animal units to 26,397 in one facility. This proposed operation is the first of its size in Minnesota.…  Read More

Land Line: Minnesota Nitrates, Glyphosate, Cancer in Corn Country, The Missing Farm Bill, Birds, Big Beef, Riverview Dairy

After Nitrate Lawsuit, Minnesota Opens Farm Fertilizer Rule for Public Comment (2/18/26) The Star Tribune reports that the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) is seeking public comment on its 2019 groundwater protection rule, a standard that governs how and when fertilizer is applied. Highlights:  It’s the first step in the MDA’s review of the standard…  Read More

Land Line: Beyond Exports, Nitrate Lawsuit, Soil Health $$, Local Food, Ag Collapse?, Ag Econ Downer, ICE & Rural Economies

Farmers Focus on Local Markets (1/31/26) The Tri-State Neighbor reports on a meeting in Rochester, Minn., where farmers and others gathered to discuss practical ways of diversifying the corn-soybean duo-culture that dominates Midwestern agriculture. Highlights: The “Beyond Exports” meeting, which was hosted by LSP, featured farmer-presenters who are in various stages of utilizing small grains,…  Read More