“I know it’s really valuable to know what I can count on. When I signed a contract with the government, I should be able to plan ahead for my season and count on that.” — LSP Program Committee chair & farmer, Hannah Bernhardt ♦ ♦ ♦ On Feb. 17, the Minnesota Senate Agriculture Committee heard from farmers… Read More →
Note: This is the 8th installment in the 12-part “A Sense of Where You Are” series. So, here’s a chicken or egg situation to ponder: when launching a farming operation, when should you approach the local NRCS office about applying for funding to set up infrastructure such as a high tunnel or a rotational grazing system?… Read More →
The USDA’s Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) and Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) are essential initiatives that give tens of thousands of farmers the tools they need to implement sustainable practices such as cover cropping and managed rotational grazing. Yet, a significant majority of farmers who apply to these programs are unable to access funding. In 2023, only… Read More →
Our farm and food system is more resilient and just with more farmers stewarding the land and growing food for their communities, but so many people who want to farm are facing significant barriers to getting established and sustaining their businesses. The Increasing Land Access, Security, and Opportunities (LASO) Act, championed by Minnesota U.S. Senator Tina… Read More →
For decades, Land Stewardship Project members have been organizing to ensure that our federal farm policy serves people and the land, not corporate interests. This latest Farm Bill cycle has been no different. With approximately $1.5 trillion on the table, it’s important that LSP members are engaged in the process of drafting and passing a… Read More →
The Federal Farm Bill is the single most important piece of legislation shaping our farm and food system. It spends over $1.5 trillion on nutrition programs, crop insurance, commodity programs, conservation programs, and more. The next Farm Bill, which could still be passed this spring or by early summer, impacts each and every one of… Read More →
Our farm and food system is more resilient and just with more farmers stewarding the land, growing food for their communities, but so many people who want to farm are facing significant barriers to getting established and sustaining their businesses. The Increasing Land Access, Security, and Opportunities (LASO) Act, championed by Sen. Tina Smith would… Read More →
Diversified, small, and mid-sized farmers deserve to have a strong safety net. Yet, most don’t. Why? Crop insurance isn’t accessible or worthwhile for most small, mid-sized, and diversified farms. Take it from Andy Petran, a Land Stewardship Project member and Farmington, Minn.-area farmer, who wrote the following in a recent Star Tribune op-ed: “Farming has always… Read More →
Land access is the top challenge emerging and beginning farmers face. At the same time, ownership of millions of acres of agricultural land is changing hands as farmers and ranchers across the country retire — presenting an important opportunity to shape the future of our farm and food system. This is the moment for Congress… Read More →
ORONOCO, Minn. — Southeastern Minnesota farmer Angela Smith had an important message for lawmakers when she traveled to the nation’s capital earlier this month: small and diversified farmers, as well as beginning farmers, need much better access to crop insurance in order to survive and thrive at a time of extreme climate change. Smith, who is… Read More →
