federal farm policy

Tell Congress a Farm Bailout is Not the Solution: We Must Invest in America’s Small & Mid-Sized Farmers

We need transformational change in our farm and food system, not another bailout.

October 22, 2025

It’s clear that the Trump administration’s tariffs and international trade war are harming American farmers and showing the weakness of our industrial agriculture model. With international commodity markets vanishing, some small and medium-sized farmers are having to decide if they can keep operating under this level of uncertainty, or if they need to sell off… Read More →

Category: Action Alerts

Land Line: Argentine Beef, Farm Bankruptcies, Monopolies, Rural Hunger, School Lunch, Nitrate Fertilizer, Avian Flu

By Brian DeVore (editor)

October 21, 2025

Trump Suggests U.S. Will Buy Argentine Beef to Lower Prices (10/20/25) Farmdoc reports that President Donald Trump is proposing importing more Argentinian beef in an attempt to bring down prices for American consumers. Trump has been working to help Argentina bolster its collapsing economy with a $20 billion credit swap line and additional financing from… Read More →

Category: Blog

Tags: ag consolidation • antitrust • avian flu • CAFO • farm-to-school • federal farm policy • MAHA • monopolies • nitrate pollution • nitrogen fertilizer • school nutrition • tariffs • trade

How are Tariffs & Trade Impacting Your Farm?

LSP is Looking for Your Feedback on Tariffs & Trade

October 16, 2025

Recently, staff at the Land Stewardship Project helped plan a webinar given by our partners at the Campaign for Family Farms and the Environment (CFFE) which updated us on tariffs and what they mean for food and farm policy and the factory farm system. The webinar covered the basics of how trade policy impacts agriculture,… Read More →

Category: Action Alerts

Tags: federal farm policy • tariffs • trade

Land Line: Tax Bill’s Ag Impact, Farmer Privacy, CAFO Water Demand, Honeybees, Nitrates, Solar’s Bright Spot, Farm Bankruptcies

By Brian DeVore (editor)

July 15, 2025

House Passes Tax Bill With SNAP Cuts, Billions for Immigration Enforcement, and Climate Rollbacks (7/7/25) President Donald Trump’s massive tax bill was passed by the U.S. House July 3 and signed into law by the President on July 4, reports Civil Eats. Highlights: The bill includes the biggest-ever changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program… Read More →

Category: Blog

Tags: CAFO • DOGE • farm bankruptcies • farm crisis • federal farm policy • grazing • nitrates • soil health • solar • USDA • water quality

Tell Your Representatives: We Want a Farm Bill for All, Not a Tax Break for the Wealthiest

The Current Budget Reconciliation Bill is Bad for Farmers, the Land & Communities

July 2, 2025

The Land Stewardship Project and our allies have been loud and clear for years: we need strong agricultural legislation that invests in programs that nourish people, protect our environment, and build strong economies. All farmers deserve support so they can thrive, and all community members deserve access to nutritious food. The House of Representatives will soon vote… Read More →

Category: Action Alerts

Tags: Congress • federal farm policy

Land Line: Erosion Wake-up, Agrivoltaics, Farm to School, Deep USDA Cuts, Factory Dairy Fight, Farm Aid, New Meat Plant

By Brian DeVore (editor)

June 9, 2025

Soil Health Specialists Sound the Alarm on Continuing Soil Erosion (5/9/25) Despite a “Wake-up Call” warning issued a decade ago, wind erosion has continued to significantly damage soil health in North Dakota, according to Agweek. Highlights: Ten years after NDSU soil health expert Dave Franzen issued a report called “Wake-up Call” that highlighted high levels… Read More →

Category: Blog

Tags: ag consolidation • agrivoltaics • factory farms • Farm Aid • farm conservation programs • farm-to-school • federal farm policy • Riverview Dairy • soil conservation • soil erosion • soil health • solar grazing

Make Your Voice Heard at Upcoming NRCS-SWCD Meetings

Help determine what your local conservation programs prioritize by sharing your story.

By Alex Kiminski

June 3, 2025

Citizens, community members, landowners — do you have local natural resource concerns? Do you want to share your ideas, voice your opinions, or ask questions about how your local conservation programs are addressing these issues? Your local offices of the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) want to… Read More →

Category: Blog

Tags: CSP • EQIP • federal farm policy • NRCS • soil conservation • soil health • SWCD

Ear to the Ground 372: Dancing with Diversity

The Wild Farm Alliance is out to prove that thriving wildlife habitat and working farmland are not mutually exclusive — in fact, they can make great partners. More Information • Wild Farm Alliance • The Farm as Natural Habitat • LSP’s Ear to the Ground 371: Avian Award • LSP’s Ear to the Ground 370:… Read More →

Tell Congress to Restore Funding for Local Food Purchases

April 23, 2025

Category: Action Alerts

Tags: farm-to-school • federal farm policy • Local Food Purchase Assistance Program

Tell Congress to Support the Agriculture Resilience Act

April 23, 2025

Category: Action Alerts

Tags: Agriculture Resilience Act • climate change • federal farm policy • regenerative agriculture • soil health

Upcoming Events

October 2025

Thursday October 30

5:00 pm – 6:00 pm: Book Event: We Can Do Better: Collected Writings on Land, Conservation, and Public Policy
Thursday October 30
5:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Book Event: We Can Do Better: Collected Writings on Land, Conservation, and Public Policy
Ames Public Library, 515 Douglas Ave, Ames, IA 50010, USA
The Johnson Center for Land Stewardship Policy is excited to share that one of our its primary pillars of work — a published collection of Paul Johnson’s writings — is set for release on Oct. 2. The book features a brief biography and a discussion of Paul’s ideas within the historical and future contexts of private lands conservation.

For details on We Can Do Better: Collected Writings on Land, Conservation, and Public Policy click here.

November 2025

Saturday November 1

6:15 pm – 9:15 pm: Community Potluck & Folk Dance in Bay City, Wis.
Saturday November 1
6:15 pm – 9:15 pm
Community Potluck & Folk Dance in Bay City, Wis.
W6275 Main St, Bay City, WI 54723, USA
Calling all folk dance lovers! The Land Stewardship Project is co-sponsoring a potluck and folk dance at the Town Hall in Bay City, Wis., on Saturday, Nov. 1. Can you attend or volunteer? LSP is looking for one or two more people to help represent our people-powered organization by tabling at this event. To volunteer, reply directly to this e-mail and let me know you’re available.

For details, check out this flier.

The potluck and dance are co-hosted by LSP members from Oxheart Farm and the Oak Center General Store. No RSVP required; please direct questions to Emmet at oxheartfarm@gmail.com.

Folk Dance Flyer 2025.jpg

Tuesday November 4

11:00 am – 12:00 pm: Birds in the Balance: Pest Control Services Across Crop Types
Tuesday November 4
11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Birds in the Balance: Pest Control Services Across Crop Types
Online

This 10-lesson Wild Farm Alliance virtual course teaches agricultural professionals and farmers how to support beneficial birds and manage pest birds on farms. By learning how to assess the farm’s avian needs and opportunities, farms can be designed to provide for a diversity of beneficial birds.

If pest birds are a problem, they can be discouraged with specific practices during the shorter periods when they cause damage. The sessions cover the latest research, tools and resources, and are given by experts in avian pest control, entomology, ornithology and conservation. While many topics and species are specific to the Midwest, most of the principles discussed are applicable across regions.

Continuing Education Credits have been requested and are expected to be approved from American Society of Agronomy.

For details and to register, click here.

The Course Schedule:

LESSON 1

Why Birds Belong on the Farm: Biodiversity, Pest Control & A Thriving Landscape

Tuesday, September 23, 2 p.m. CT

LESSON 2

Birds as Pest Control Allies on the Farm

Tuesday, October 14, 11 a.m. CT

LESSON 3

Birds in the Balance: Pest Control Services Across Crop Types

Tuesday, November 4, 11 a.m. CT

LESSON 4

Integrating Habitat into Croplands: Prairie Strips and Bird Conservation

Tuesday, December 2, 11 a.m. CT

LESSON 5

Birds on the Farm: Balancing Biodiversity and Food Safety

Tuesday, January 13, 11 a.m. CT

LESSON 6

Beyond the Crop: Birds, Biodiversity, and the Power of Edge Habitat

Tuesday, February 3, 11 a.m. CT

LESSON 7

Bridging Forestry, Farming, and Habitat

Tuesday, February 24, 11 a.m. CT

LESSON 8

Perennial Pathways: Agroforestry for Birds and Biodiversity on Farms

Tuesday, March 17, 11 a.m. CT

LESSON 9

Birds on the Range: How Grazing Practices Shape Habitat for Grassland Species

Tuesday, April 7, 11 a.m. CT

LESSON 10

Birds at Risk: How Pesticides Shape Safety on Agricultural Lands

Tuesday, April 28, 11 a.m. CT
7:00 pm – 9:30 pm: Big Ag, Big Problems: LSP Panel on Rural Consolidation
Tuesday November 4
7:00 pm – 9:30 pm
Big Ag, Big Problems: LSP Panel on Rural Consolidation
Lanesboro Community Center, 202 Parkway Ave S, Lanesboro, MN 55949, USA

The concentration of money and power in our food and farming system is a threat to our rural way of life, the land, and Main Street economies. According to research compiled by Farm Action, agricultural industries ranging from poultry processing to seed distribution are now dominated by four or fewer corporations, creating a system that for all intents and purposes no longer represents an open market situation. This makes it next to impossible for small and mid-sized farms to compete economically.

Those of us who grew up in the rural Midwest have seen these effects firsthand. As once vibrant agricultural economies diminish, so too do community resources: hospitals, public schools, religious institutions, grocery stores, and more. Young people who see little opportunity in their hometowns move to cities and suburbs to start their careers and families.

A consolidated, corporate-controlled agricultural system is also wreaking havoc on our natural environment. Runoff from large-scale factory farms and row cropping operations threatens our drinking water and spoils natural landscapes that people from all walks of life cherish. Without intervention, it won’t be long before all of us — urban or rural, farmers and non-farmers, rich or poor, young or old — will be impacted by the devastation of Big Ag.

Join the Land Stewardship Project on Tuesday, Nov. 4, to hear from two people who think a lot about the power of Big Ag and its negative impacts — Austin Frerick and Sonja Trom Eayrs. They will lead a discussion about the forces threatening our rural communities and how we build the people power to take them on.

This is an opportunity to take the first steps toward developing the kind of positive future for our communities that builds homegrown wealth, treats people fairly, and is resilient in the long term. If you love something and someone, you fight for it. Come fight with us!

Austin Frerick Biography: Austin Frerick is an expert on agricultural and antitrust policy. In 2024, he published his debut book, Barons: Money, Power, and the Corruption of America’s Food Industry.

Sonja Trom Eayrs Biography: Sonja Trom Eayrs, author of Dodge County, Incorporated: Big Ag and the Undoing of Rural America, is a farmer’s daughter, rural advocate, and attorney.

To register for this event, click here.

Friday November 7 – Saturday November 8

Emerging Farmers Conference

Friday November 7 – Saturday November 8

Emerging Farmers Conference

Brooklyn Center, MN, USA

Details on the 20th Annual Emerging Farmers Conference are available here.

View Full Calendar

LESSON 1

Why Birds Belong on the Farm: Biodiversity, Pest Control & A Thriving Landscape

LESSON 2

Birds as Pest Control Allies on the Farm

LESSON 3

Birds in the Balance: Pest Control Services Across Crop Types

LESSON 4

Integrating Habitat into Croplands: Prairie Strips and Bird Conservation

LESSON 5

Birds on the Farm: Balancing Biodiversity and Food Safety

LESSON 6

Beyond the Crop: Birds, Biodiversity, and the Power of Edge Habitat

LESSON 7

Bridging Forestry, Farming, and Habitat

LESSON 8

Perennial Pathways: Agroforestry for Birds and Biodiversity on Farms

LESSON 9

Birds on the Range: How Grazing Practices Shape Habitat for Grassland Species

LESSON 10

Birds at Risk: How Pesticides Shape Safety on Agricultural Lands