Birds are in trouble, and nowhere is that more evident than in farm country. A study published in the journal Science earlier this year found that while bird populations are declining precipitously all across the United States, areas of intensive agricultural production in particular were “hot spots” for avian drop-offs. “What we found is that… Read More →
Paul and Delores Moechnig are working to prove to the next generation that the road to farming’s future doesn’t have to pass through corn and soybean fields. It turns out the bluebirds and swallows appreciate the offramp they’ve taken into rotational grazing as well. More Information • LSP’s Soil Builders’ Network • Blog: Soil Health… Read More →
Sign Up for E-mail Delivery of The Land Line Morris-Based Mega-Dairy Coming Closer to Reality with Key Regulatory Ruling (6/7/26) The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) will not require an environmental impact statement for an expansion that would create the largest dairy CAFO in Minnesota, reports the Minnesota Reformer. Highlights: Riverview wants to expand a… Read More →
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 →
Unsealed Antitrust Complaint Reveals Key Factor in High Food Prices: Corporate Behemoths (12/18/25) Writing in the Minnesota Reformer, the Minnesota Farmers Union’s Justin Stofferahn describes how monopolization of the food industry and failure to enforce antitrust laws has harmed consumers. Highlights: A newly unsealed antitrust complaint provides a unique look at price discrimination in practice,… Read More →
Ashly Steinke remembers well the first time he saw a bobolink on pastured land that formerly grew corn and soybeans — it was a sign that he was successfully blending beef, birds, and biology. More Information • LSP’s Grazing & Soil Health Web Page • Audubon Conservation Ranching Program • The Monitoring Project’s “Tool Box”… Read More →
Bovines, bugs, and birds are all making noise in Kevin Mahalko’s dairy grazing paddocks, and that’s music to his ears. More Information • LSP’s Grazing & Soil Health Web Page • NODPA Article on Kevin Mahalko • Ear to the Ground 391: Grounded in Grazing • Ear to the Ground 371: Avian Award • Ear… Read More →
Some sins against the land can be masked over with deep tillage, chemical inputs, and, when all else fails, moving dirt around with heavy equipment. But you can’t fool a good soil probe. For Mike and Jennifer Rupprecht, that revelation came when a retired soil scientist sunk his equipment deep into a couple spots on… Read More →
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 →
The owners of Keewaydin Farms see birds as not only a source of natural pest control but as a sign they are doing something right. More Information • Keewaydin Farms • Wild Farm Alliance • LSP’s Ear to the Ground 370: Bending the Bird Curve • LSP’s Ear to the Ground 275: Blurring the Bobolink… Read More →
