land access

LSP Legislative Update: Proposals Related to Local Food, Land Access & Soil Health Moving Forward

Budget Issues Loom Large as Regular Session Heads into Final Weeks

By Laura Schreiber

April 8, 2025

As we pass a key date in the 2025 Minnesota legislative calendar, several initiatives supported by the Land Stewardship Project remain alive and are moving through the committee process. In order to be considered as part of an omnibus bill, the majority of proposed legislation had to be heard in both the House and Senate… Read More →

Category: Blog

Tags: emerging farmers • farm to institution • farm-to-school • land access • Minnesota Legislature • Olmsted County Groundwater Protection and Soil Health Program • soil health • state policy

LSP Supporters Talk ‘Farm to Kids,’ Land Access & Soil Health During 20th Family Farm Breakfast at the Capitol

Farmers Join MN Lt. Governor & Attorney General as Featured Speakers

March 18, 2025

SAINT PAUL, Minn. — Getting healthy, local food to Minnesota’s children, providing support for emerging farmers and building resilient soil were the topics of conversation when over 170 Land Stewardship Project (LSP) members and allies gathered in Saint Paul March 13 for the 20th iteration of the Family Farm Breakfast at the Capitol. Minnesota Lieutenant… Read More →

Category: News Releases

Tags: beginning farmers • emerging farmers • Family Farm Breakfast • farm-to-school • land access • Minnesota Department of Agriculture • Minnesota Legislature • soil health • state policy

Ear to the Ground 344: Flerd is the Word

Poor soil, short growing seasons, and little infrastructure: beginning farmer George Heller is proving that a successful grazing operation doesn’t require optimal conditions. (Third episode in a series on LSP’s 2024 Grazing School.) More Information • 5th in the Grazing School Podcast Series: “Pasture Pixie Dust” • 4th in the Grazing School Podcast Series: “Grazing’s Generational… Read More →

Ear to the Ground 340: Entrepreneurial Equity

Beginning farmer Alondra Cano’s conversations with other Spanish-speaking agrarians have unearthed insights into the role emerging farmers can play in a regenerative food system, and what needs to be done to help them succeed. More Information • LSP’s Farm Beginnings Course • LSP’s Farmland Access Web Page • LSP Farmland Clearinghouse • Latino Economic Development Center • MDA… Read More →

Tell the Chair of the Senate Ag Committee to Include Land Access Act in the New Farm Bill

May 14, 2024

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 →

Category: Action Alerts

Tags: beginning farmers • BIPOC farmers • emerging farmers • Farm Bill • federal ag policy • land access • LASO Act

Spanish-Language Land Access Workshop for Beginning & Aspiring Farmers April 27 in Northfield

April 9, 2024

NORTHFIELD, Minn. —A culturally relevant “Land Access: Are You Ready?” workshop will be held for Spanish-speaking beginning and aspiring farmers Saturday, April 27, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., at Emmaus Baptist Church, 712 Linden St. N., in Northfield. This Land Stewardship Project (LSP) workshop is free; materials, lunch and childcare are provided. To register by April… Read More →

Category: News Releases

Tags: beginning farmers • emerging farmers • land access • Latino farmers • Spanish-language

Advocating for a Farm Bill for People & the Land in D.C.

By Amanda Koehler

April 1, 2024

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 →

Category: Blog

Tags: Campaign for Family Farms & the Environment fly-in • consolidation • emerging farmers • Farm Bill • federal ag policy • land access • LASO Act • National Young Farmers Coalition

Ear to the Ground 314: Going for the Goat

Jordan and Rachelle Meyer are using goats to add value to marginal land…one thistle at a time. More Information • LSP’s Soil Health & Grazing Web Page • LSP’s 2023 Field Day Special Report: “A Long, Hot Summer” • Wholesome Family Farms Web Page • Wholesome Family Farms’ Grazing YouTube Page • LSP’s 2023 Pasture… Read More →

Call on Senator Amy Klobuchar to Co-Sponsor Critical Land Access Legislation

LASO Act Would Create Equitable Transition of Farmland to the Next Generation

August 24, 2023

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 →

Category: Action Alerts

Tags: 2023 Farm Bill • beginning farmers • emerging farmers • federal ag policy • land access

Ear to the Ground 311: Mooching Means More

Humble Hands Harvest’s entry into agroforestry is being supported by its vegetable operation — setting the stage for a new approach to farming a rugged landscape long into the future. More Information • Humble Hands Harvest • Savanna Institute • Sustainable Iowa Land Trust (SILT) • LSP’s Farm Beginnings Course • Ear to the Ground podcast 227: From… Read More →

Upcoming Events

April 2025

Monday April 14

4:30 pm – 6:30 pm

Pipestone: Building a Shared Vision for Western MN

Monday April 14

4:30 pm – 6:30 pm

Pipestone: Building a Shared Vision for Western MN

Meinders Community Library, 220 3rd Ave SE, Pipestone, MN 56164, USA

The goal of this free Land Stewardship Project program is to change the way we think about issues in our communities, our state, and our nation. We will identify the problems that are affecting us, connect over our common values, and identify existing groups that share our goals. The idea is to find common ground with your neighbors and places where we can come together to move forward in areas of shared values.

Format:
1) What are the areas of concern in your personal life and your community? Examples:

Food insecurity/inflation
Labor shortages/workforce challenges
Housing prices/unavailability
Lack of local control

2) How can I personally address those concerns in my community or with the help of my neighbors?Examples:

Expanding local options for food and food processing
Expanding workforce internships for area youth
Assisting local community in finding grant programs for new rural housing
Volunteering for get out to vote campaigns for local elections

3) What existing community groups can help achieve these goals? What groups can we build up? Examples:

Local food co-ops or farmers’ market associations
Local school programs or after-school activity groups
Local economic development or civic leadership groups
Local election boards

For more information, contact LSP organizer James Kanne at jkanne@landstewardshipproject.org.

Wednesday April 23

8:00 am – 12:30 pm: Supporting Beneficial Birds on the Farm
Wednesday April 23
8:00 am – 12:30 pm
Supporting Beneficial Birds on the Farm
15270 Haucke Ln, Viola, WI 54664, USA

Wild Farm Alliance and Keewaydin Farms invite you to join them for a farm field day all about beneficial birds on Wednesday, April 23, from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., in Viola, Wis. Tickets are $10 and include lunch.

Discover the birds that call our farms home and explore how they can support pest control and biodiversity. Join innovative farmers, avian researchers, and other experts to learn practical strategies for attracting beneficial birds to your farm. Engage in hands-on activities, including a guided bird walk, nest box installation, and monitoring demonstrations. Walk away with valuable knowledge and skills to integrate bird-friendly practices into your farming operation.

There is limited space for this event. For details and to register, click here.

Thursday April 24

6:30 pm – 8:30 pm

Madison: Building a Shared Vision for Western MN

Thursday April 24

6:30 pm – 8:30 pm

Madison: Building a Shared Vision for Western MN

Madison Mercantile, 601 1st St, Madison, MN 56256, USA

Food insecurity/inflation
Labor shortages/workforce challenges
Housing prices/unavailability
Lack of local control

2) How can I personally address those concerns in my community or with the help of my neighbors?Examples:

Expanding local options for food and food processing
Expanding workforce internships for area youth
Assisting local community in finding grant programs for new rural housing
Volunteering for get out to vote campaigns for local elections

3) What existing community groups can help achieve these goals? What groups can we build up? Examples:

Local food co-ops or farmers’ market associations
Local school programs or after-school activity groups
Local economic development or civic leadership groups
Local election boards

For more information, contact LSP organizer James Kanne at jkanne@landstewardshipproject.org.

Saturday April 26

3:00 pm – 4:30 pm: MN Book Award Series: Sonja Trom Eayrs: Dodge County Inc.
Saturday April 26
3:00 pm – 4:30 pm
MN Book Award Series: Sonja Trom Eayrs: Dodge County Inc.
East Side Freedom Library, 1105 Greenbrier Street, Saint Paul, MN 55106
Join the East Side Freedom Library and the Land Stewardship Project in welcoming Minnesota Book Award finalist Sonja Trom Eayrs for her award-nominated book Dodge County Inc.: Big Ag and the Undoing of Rural America.

In 2014 Sonja Trom Eayrs’s parents filed the first of three lawsuits against Dodge County officials and their neighbors, one of the few avenues available to them to challenge installation of a corporate factory farm near their intergenerational family farm in Dodge County, Minnesota. For years they’d witnessed the now widely known devastation wrought by industrial hog operations—inhumane treatment of animals and people, pollution, the threat of cancer clusters, and more. They’d had enough. They also deeply understood an effect of Big Ag rarely discussed in mainstream media—the hollowing-out of their lifelong farming community and economy in service of the corporate bottom line.

Sonja Trom Eayrs is a farmer’s daughter, rural advocate, and attorney. She is involved in several rural advocacy organizations, including the Socially Responsible Agriculture Project, Farm Action, Land Stewardship Project, and Dodge County Concerned Citizens. Trom Eayrs also serves as the business manager for the Trom family farm in Dodge County, Minnesota. For more information about the author, visit sonjatromeayrs.com.

This event is free; for details and to register, click here.

Note: There will be a reception at 2 p.m. featuring the art exhibit You Betcha! Farmer-Labor Solidarity is Possible. Join us!

Join with Google Meet: https://meet.google.com/ydq-njqg-aks

Learn more about Meet at: https://support.google.com/a/users/answer/9282720

July 2025

Thursday July 24

5:30 pm – 9:00 pm

LSP Twin Cities Cookout & Potluck

Thursday July 24

5:30 pm – 9:00 pm

LSP Twin Cities Cookout & Potluck

Land Stewardship Project, 821 E 35th St Suite 200, Minneapolis, MN 55407, USA

Join Land Stewardship Project members and supporters for a fun and casual evening of delicious local food, live music, and dancing. Bring a dish to share for the Twin Cities’ best potluck, among other Cookout favorites:

A Pie Raffle in support of LSP’s work keeping the people and the land together.

An opportunity to hear from LSP members and staff about on-the-ground organizing and how you can get involved!

It’s never too early to RSVP! Follow this link to let us know you’re coming: https://bit.ly/TCCP25

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