soil health

Land Line: Modern Dust Bowl, Corporate Indifference, Farmers’ Market Stores, Soybean Giant, SNAP & Local Foods, Carbon Markets, Farm Economy’s Twin Tale

Dust Storm Friday Was City’s Worst Since 1930s, Weather Service Says (5/18/25) Block Club Chicago reports that on May 16 the city experienced its worst dust storm since the Dust Bowl of the 1930s. The dust originated from central Illinois farms. Highlights: A little before 7 p.m. on May 16, a wall of dust slammed…  Read More

MN Ag Bill Supports Market Access, Land Access & Soil Health 

LSP Members & Allies Make Their Voices Heard at the Capitol 

SAINT PAUL, Minn. — Although the Minnesota Legislature wrapped up its 2025 session on May 19 with some unfinished business, the Agriculture Bill passed before adjournment, which means Land Stewardship Project (LSP) priorities related to market access, land access and soil health will make it to Gov. Tim Walz’s desk. “While this was a difficult…  Read More

Ear to the Ground 372: Dancing with Diversity

Legislative Wrap-Up: A Chaotic Session  Produces Concrete Results

Market Access, Land Access & Soil Health Support Passes 

As I write this, the regular session of the 2025 Minnesota Legislature wrapped up with some unfinished business, which means a special session will be required by June 30 to avoid a government shutdown. However, the Agriculture Bill is on its way to the Governor’s desk. That’s good news for several Land Stewardship Project priorities that…  Read More

LSP Legislative Update: Heading into the Final Days

Local Food, Land Access & Soil Health Proposals Still Alive

As the 2025 session of the Minnesota Legislature heads into its final two weeks — barring a special session —  proposals related to several Land Stewardship Project priorities remain alive. Both the House and Senate have passed their respective Agriculture Bills, and now the proposals head into the conference committee process — the system within which lawmakers…  Read More

Sign the Petition Supporting Soil Health Legislation

2025 Legislative Session Concludes May 19

Building healthy soil across Minnesota is key to creating resiliency in the face of a changing climate and is also incredibly important in supporting clean water. We all want clean drinking water for our families and communities. Right now, bills are being heard in the Minnesota Legislature that could affect drinking water throughout the state…  Read More

Minnesota Soil Health Story: Rhyan Schicker

Sign LSP's Soil Health Petition Today

When I first moved to Minnesota eight years ago, my knowledge of soils and agricultural systems was purely textbook. I live and work in an amazing community that has taught me more than I ever expected to learn, and has pulled back the curtain on our current farming systems and the ways in which they…  Read More

Flower Power

How 3 Farmers Teamed Up to Diversify Out of the Corn-Soybean Duoculture

Near the beautiful southern Minnesota town of Austin, three farmers are going against the grain with an unlikely crop: sunflowers. While most Midwestern farmers stick to corn and soybeans, backed by reliable federal subsidies and a marketing and transportation infrastructure centered around such commodities, these pioneers saw an opportunity where others saw risk. Their story…  Read More

Land Line: Mental Health & Land Health, Ag Income Decline, Canadian Eggs, Tariffs & Fertilizer, Banned Verbiage, Weather Disaster, Community Hub

Farmers Face One of the Highest Rates of Suicide. This Social Worker Believes the Solution is Buried in Their Land (4/10/25) The Guardian newspaper describes how a social worker in Kansas has developed the LandLogic Model, a new way to train healthcare providers that uses farmers’ relationship to their land to identify and treat depression,…  Read More