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 →
Note: This is the 9th installment in the 12-part “A Sense of Where You Are” series. When someone calls Matthew Fitzgerald for advice about getting into organic crop production, the central Minnesota farmer’s first response is a question of his own: “Do you own a fishing boat?” If they say yes, Fitzgerald then recommends they sell… Read More →
Note: This is the 10th installment in the 12-part “A Sense of Where You Are” series. There’s nothing like getting diminishing returns on your investment in time, labor, and resources to put things in context. “I just got sick and tired of spending money on fertilizer, planting in the dry powder, and watching the soil blow… Read More →
Note: This is the 11th installment in the 12-part “A Sense of Where You Are” series. Be careful who you invite onto the farm, especially if it’s a return visit. Jon and Carin Stevens learned that lesson in late August when a nationally known soil health expert walked their fields and grubbed up some samples… Read More →
Note: This is the 12th installment in the 12-part “A Sense of Where You Are” series. In case Allen and Kathleen Deutz need a reminder of one of the main reasons corn dominates the landscape in their part of southwestern Minnesota, they need to look no further than the massive Archer-Daniels-Midland ethanol plant that rises to… Read More →
ALBERT LEA, Minn. — Farmers, agricultural professionals, and community members are invited to a “Bringing Small Grains Back to Minnesota” workshop Tuesday, Jan. 28, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the Edgewater Bay Pavilion in Albert Lea. This free, all-day Land Stewardship Project (LSP) event is an opportunity to learn from industry leaders and… Read More →
In case you haven’t noticed, the humble oat is having a bit of a moment. After decades of declines in oat plantings in Minnesota, acreage increased this year. Market demand for the small grain is up, a group of farmers are attempting to pull together funding for a major processing plant in southern Minnesota, and… Read More →
Soil conservationist Julie Reberg sees composting as a “very scientific art form” that can transform waste into biological bullion. More Information • LSP’s Soil Microbiology Web Page • NRCS Manure Composting Fact Sheet • Ear to the Ground 358: Low Input – High Returns • Ear to the Ground 352: Land of the Living • Ear to the… Read More →
Alex Udermann and his family at Meadowbrook Dairy were tired of working harder and harder for less and less. So they invested in building the kind of healthy soil that pays off economically, environmentally, and from a quality of life point of view. More Information • LSP’s Soil Health Web Page • Minnesota Agricultural Water… Read More →
As farmers from across the region haul corn past Allen and Kathleen Deutz’s farm to the local ethanol plant, they can’t help but notice fences, livestock, and a diversity of plants. What’s not as immediately evident is how this counter- intuitive way of farming is building long-term soil health and resilience. More Information • LSP’s Soil Health Web Page… Read More →
