Winona County Stewards - Land Stewardship Project

This web page highlights the efforts of Land Stewardship Project members in southeastern Minnesota’s Winona County to create a regenerative farm and food system that is good for the water, land, and rural communities. During the past three years, many Winona County residents have been focused on fighting the attempt by Daley Farm to expand its dairy to 6,000 animal units, four times the county’s current animal unit cap. This expanded facility would produce 46 million gallons of manure annually in a karst geological area already experiencing problems with groundwater pollution.

Here you will find blogs, press releases, action alerts, letters-to-the-editor, and videos related to this fight.

The Big Picture: Winona County Videos

Check out these videos produced by Greener Pastures for LSP where Winona County residents make it clear why they are fighting factory farming in their community.

• LSP Members Speak Out for a Farming System that’s Good for the Community

• Where’s It Gonna End?

Take the Pledge: Say NO to Factory Farms

In the Upper Midwest, we know how special the land that sustains us is. Factory farms jeopardizes not only the land itself but the communities that rely on it. They threaten the water and land with pollution, force small to mid-sized farmers out of business, and weaken local economies. Join other LSP members in taking the “No to Factory Farms” pledge today.

Letters: Speaking for the Land, Farms & Communities

One way Winona County residents have made their voices heard on the Daley Farm issue has been through letters-to-the-editor published in local newspapers. Below are some of those letters:

Oppose Daley Farm expansion, by Karen and Richard Ahrens — Nov. 28
County Animal Caps Matter, by James Armstrong — Nov. 28
Proposed expansion brings danger, by Wayne Ode — Nov. 28
Big Ag is on an intimidation campaign, by Tessa Schweitzer — Nov. 27
Feedlot cap serves purpose; variances should be modest, by Richard Dahl — Nov. 24
Daley Farm to subject county to literacy test, by Tim Ahrens — Nov. 10
Factory farms threaten rural communities, by Sam Streukens — November 17
Does Daley Farm even qualify for a permit? by Barb Nelson — September 22
Stop the Daley Farm expansion now, by Deanne Sczepanski — September 22
Daley Farm should conform to existing rules, by Barb Nelson — September 12
Farm expansion is a public health issue, by Lisa Schnepper — August 11
Preserve water quality, keep animal unit cap on farms, by Doug Nopar — August 4

Blogs, Press Releases, Action Alerts

• Farm Aid Blog: Fighting for Family Farms in Minnesota (6/6/22)

• Press Release: LSP Statement on Daley Farm Appeal of Winona County BOA Decision (1/5/22)

• LSP Blog: Winona County BOA Denial of CAFO Variance a Win for Farms, People & the Land (12/2/21)

• LSP Blog: Court’s Decision a Win for Land, Communities & Farms (11/3/21)

Media Stories

• Winona Post: County Board sticks by animal unit cap (6/1/22)

• Star Tribune: Winona County rejects dairy farm expansion (12/2/21)

• Winona Post: Daley Farm expansion denied again, appeal possible (12/2/21)

community holding signs against factory farms — **Winona County residents gathered on Nov. 28, 2021, to call for the Board of Adjustment to deny Daley Farm’s request for a animal unit cap variance.**

Upcoming Events

May 2025

Thursday May 29

9:00 am – 12:30 pm: Storytelling for Sales: Digital Marketing for Sustainable Farmers
Thursday May 29
9:00 am – 12:30 pm
Storytelling for Sales: Digital Marketing for Sustainable Farmers
Zoom Online
Storytelling for Sales: Digital Marketing Best Practices to Get Your Farm’s Next Customer is designed to help farmers grow their customer base by sharpening their storytelling and digital marketing skills—whether they’re selling through farmers’ markets, CSAs, or direct-to-retail. This Greener Pastures and Meet the Minnesota Makers workshop will cover how websites and social media can actually convert viewers into buyers to creating content that builds community loyalty.

This workshop is also designed for ag educators, professionals, and partner organizational staff who support farmers directly and want to be well-versed on the marketing best practices to support direct-to-consumer farms.

For details and to register, click here.

Saturday May 31

10:00 am – 12:30 pm: Multi-species Pasture Walk
Saturday May 31
10:00 am – 12:30 pm
Multi-species Pasture Walk
872 320th Ave, Frederic, WI 54837, USA
The NW Wisconsin Graziers Network, River Country RC&Dand UW-Madison Extension invite you to a multi-species pasture walk hosted by JohnsonFamily Pastures LLC. The farm is located five miles east of Frederic in PolkCounty. This educational event willemphasize direct marketing, multi-species grazing, part-time family agricultureand silvopasture development. Light snacks and refreshments will be provided.

TheJohnson Family Pastures farm is home to Chris and Tamara Johnson and their twochildren. They raise grass-fed beef, silvopastured goats, and recently raised anumber of other species. The farm consists of about 160 acres of gently rollingpastures, silvopasture, and forest. Use of both temporary polybraid fencing andhigh tensile permanent fences allow for rotational grazing of small ruminants andout-wintering of beef cattle. Use of long-term farm transition strategies, cost-shareprograms, silvopasture development with goats, regenerative grazing, cattlehandling facility and bale grazing will be discussed along with answering anyand all questions from pasture walk participants.

An extensive and diversified direct marketing programhas been developed by Tamara and Chris that has included farmer markets, e-maillists, newsletters, website ordering, on-farm freezer storage, and other strategiesand tools to support direct sales and services for their customers. Come and learn all about their successfulapproach.

For more information,contact Chris Johnson at 920-960-4475 or Lynn Johnson 715-225-9882 at NW Graziers.

June 2025

Wednesday June 25

2:00 pm – 5:00 pm

LSP-PFI Grazing Field Day at Hoosier Ridge Ranch

Wednesday June 25

2:00 pm – 5:00 pm

LSP-PFI Grazing Field Day at Hoosier Ridge Ranch

Hoosier Ridge Ranch, 15998 Wabasha County Rd 26, Altura, MN 55910, USA

Over the last 50 years, livestock have left many farms. Eric Heins is doing the reverse: bringing cattle – and their poop, pee and hooves – back to his land. Come see how Eric is using his Normande-shorthorn crosses in a variety of grazing situations. During this Land Stewardship Project-Practical Farmers of Iowa field day, you can view permanent pasture, where Eric (like everyone) is battling the cool-season grass takeover. You’ll also learn how Eric is using his cattle in cover crop mixes, prairie and woodlands.

Since purchasing the farm in 2020, Eric has converted the cropland to pasture. He also custom-farms a diverse rotation of crops, covers and small grains on neighboring farms, including an established prairie on Iowa Department of Natural Resources land. A possible bonus: Eric is hoping to have virtual fence collars by the time of the field day, but no guarantees!

A meal featuring Hoosier Ridge Ranch burgers will follow the field day.

See & Discuss

Cash-flowing the conversion to pasture on owned versus rented cropland
Stockpiling pasture for winter grazing
Mechanical buckthorn clearing for silvopasture
Grazing agreements on DNR prairie and neighboring cropland
A sudangrass mix after a canning pea crop
An extended rotation with oats, barley and Kernza

For details and to register, click here.

Saturday June 28

4:00 pm – 8:00 pm: LSP's Boots & Roots: A Celebration of Land & People
Saturday June 28
4:00 pm – 8:00 pm
LSP's Boots & Roots: A Celebration of Land & People
Dream Acres, Co Hwy 8, Spring Valley, MN 55975, USA
Join Land Stewardship Project members and supporters to kick-start the Driftless summer with an evening of good food, good music, and good times. We’ll have activities for all ages that will get you out in nature, exploring the connection between our region’s farms and your community’s food, land, and water. Bring a side or dessert to share for dinner, and the Dream Acres wood-fired oven will provide locally-sourced pizzas and flat breads. Dinner will be followed by live music and contra dancing by the Crater City String Band.

To reserve a spot, click here.

Camping sites are available at nearby Masonic Park and Forestville Mystery Cave and Lake Louise State Parks. Camping at Masonic is rustic,first-come-first-serve, free, and does not require a reservation. Fillmore County, who manages the park, only asks that you call the dispatchers at507-765-3874 when you arrive with your vehicle information and phone number in case of emergency. State Park reservations cost $25 a night and can be made online.

July 2025

Tuesday July 15

5:00 pm – 8:00 pm: Organic Fruit & Vegetable Field Day
Tuesday July 15
5:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Organic Fruit & Vegetable Field Day
1805 Dudley Ave, Falcon Heights, MN 55113, USA
Join U of M researchers and Extension for updates on organic fruit and vegetable research and tour the Student Organic Farm and the Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station in Saint Paul. Topics include: organic insect management, integrating livestock into vegetable farms, new crops for Minnesota, irrigation strategies, and more. Free to the public.

For details and to register, click here.

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A meal featuring Hoosier Ridge Ranch burgers will follow the field day.

See & Discuss