LSP's Ear to the Ground

Noreen Thomas got into organic crop farming almost three decades ago as a way to produce healthy food and survive economically. Today, she’s the mentor she never had. More Information • Register for LSP’s “Bringing Small Grains Back to Minnesota” Networking Meeting on Aug. 2, 2025, in Madison, Minn. • Doubting Thomas Farms • 2025 LSP Albert Lea Small Grains Workshop Presentations

When Peter and Brittany Haugen sought to diversify their western Minnesota crop farm, they realized there was little infrastructure available to support small grains. So they forged their own link in the food chain by launching Sandhill Mill. More Information • Register for LSP’s “Bringing Small Grains Back to Minnesota” Networking Meeting on Aug. 2, 2025, in Madison, Minn. • Sandhill Mill • 2025...

One farmer says he benefits from grazing publicly-managed wildlife habitat. But what does a natural resource professional think about bringing bovines into a natural biome? More Information: • Hoosier Ridge Ranch • LSP’s Grazing & Soil Health Web page • MN DNR Whitewater Wildlife Management Area

From crunching the numbers to developing relationships with public and private landowners, Eric Heins of Hoosier Ridge Ranch isn’t afraid to question the status quo when it comes to grazing livestock. More Information: • Hoosier Ridge Ranch • LSP’s Grazing & Soil Health Web page

LSP members and allies spoke out during the 2025 session of the Minnesota Legislature. It paid off in the form of support for local food markets, farmland access, and soil health. More Information: • Blog: Wrap-up of 2025 Legislative Session • LSP’s State Policy Web Page

These are tumultuous times for immigrants, but COPAL’s Ryan Perez sees hope in grassroots organizing and making basic, human-centered connections. More Information: • COPAL • Radio Jornalera • LSP’s Justice & Stewardship Web Page • LSP’s Long Range Plan: 2025-2030

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: Bending the Bird Curve • LSP’s Ear to the Ground 275: Blurring the Bobolink Boundaries

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 Boundaries

The feathered residents of America’s grasslands are in big trouble, but Audubon ecologist Krysten Zummo sees regenerative grazing as a way for bovines to benefit birds. More Information: • Audubon Conservation Ranching Program • Krysten Zummo Contact Information • LSP Grazing & Soil Health Page • The Monitoring Tool Box • Wild Farm Alliance • Keewaydin Farms • LSP’s Ear to the Ground 371: Avia...

Ka Zoua Berry says supporting a future generation of farmers who don’t fit the traditional Midwestern stereotype isn’t just about building a resilient farm and food system. It’s also about building resilient communities. More Information: • Big River Farms • Emerging Farmers Conference • Farmland Access Hub • LSP Farmland Clearinghouse

An extractive economic system is decimating and dividing our rural communities. Now, more than ever, we need solidarity, says Cristina Ortiz. More Information • LSP’s Community-Based Food System Web Page • LSP’s Justice & Stewardship Web Page • LSP’s Policy Campaign Page

Mastering the market is no easy task for a cutting-edge perennial grain. What lessons have the staff at Forever Green learned from their work with Kernza? More Information: • Forever Green Initiative • Blog: Don Wyse’s Land Grant Legacy • Ear to the Ground 365: Perennial Pivot • Ear to the Ground 229: Kernza’s Continuous Cover • Wrap-Up of LSP’s 2025 Small Grains Workshop • LSP Soil Health Web Pag...

Wendy Johnson is experimenting with Kernza because she believes in the power of perennials. And livestock are helping make this cutting-edge crop a little less of a gamble. More Information: • Jóia Food & Fiber Farm • Forever Green Initiative • Ear to the Ground 365: Perennial Pivot • Ear to the Ground 229: Kernza’s Continuous Cover • Wrap-Up of LSP’s 2025 Small Grains Workshop • LSP Soil Heal...

When Sogn Valley Farm transitioned out of intensive production of vegetable crops, it opened up opportunities to utilize a unique cousin of wheat as a way to steward the land. More Information: • Sogn Valley Farm • Forever Green Initiative • Ear to the Ground 229: Kernza’s Continuous Cover • Wrap-Up of LSP’s 2025 Small Grains Workshop • LSP Soil Health Web Page

Stephen Thomforde sees integrating trees, grass, and grazing animals as a way to support one of the most productive ecosystems in existence, and history backs up his argument. More Information: • Stephen Thomforde Website • Land Stewardship Letter : Silvopasturing’s Silver Lining • Land Stewardship Letter : 2017 Feature on Mastodon Valley Farm • Sustainable Farming Association Silvopasturing Resou...

Landon Plagge’s experience growing oats has proven that this humble grain can play a big role in revitalizing soil health on corn-soybean farms. Can the milling facility he’s proposing do the same for rural communities? ( Third in a three-part series on small grains and community-based foods. ) More Information: • Episode 2 in Ear to the Ground Small Grains Workshop Series: “Roy Pfaltzgraff — Rege...

When Roy Pfaltzgraff returned to his family’s northeastern Colorado cropping operation in 2016, he was committed to making farming a fulltime endeavor that built resilient soil, supported the community, and produced healthy food. ( Second in a three-part series on small grains and community-based foods. ) More Information: • Episode 1 in Ear to the Ground ‘s Small Grains Workshop Series: “Bob Quin...

Farm Beginnings grad Marcos Giossi started his food-raising career as a teenager tilling soil on an old soccer field. Now he’s helping young urban farmers utilize a values-based decision making strategy to kick-off better communities. More Information: LSP’s Farm Beginnings Course Urban Roots • Metro Food Justice Network

More Information • LSL Review of Grain By Grain: A Quest to Revive Ancient Wheat, Rural Jobs, and Healthy Food , by Bob Quinn & Liz Carlisle • Quinn Institute • LSP’s Community-Based Food Systems Web Page • LSP’s Soil Health Page

LSP’s political action partner, the Land Stewardship Action Fund, is working to show that vibrant rural communities require local people participating in decision-making — one vote at a time. More Information: Land Stewardship Action Fund Land Stewardship Letter Article: “Land Stewardship Action Fund’s Local Impact” LSP’s Policy Campaigns

Wholesome Family Farms is known for juggling enough enterprises to overwhelm even the most ambitious farmer. But Rachelle Meyer says a “three-legged stool” strategy keeps them balanced. ( First 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 Jump” 3...

Clifford Johnson calls himself an “honest regenerative hypocrite,” which says a lot about his approach to building soil health on his family’s crop and livestock farm. ( Second 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 Jump” 3rd in the Grazing...

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 Jump” 2nd in the G...

Rick Matt was flat on his back when it became evident how he and his son, Damien, could build an intergenerational farming operation based on soil health, diversity, and grazing. ( Fourth episode in a series on LSP’s 2024 Grazing School. ) More Information: 5th in the Grazing School Podcast Series: “Pasture Pixie Dust” 3rd in the Grazing School Podcast Series: “Flerd is the Word” 2nd in the Grazin...

The NRCS’s Jeff Duchene has set up grazing plans in 50 Minnesota counties, and has yet to find that proverbial “magic grass.” But he’s more convinced than ever that good management and good planning are their own kind of silver bullet. ( Fifth and last episode in a series on LSP’s 2024 Grazing School. ) More Information: 4th in the Grazing School Podcast Series: “Grazing’s Generational Jump” 3rd i...