Ear to the Ground Podcast

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 → Source

Paula Williams talks about why healthcare reform matters to LSP and its allies, and, after 15 years of hard work and organizing, what advances were made on the issue during a recent session of the Minnesota Legislature. More Information • LSP blog detailing recent healthcare wins at the Minnesota Legislature • LSP’s Healthcare Web Page • Ear…  Read More → Source

Two Puerto Rican filmmakers talk about Stewards of the Land/Serán las dueñas de la tierra, which documents the stories of three beginning farmers as they build relationships and find creative ways to access land to grow food for their communities. June 4 Screening & More Information • Click here to RSVP to the Minneapolis, Minn., film screening/discussion on Sunday,…  Read More &#85...

Dave Pratt says most farms and ranches are just a collection of expensive assets and low-paying jobs. But such a dysfunctional business model is not inevitable. More Information • Ranch Management Consultants • LSP’s Soil Health & Grazing Page  • LSP’s Farm Beginnings Course • LSP’s Journeyperson Course • LSP’s Land Transitions Tools Page You can find…  Read More →...

Farm Beginnings and Journeyperson taught Melissa Driscoll that true sustainability starts not only with the soil, but with the person who’s stewarding it. More Information • LSP’s Farm Beginnings Course • LSP’s Journeyperson Course • Minnesota Farm Business Management Faculty • Seven Songs Organic Farm You can find LSP Ear to the Ground podcast episodes…  Read More → S...

How Farm Beginnings helped Hannah Frank and Justin Thomas whittle their enterprise “wish list” down to a sustainable size. More Information • LSP’s Farm Beginnings Course • Rue de Bungaloo Farm You can find LSP Ear to the Ground podcast episodes on Spotify, Stitcher, iTunes, and other podcast platforms. Source

LSP farmer-members talk about how the 2023 Farm Bill could benefit the land, people, and rural communities (2nd of 2 parts). More Information • Ear to the Ground 304: Policy for the People (1st installment in this series) • LSP’s Federal Policy Page • LSP 2023 Farm Bill Platform You can find LSP Ear to…  Read More → Source

Perhaps no single piece of legislation has a more profound impact on what our landscape and rural communities look like. That’s why LSP’s members are working hard to influence the 2023 Farm Bill (1st of 2 parts). More Information • Ear to the Ground 305: Farm Bill as a Public Good (2nd installment in this…  Read More → Source

Farmers like Tom Hunter are setting out to prove that trees and livestock can mix in a way that creates an ecological-economic equilibrium. More Information • Sustainable Farming Association Silvopasturing Resources • The Prairie Enthusiasts • Ear to the Ground 262: A Silvo Secondary Enterprise • LSP’s Soil Health & Grazing Web Page • Project…  Read More → Source

Beginning farmers Abbie Baldwin and Mitch Hawes are playing the long game when it comes to launching their permaculture operation. More Information • LSP’s Farm Beginnings Course • Ear to the Ground 262: A Silvo Secondary Enterprise • Midwest Permaculture You can find LSP Ear to the Ground podcast episodes on Spotify, Stitcher, iTunes, and other podcast…  Read More → Source

When a tiling company suggested burying more pipe to deal with drainage issues, Tom Finnegan opted instead to go to the root of the problem. More Information • LSP’s Cover Crops page • LSP’s Grazing page • LSP’s No-till page • Sign-up for the Soil Builders’ Network You can find LSP Ear to the Ground…  Read More → Source

Illinois farmer Dave Bishop says rural communities can’t “monoculture” their way out of the economic, ecological, and social challenges that plague them. But diversifying successfully isn’t just a numbers game. More Information • Dave Bishop’s PrairiErth Farm • LSP’s Community-Based Food Systems • Ear to the Ground 283: Ken Meter & Building Community Food We...

Laura Lengnick believes that if farms are to survive (and thrive) in the age of climate change, we need to remember it’s not just about soil and water — it’s also about people. More Information • Resilient Agriculture: Cultivating Food Systems for a Changing Climate, by Laura Lengnick • SARE Publication: Cultivating Climate Resilience on Farms…  Read More → Source

Before there was the Land Stewardship Project, there were people like Sister Mary Tacheny helping farmers speak out and be heard. More Information • Strangers and Guests: Toward Community in the Heartland • LSP’s 40-Year Timeline • Ear to the Ground No. 223: Interview with LSP co-founder Ron Kroese You can find LSP Ear to…  Read More → Source

Scientist Elaine Ingham believes minding the microbes makes farmers the masters of their own destiny. More Information • Microbiologist Elaine Ingham’s Soil Food Web page • LSP’s Soil Microbiology web page • Ear to the Ground No. 292: Interview with David Johnson & Hui-Chun Su Johnson about the Johnson-Su Bioreactor system You can find LSP…  Read More → Source

Rick Clark’s no-till organic system is all about treating cover crops like cash crops — because they are. More Information • Rick Clark’s Farm Green website • LSP’s Soil Health web page • LSP Ear Dirt soil health podcast series You can find LSP Ear to the Ground podcast episodes on Spotify, Stitcher, iTunes, and…  Read More → Source

John Ledermann’s rental relationships are built on healthy soil. More Information • LSP’s Conservation Leases Toolkit • Land Stewardship Letter article on John Ledermann • LSP’s Soil Health web page • LSP’s Land Transition Tools You can find LSP Ear to the Ground podcast episodes on Spotify, Stitcher, iTunes, and other podcast platforms. Source

These beginning farmers are accessing land without owning it — one megawatt at a time. More Information • LSP’s Farm Beginnings Course • Farm Beginnings in other Regions: the Farm Beginnings Collaborative • Land Stewardship Letter article on Josie Trople & Arlo Hark • Fresh Voices: the Ear to the Ground podcast series on beginning farmers You can find…  Read More → Source

Carrie Calvo’s 7,000-mile journey to the heart of farming and local food. More Information • LSP’s Farm Beginnings Course • Farm Beginnings in other Regions: the Farm Beginnings Collaborative • Land Stewardship Letter article on Owl Bluff Farm • Fresh Voices: the Ear to the Ground podcast series on beginning farmers You can find LSP Ear…  Read More → Source

David Johnson and Hui-Chun Su Johnson’s approach to composting may help farming reach the ultimate regenerative ag pinnacle: self-sufficient soil. More Information • LSP’s Microbiology web page • Managing a Johnson-Su Composting Bioreactor • Ear to the Ground podcast episode 271: Focusing on Fungi • Ear to the Ground podcast episode 266: Activating Soil Life • Land…  Read More &#8...

What Allen Williams unearthed on the farm of Rachelle and Jordan Meyer. More Information • LSP’s Soil Health web page • Land Stewardship Letter: A Season of Knowledge Transfer • Allen Williams Ear to the Ground podcast series • Jordan Meyer Ear to the Ground podcast: Embracing the Weed You can find LSP Ear to…  Read More → Source

How the Bergler family stopped “chasing their tails,” started fixing their farm’s damaged soils, and welcomed curious queries. More Information • LSP’s Soil Health web page • Land Stewardship Letter: A Season of Knowledge Transfer You can find LSP Ear to the Ground podcast episodes on Spotify, Stitcher, iTunes, and other podcast platforms. Source

Two decades after crop failures almost ended his farming career, soil health pioneer Gabe Brown reflects on how far the regenerative ag movement has come…and where it’s going. More Information • LSP’s Soil Health web page • Ear to the Ground No. 288: More with Less • Brown’s Ranch • Soil Health, Profits & Resiliency: Land Stewardship…  Read More → Source

Tom Cotter sees his return on investment tied directly to how freely he lets soil biology do its job — and that starts with a diverse community above and below ground. More Information • LSP’s Soil Health web page • Land Stewardship Letter: A Season of Knowledge Transfer • Ear to the Ground No. 266: Activating…  Read More → Source

As an accountant and a farmer, Joe Lawler sees building soil health as a way to strike a balance between economic and ecological success…and boy is it fun to see a pollinator planting come to life. More Information • LSP’s Soil Health web page • Pollinator Conservation Resource Center • NRCS County Office Directory • Ear…  Read More → Source