LSP's Ear to the Ground

Over the past three decades, the rotating Endowed Chair in Agricultural Systems has provided farmers and others a chance to build a more sustainable farm and food system in Minnesota. Farmer and community leader Marvin Johnson says now is not the time to close that public door into the University.More Information:• Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture • Endowed Chair in Agricultural Systems • Opinion: Funding Cuts Hit Sustainable Agriculture Partnership with U of M • Blog: Don Wyse’s Land Grant Legacy • Blog: Endowed Chair Puts the Right People in the Right Place to Address a Critical Problem

In 1986, Joe Paddock co-authored a book called Soil and Survival. Its message: the relationship between farming and the land is in serious need of repair. Four decades later, that message is more relevant than ever.More Information:• Soil and Survival • Planting in the Dust Script • Joe Paddock • Joe Paddock’s Books • Nancy Paddock • Carol Bly • Making Change from the Ground Up: 40 Stories for 40 Years of Land Stewardship Project

These three crop producers see no reason why productive farming and clean water can’t co-exist. But first, we need to stop the greenwashing and get our hands dirty. (2 of 2 parts; part 1 is here)More Information:• Ear to the Ground 395: The Lobe Rangers • LSP Soil Health Web Page • LSP Myth Buster No. 68: “When Nitrogen is Gone, it Can be Forgotten” • SARE Fact Sheet: “Cover Crops at Work: Keeping Nutrients Out of Waterways” • Article: “A report tied Iowa’s water pollution to agriculture. Then the money to promote it mysteriously disappeared” • Researcher’s Analysis of Nov. 2025 Iowa Farm Bureau Statement on Water Quality • LSP Blog: The Crop Insurance Conundrum • PNAS Paper: “The Extent of Soil Loss Across the US Corn Belt” • ISU CARD Analysis: “Cover Crop Adoption Decelerates and No-till Area Stagnates in the I-States”

In the Corn Belt, water quality is not improving at a rate that is leading to meaningful landscape level change, and these poster boys for conservation farming say it’s time for the ag industry, commodity groups, and government to step up and take responsibility. (1 of 2 parts; part 2 here)More Information:• Ear to the Ground 396: Accountable Ag• LSP Soil Health Web Page• LSP Myth Buster No. 68: “When Nitrogen is Gone, it Can be Forgotten”• SARE Fact Sheet: “Cover Crops at Work: Keeping Nutrients Out of Waterways”• LSP Blog: The Crop Insurance Conundrum• Researcher’s Analysis of Nov. 2025 Iowa Farm Bureau Statement on Water Quality• PNAS Paper: “The Extent of Soil Loss Across the US Corn Belt”• ISU CARD Analysis: “Cover Crop Adoption Decelerates and No-till Area Stagnates in the I-States”

As a farmer and entrepreneur, John Strohfus sees the production of food-grade crops as a key opportunity for regenerative farmers to forge links in a value chain based on building healthy soil.More Information:• Jan. 27, 2026, LSP Workshop — “Beyond Exports: Rebuilding Local Markets”• Field Theory Foods• LSP Small Grains Web Page• Ear to the Ground podcast 393: Risk Reducers• Ear to the Ground podcast 392: Diversity’s Diet

Alan Jostock uses the kind of diversity that builds soil health as a kind of insurance policy for his farm. That means meshing his crop and livestock enterprises in a way that they prop each other up through thick and thin. More Information:• Jan. 27, 2026, LSP Workshop — “Beyond Exports: Rebuilding Local Markets” • LSP Small Grains Web Page • Ear to the Ground podcast 392: Diversity’s Diet • Rolling J Farm’s Facebook Page • Minnesota Farm Business Management Programs

Farmer and small grains marketer Matt Kruger sees a rotation based on raising food grade crops as a way for farmers to get rewarded for building soil health. It’s also a way to fight the only thing he truly hates.More Information:• Jan. 27, 2026, LSP Workshop — “Beyond Exports: Rebuilding Local Markets” • LSP Small Grains Web Page • Green Acres Milling • Ear to the Ground podcast 363: Small Grain-Big Opportunity

Ashly Steinke remembers well the first time he saw a bobolink on pastured land that formerly grew corn and soybeans — it was a sign that he was successfully blending beef, birds, and biology.More Information:• LSP’s Grazing & Soil Health Web Page • Audubon Conservation Ranching Program • The Monitoring Project’s “Tool Box” • Ear to the Ground 390: Sounds of Success • Ear to the Ground 371: Avian Award • Ear to the Ground 370: Bending the Bird Curve • Ear to the Ground 275: Blurring the Bobolink Boundaries

More Information:• LSP’s Grazing & Soil Health Web Page • NODPA Article on Kevin Mahalko • Ear to the Ground 371: Avian Award • Ear to the Ground 370: Bending the Bird Curve • Ear to the Ground 275: Blurring the Bobolink Boundaries

Minnesota Assistant Attorney General Elizabeth Odette says in the battle to make sure Big Ag plays by the rules, knowledge is power. That’s why, if we are to have a fair, vibrant farm and food system, average citizens must wield this weapon and report what they’re seeing in the countryside.More Information:• Report Possible Illegal Market Activities/Aintitrust Issues to the MN Attorney General• Call the MN Attorney General: 1-800-657-3787• Ear to the Ground podcast interview with antitrust expert Austin Frerick• LSP Press Release — Farmers to AG: Take Action to Counteract Community-Killing Consolidation

Scientist Kris Nichols finds the disconnect between food production and soil health “terrifying” and says the stakes are too high not to mend that break. So what are we waiting for? (2 of 2 parts)More Information:• Ear to the Ground No. 387 Interview with Kris Nichols (1 of 2 parts)• LSP’s Soil Builders’ Web Page • Kris Nichols’s Facebook Page• Ear to the Ground Interview with Tom Cotter• 2012 Ear to the Ground episode featuring Kris Nichols & Jay Fuhrer• 2012 Land Stewardship Letter article on Burleigh County Soil Health TeamYou can find LSP Ear to the Ground podcast episodes on Spotify, Pandora, iTunes, YouTube, and other podcast platforms.

When farmers challenged what Kris Nichols had learned from her college textbooks, the soil microbiologist didn’t dismiss them — instead, she dug deeper into the world beneath our feet (1 of 2 parts).More Information:• Ear to the Ground No. 388 Interview with Kris Nichols (2 of 2 parts)• LSP’s Soil Builders’ Web Page• Kris Nichols’s Facebook Page• Ear to the Ground Interview with Tom Cotter• Ear to the Ground interview with Jay Fuhrer• 2012 Ear to the Ground episode featuring Kris Nichols• 2012 Land Stewardship Letter article on Burleigh County Soil Health Team

How a small, rural school district is taking a trial run at sourcing food from local farmers.More Information:• MDA Farm to School & Early Care Programs & Grants • Report: Building the Farm to School Network in West Central Minnesota • LSP’s Community-Based Food Systems Web Page • Ear to the Ground 385: A Longer Local Lunch Season • Ear to the Ground 322: Lunchroom Stewardship

Jeanine Bowman believes having locally produced food on her school’s menu shouldn’t be a special occasion — it should be a daily part of nourishing kids while supporting the farm economy.More Information:• MDA Farm to School & Early Care Programs & Grants• Report: Building the Farm to School Network in West Central Minnesota• LSP’s Community-Based Food Systems Web Page• Ear to the Ground 386: A Farm to School Taste Test• Ear to the Ground 322: Lunchroom Stewardship

Ag antitrust expert Austin Frerick sees the current food system as a mechanism for modern robber barons to treat rural communities as mere “extraction colonies.” But, he argues, changing how we eat isn’t enough — we need to disrupt how power is distributed all along the food chain (2 of 2 parts).More Information:• Austin Frerick’s website• View video of Nov. 4, 2025, LSP Event Featuring Sonja Trom Eayrs & Austin Frerick: “Big Ag, Big Problems: A Panel on Rural Consolidation”• Ear to the Ground podcast with Sonja Trom Eayrs: “Corporate Vs. Community”

Sonja Trom Eayrs started out writing about her own family’s fight against factory farms. She ended up telling a larger story of corporate capture of rural communities (1 of 2 parts).More Information:• Sonja Trom Eayrs’s website• View video of Nov. 4, 2025, LSP Event Featuring Sonja Trom Eayrs & Austin Frerick: “Big Ag, Big Problems: A Panel on Rural Consolidation”• Ear to the Ground episode with Austin Frerich: “Power Play”

LSP’s Local Democracy Challenge is a reminder that we can’t allow democracy to grow dormant between elections.More Information:• LSP’s Local Democracy Challenge Web Page • Land Stewardship Action • Ear to the Ground Podcast 341 Featuring Land Stewardship Action

Chris MacLeod came to Mill City hoping to source local grain while pursuing his passion for baking. When confronted with the reality of the export-driven commodity system, he doubled down on connecting with local farmers.More Information:• Laune Bread• Baker’s Field Flour & Bread• LSP’s Small Grains Web Page• Ear to the Ground 379 with pioneer miller Gilbert Williams• Ear to the Ground 377 with Sandhill Mill• Summary of “Bringing Small Grains Back to Minnesota” Networking Meeting on Aug. 2, 2025, in Madison, Minn.

Amy Rager wasn’t thrilled about moving from the North Woods to the land of grass. But three decades later, she’s an impassioned advocate for this treeless biome. More Information:• Minnesota Master Naturalist Program • Land Stewardship Letter review of Sea of Grass • Ear to the Ground episode 258: Prairie’s Horizontal Grandeur • LSP Soil Builders Web PageYou can find LSP Ear to the Ground podcast episodes on Spotify, Pandora, iTunes, YouTube, and other podcast platforms.

Gilbert Williams is a pioneer in processing local grains for local markets. His advice? Go stand in the field, put your name on the package, and tell your story.More Information:• Ear to the Ground 378 with Noreen Thomas • Ear to the Ground 377 with Peter & Brittany Haugen • Ear to the Ground 366 with Gary Zimmer • Summary of “Bringing Small Grains Back to Minnesota” Networking Meeting on Aug. 2, 2025, in Madison, Minn. • 2025 LSP Albert Lea Small Grains Workshop Presentations • Meadowlark Farm & Mill

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 LSP Albert Lea Small Grains Workshop Presentations

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: Avian Award• LSP’s Ear to the Ground 275: Blurring the Bobolink Boundaries

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 Page

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 Health Web Page

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 Resources • Ear to the Ground 303: Silvo Savvy • Ear to the Ground 262: A Silvo Secondary Enterprise • LSP’s Soil Health & Grazing Web Page

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 — Regenerative Return” • Episode 1 in Ear to the Ground Small Grains Workshop Series: “Bob Quinn — Additive Vs. Extractive” • Jan. 28, 2025, LSP Small Grains Workshop Registration • Green Acres Milling • LSP Blog: Oats & the 3-Legged Stool of Farm Resiliency • LSP’s Community-Based Food Systems Web Page • LSP’s Soil Health Page

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 Quinn — Additive Vs. Extractive” • Jan. 28, 2025, LSP Small Grains Workshop Registration • PFZ Farms • LSP’s Community-Based Food Systems Web Page • LSP’s Soil Health Page

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 CourseUrban 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 FundLand 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” 3rd in the Grazing School Podcast Series: “Flerd is the Word” 2nd in the Grazing School Podcast Series: “Healthy Soil Vs. Plastic Worms” Wholesome Family Farms Drone Footage of Rachelle & Jordan Meyer Moving SheepLSP’s “Building Soil Health Profitably” Web Page LSP’s “Grazing & Soil Health” Web Page LSP’s Farm Beginnings CourseEar to the Ground No. 314: Going for the GoatEar to the Ground No. 291: Shovel Doesn’t LieEar to the Ground No. 255: Embracing the Weed

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 School Podcast Series: “Flerd is the Word”1st in the Grazing School Podcast Series: “Ignoring the Red Dress”LSP’s “Building Soil Health Profitably” Web PageLSP’s “Grazing & Soil Health” Web Page

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 Grazing School Podcast Series: “Healthy Soil Vs. Plastic Worms” 1st in the Grazing School Podcast Series: “Ignoring the Red Dress” George Heller YouTube PageSept. 27-28, 2024: Forage Council Grazing School at George Heller Farm, Verndale, Minn. LSP’s “Building Soil Health Profitably” Web PageLSP’s “Grazing & Soil Health” Web Page

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 Grazing School Podcast Series: “Healthy Soil Vs. Plastic Worms” 1st in the Grazing School Podcast Series: “Ignoring the Red Dress” LSP’s “Building Soil Health Profitably” Web Page LSP’s “Grazing & Soil Health” Web Page

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 in the Grazing School Podcast Series: “Flerd is the Word” 2nd in the Grazing School Podcast Series: “Healthy Soil Vs. Plastic Worms” 1st in the Grazing School Podcast Series: “Ignoring the Red Dress”USDA NRCS Service Center LocatorEnvironmental Quality Incentives Program Conservation Stewardship ProgramLSP’s “Building Soil Health Profitably” Web PageLSP’s “Grazing & Soil Health” Web Page

Mapping a rural region’s “community food assets” reveals isolated islands of opportunity in a sea of corn and soybeans. LSP’s Scott DeMuth says now is the time to connect the dots and create a new relationship between farmers, eaters, and the places they live in. For a transcript of this podcast, click here.More Information:LSP’s Community-Based Food Systems Web Page Report: Strengthening community food webs in the Upper Minnesota River ValleyEar to the Ground 335: Bumping ElbowsEar to the Ground 332: Real Food, Real ImpactEar to the Ground 331: Reality CheckEar to the Ground 322: Lunchroom StewardshipEar to the Ground 284: Hive of Healthy Activity

Elyssa Eull’s tiny farm is tucked between railroad tracks and an empty lot in the heart of a major metropolitan area, but its city soil is producing food on a commercial scale.More Information:LSP’s Farm Beginnings CourseCalifornia Street FarmTwin Cities Metro Growers NetworkUSDA Urban Agriculture Programs at a GlanceUSDA Urban Ag & Innovative Production GrantsEar to the Ground 339: Urban Ag’s Moment

Since taking over their family’s livestock operation, Parker and Sam Beard have added a few new twists. But one thing will never change: those hills will remain in grass.More Information:LSP’s Grazing & Soil Health Web Page LSP’s Farm Transitions Tools Web PageIowa Organic Association

By building soil biology via managed grazing, Langdon Collom is learning that expanding a farm’s capacity doesn’t always require horizontal expansion — sometimes you can simply go vertical.More Information:LSP’s Grazing & Soil Health Web Page Match Made in Heaven: Livestock + Crops Sustainable Farming Association Midwest Grazing Exchange Minnesota Cropland Grazing Exchange

At a time when rural residents are grappling with high food insecurity, an innovative Wisconsin program is connecting local farmers with local eaters.More Information:Wisconsin Local Food Purchase Assistance ProgramLSP’s Community-Based Food Systems Web PageLatino Economic Development CenterThreshing Table Farm