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…  Read More →

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…  Read More →

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…  Read More →

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:…  Read More →

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…  Read More →

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 •…  Read More →

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…  Read More →

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 You can find LSP Ear to the Ground podcast episodes on Spotify, Pandora, iTunes, YouTube,…  Read More →

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…  Read More →

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…  Read More →