LSP's Ear to the Ground

The MPCA’s Justin Watkins sees nitrates leaking out of farm fields as an “invisible” problem that’s all too easily ignored. The solution is to shine a spotlight on widespread systems changes in agriculture. (1st in a series on farming, nitrates, and water)

More Information:

• LSP’s Rethinking Nitrogen Campaign

• Minnesota Nutrient Reduction Strategy

• Southeast Minnesota Nitrate Strategies Collaborative Work Group

• Minnesota Nitrate Concentration Trends Study in Hydrology Journal

• LSP Myth Buster #68: When Nitrogen is Gone, it Can be Forgotten

• Ear to the Ground 395: The Lobe Rangers

• Ear to the Ground 396: Accountable Ag

Paul and Trudi Schaefer always assumed they would live out their lives on the farm they built up over several decades. When they realized they needed to move on, their first step was to take LSP’s Farm Transition Planning Course.

More Information:

• LSP 2027 Farm Transition Course

• LSP Land Transition Tools

• LSP Land Transition Profiles

Connecting directly with eaters is a priority for pastured-based livestock farmers Ellen and Jim Gardner. So how do they balance growing their market with keeping face-to-face relationships intact?

More Information:

• Gardner Family Farm

• LSP’s Community-Based Food Systems Page

• LSP’s Soil Health Page

• LSP’s Farm Beginnings Page

When a federal immigration crackdown came to rural Minnesota, farmer Bridget Lux knew she had to do something. When she walked into a community meeting, she realized she wasn’t the only one looking to take action.

More Information:

• Contact Information for LSP Organizer Nick Olson

• Immigrant Defense Network

• LSP’s Justice & Stewardship Web Page

• LSP’s Long Range Plan

Jordan and Rachelle Meyer had burning questions about how to pursue a new milk production path without upsetting their “three-legged stool.” So they invited members of an LSP Soil Health Hub onto their farm to debate the options.

More Information:

• Wholesome Family Farms

• Meyer Podcast — Ear to the Ground 255: Embracing the Weed

• Meyer Podcast — Ear to the Ground 291: Shovel Doesn’t Lie

• Meyer Podcast — Ear to the Ground 314: Going for the Goat

• Meyer Podcast — Ear to the Ground 342: Ignoring the Red Dress

• Soil Hub Podcast — Ear to the Ground 404: Closing the Loop

• Soil Hub Podcast — Ear to the Ground 405: High Voltage

• Soil Hub Podcast — Ear to the Ground 406: Pasture Peers

• LSP’s Soil Builders’ Network

• Blog: Soil Health Hub Gathering Illustrates the Power of Dreams Anchored in Reality

“How do I make this pasture pay?” beginning farmer Heidi Eger asked a group of fellow graziers during an LSP Soil Health Hub gathering. They answered by measuring out an ideal paddock and putting pen to paper.

More Information:

• Radicle Heart Farm

• Ear to the Ground 265: Diving into Safer Waters

• Ear to the Ground 405: High Voltage

• Ear to the Ground 404: Closing the Loop

• Farm Beginnings

• LSP’s Soil Builders’ Network

• Blog: Soil Health Hub Gathering Illustrates the Power of Dreams Anchored in Reality

Chad and Melissa Crowley are using managed rotational grazing, soil health, and solar arrays to create a good energy flow on the dairy farm they’re transitioning into. They are also utilizing LSP’s Soil Health Hub to field a few burning questions and recharge their batteries.

More Information:

• LSP’s Soil Builders’ Network

• Blog: Soil Health Hub Gathering Illustrates the Power of Dreams Anchored in Reality

• Ear to the Ground 404: Closing the Loop

• Ear to the Ground 50: Why the Pond on this Dairy Farm Didn’t Overflow During a Rainstorm

Paul and Delores Moechnig are working to prove to the next generation that the road to farming’s future doesn’t have to pass through corn and soybean fields. It turns out the bluebirds and swallows appreciate the offramp they’ve taken into rotational grazing as well.

More Information:

• LSP’s Soil Builders’ Network

• Blog: Soil Health Hub Gathering Illustrates the Power of Dreams Anchored in Reality

• Ear to the Ground 391: Grounded in Grazing

• 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

Emily and Ryan Kjesbo-Johnson vowed their lifelong commitment to community would not stop when they moved out of their urban neighborhood and onto a farm. Farm Beginnings is helping them keep that promise.

More Information:

• LSP’s Farm Beginnings Course (2026-2027 Early Bird Discount Deadline Aug. 1, 2026; Final Deadline Sept. 1, 2026)

• Crowded Table Farm

• LSP’s “Fresh Voices” Beginning Farmer Podcast Series

Jane Marynik’s pursuit of perfection ran into a brick wall called vegetable farming. LSP’s Farm Beginnings has helped her strike a more sustainable balance between work and life.

More Information:

• LSP’s Farm Beginnings Course (2026-2027 Early Bird Discount Deadline Aug. 1, 2026; Final Deadline Sept. 1, 2026)

• Four Beans Farm

• Food Farm

• LSP’s “Fresh Voices” Beginning Farmer Podcast Series