There is an introduction to joining a CSA, a talk at the Eastside Freedom
Library, Water Day at the capitol, and so much going on across the state.
I'd love to do it all.
Jimbo
“Self-care is never a selfish act - it is simply good stewardship of the
only gift I have, the gift I was put on earth to offer others. Anytime we can
listen to true self and give the care it requires, we do it not only for
ourselves, but for the many others whose lives we touch.”
― Parker Palmer
Begin forwarded message:
> From: "Brian DeVore (LSP)" <<email obscured>>
> Subject: ADV: LSP LIVE-WIRE: Join a CSA, Capitol Craziness, Marketing
Workshop, Farm Dreams, Grazing Hotline
> Date: March 7, 2019 8:45:05 AM CST
> To: <email obscured>
> Reply-To: <email obscured>
>
>
>
>
> March 7, 2019
> News
> Join a CSA Farm in 2019
> Despite the current weather conditions, spring willarrive in 2019. And with
spring comes a new growing season and the opportunity to join a Community
Supported Agriculture (CSA) farming operation. Being a CSA member gives you
access to fresh, locally produced vegetables, meats and other products straight
from the land. Descriptions and contact information for over 45 CSA farms that
serve the Minnesota and Western Wisconsin Region are available in LSP's 2019
CSA Directory. CSA memberships tend to fill up by late winter-early spring, so
sign-up today!
>
> CSA Fairs
> By the way, there will be an opportunity to meet CSA farmers at the Menomonie
Market Food Co-op CSA Fair March 23 in Menomonie, Wis., and the Seward Co-op
CSA Fair April 27 in Minneapolis.
>
>
>
>
> Busy Time at the Minnesota Legislature
> It's been a busy couple of weeks at the Minnesota Legislature as LSP members
and staff testify, meet with lawmakers and work with allies to push through
several bills related to sustainable agriculture, family farms, local democracy
and local food systems. Here's a selection of LSP priorities that are advancing
through the legislature at this writing:
>
> Creation of Farm to School Statewide Program
> Funding for the Forever Green Initiative
> Funding for the Farm Advocates Program
> Healthcare Reform
> Changes to Beginning Farmer Tax Credit
> Ending the Property Tax Exemption for Factory Farm Manure Pits
> Reinstating the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency's Citizens' Board
> For a summary of LSP's legislative priorities, click here. For details on how
you can make your voice heard at the Legislature, check out our Action Alerts
web page and State Policy web page. For more on LSP's state policy work, e-mail
Amanda Babcock or call her at 612-722-6377.
>
>
>
> Next Farm Dreams Class April 7; FB Taking Applications
> LSP is offering its next Farm Dreams workshop on Sunday, April 7, from 1 p.m.
to 5 p.m., in ourMinneapolis office. Farm Dreams is a four-hour workshop
designed to help people clarify what motivates them to farm, get their vision
on paper, inventory their strengths and training needs, and get perspective
from an experienced farmer. It's a good precursor to taking LSP's Farm
Beginnings course (see below). For details and to reserve a spot, click here.
>
> Farm Beginnings
> Accepting Applications
> LSP’s Farm Beginnings Program is accepting applications for its 2019-2020
class session, which will be held at the Menomonie Market Food Co-op in western
Wisconsin. LSP’s Farm Beginnings program is marking its second decade of
providing firsthand training in low-cost, sustainable methods of farm
management. The course is for people just getting started in farming, as well
as established farmers looking to make changes in their operations. Farm
Beginnings participants learn goal setting, financial and enterprise planning,
and innovative marketing techniques. For more information on applying to the
class,click here.
>
> Looking for Farmland? Check
> out our March 30 Workshop
> By the way, on Saturday, March 30, LSP will be holding a workshop in
Northfield, Minn., for beginning and aspiring farmers on how to find affordable
farmland. Details are here. SeeOpportunities/
> Resources below for information on our Seeking Farmers-Seeking Land
Clearinghouse.
>
> Events
> Innovative Marketing Workshop Today in St. Paul
> A panel of farmers and food buyers will share insights into innovative ways
to gain market access during an LSP "Innovative Marketing Forum" today,
beginning at 4 p.m., in St. Paul. The panel will be followed by a Q & A and
opportunities to discuss how we can support emerging marketing opportunities in
our region. Details are here.
>
>
>
> Roller-Crimper Workshop Today
> A special LSP workshop on how conventional and organic farmers can utilize
the roller-crimper to build soil health and suppress weeds will be held today
at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Rushford. During the workshop, Dr. Erin
Silva of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a panel of local farmers will
share their experiences with this innovative practice and how it can be applied
on area farms. Details are here.
>
> New Soil Health Videos
> By the way, we have recently posted four new soil health videos that cover
everything from farming in a changing climate and planting "green" into cover
crops, to making adjustments to a no-till planter.Check them out here.
>
>
>
> Wildly Successful Farming Book Events in March & April
> Land Stewardship Letter editor Brian DeVore will be presenting on his
book,Wildly SuccessfulFarming: Sustainability and the New Agricultural Land
Ethic, at several locations in the region in coming weeks:
>
> March 14: Cumberland, Wis.
> March 15: Fairfield, Iowa
> March 16: Leopold & Agriculture Conference, Burlington, Iowa
> April 10: Decorah, Iowa
> April 11: Tallgrass Prairie Center, Cedar Falls, Iowa
> For more information on Wildly Successful Farming, including links to the
latest media coverage, click here.
>
> LSP Sowers Workshop March 16
> Our first "LSP Sowers" workshop will be March 16 in Mankato, Minn. This
workshop will train and support LSP members who want to communicate on social
media with an intentional purpose: to build power by “changing hearts and
minds.” If we want to be successful in achieving progress, we need our friends,
family, neighbors and communities across the region thinking about our
deeply-held shared values. To reserve a spot at the workshop, click here. For
more on the LSP Sowers initiative, e-mail LSP's Amanda Madison or call her at
612-722-6377.
>
> Direct & Wholesale Marketing Workshop March 21 in Amery
> LSP is co-sponsoring a farmer workshop on direct and wholesale marketing
March 21 in Amery, Wis. In this class participants will:
>
> Find the right market outlet to match skills and personality, land, crop mix
and customers’ needs.
> Discuss trends in the food market and the pros and cons of various marketing
models including: roadside stands, farmers' markets, CSA, agri-tourism,
restaurants, pick-your-own, on-line sales, wholesale, retail and brokers.
> Work in-class on designing a mix of markets and crops that work for your farm
and market based on customers’ needs and the farmer's strengths.
> For details and to register, click here.
>
>
>
> Ikes Watershed Summit March 23 in Bloomington
> LSP's Brian DeVore will present on “Wildly Successful Farming—An Ecosystems
Approach” at the 2019 Watershed Summit being held by the Izaak Walton League on
Saturday, March 23, in Bloomington. The Summit will feature several
presentations on how we can use a holistic, broad-based paradigm of planning
and management that reflects the integrated and interdependent ecological
relationships of our natural environment. For details and to register, click
here.
>
>
>
> Schultz to Speak at East Side Freedom Library March 26
> LSP executive director Mark Schultz will be talking about the key role
organizing plays in bringing about lasting, positive change and how we can all
get involved during a special presentation on Tuesday, March 26, at the East
Side Freedom Library in Saint Paul.Details are here.
>
>
> Action Alerts
> Show Lawmakers there is Widespread Support for Farm to School
> The "Farm to School" bill is moving at the Minnesota Capitol. The bill that
LSP and a large group of stakeholders are pushing had two key hearings in the
Legislature last week. At those hearings, we made the case why Farm to School
is the first step in investing in our local foods systems to provide markets
for farmers and healthy food for our kids.
>
> It is clear from the hearings that everyone likes Farm to School, but to get
the funding the bill requires, we need to demonstrate to lawmakers that there
is widespread public support. We need to show this support by adding names to a
statewide petition, which we will deliver to lawmakers soon. LSP needs your
help in spreading the word about this petition:
>
> To share the petition via Facebook clickhttp://bit.ly/F2SFacebookPetition.
> Copy this URL to share via e-mail: http://bit.ly/FarmtoSchoolPetition.
> For mor information on Farm to School, contact LSP's Ben Anderson at
612-722-6377 or via e-mail.
>
> Minnesota Water Action Day April 10
> LSP is a sponsor of the 3rd Annual Water Action Day on Wednesday, April 10,
at the Minnesota Capitol. Please join LSP members and members of 28 allied
organizations as we stand up for clean water and healthy communities. Water
Action Day includes busing from around the state, complimentary breakfast and
lunch, citizen lobbying and issue training, meetings with your legislators, a
youth summit, an Environmental Town Hall, and a rally. Reena Petrich, a youth
speaker from Sacred Heart, will be speaking at the rally on behalf of LSP. For
details, click here.
>
>
>
>
> Opportunities/Resources
> Grazing Questions? Call LSP's New Helpline; Check Out Our Fact Sheet
> LSP has launched a toll-free helpline for farmers seeking support related to
grazing livestock. Have questions about how to improve your grazing practices?
Want advice or resources regarding rotational grazing, cover crop grazing,
stockpile grazing, winter feeding, pasture rent, etc.? Contact LSP’s helpline.
You can call 1-888-664-7293 (1-888-MNGRAZE) or submit your questions in writing
here.
>
> Speaking of grazing, LSP has developed a new financial analysis of utilizing
rotational grazing to manage a cow-calf herd. The fact sheet, which was written
by LSP’s George Boody, compares the economic returns of rotational grazing to
continuous grazing, as well as corn and soybean production. Check out the fact
sheet here.
>
>
>
> Membership/Support LSP
> Become a Sustaining Member of LSP
> Thank you for your LSP membership—it makes our work for stewardship,
democracy and justice on the land possible. To strengthen LSP, we aim to grow
our sustaining memberships. Sustaining memberships provide efficient and
reliable financial support each and every month. Such memberships also keep
LSP's costs down, which means more of your $15, $35 or $50 pledge (or another
amount that works for you) is going directly to the work.
>
> As a sustainer, your membership is always current as long as your monthly
pledge is active. And you can change or end your monthly pledge at any time.
Starting a pledge is easy—simply sign up on LSP's website with your checking
account or credit card information and amount of your monthly pledge. If you
have any questions about your membership, call 612-722-6377 or e-mail LSP's
Clara Sanders Marcus.
>
>
>
> Support LSP in Your Workplace
> LSP is a proud member of the Minnesota Environmental Fund, a coalition of
environmental organizations in Minnesota working to protect, conserve and
restore Minnesota's environment. Giving through your workplace is one way that
you can support LSP, via payroll deduction or a one-time gift. Please look for
the Minnesota Environmental Fund when you are giving at work. If you have any
questions about MEF, contact LSP's Amelia Shoptaugh at 612-722-6377 or via
e-mail.
>
>
>
>
> Show Your LSP Support with Pride
>
> There are now numerous fun ways you can show your support for LSP. We have
available for purchase t-shirts ($20), caps ($20), window decals ($3), tote
bags ($15) and, marking the return of a classic, “Let’s Stop Treating our Soil
Like Dirt” bumper stickers ($3). All of these items can be ordered from our
online store.
>
>
>
>
> In This Issue
> News
> Events
> Action Alerts
> Opportunities/Resources
> Membership/Support LSP
>
> LSP on Social Media
>
>
>
>
> Worth Repeating
> “It’s critical that our state publicly invests in the long-term, complex
research that’s needed for farmers to clean our water and improve our soil
health in a financially viable way.”
> — LSP farmer-member Loretta Jaus, talking about the need to fully fund
theForever Green Initiative
>
> ♦
>
> "We want our Citizens’ Board back." — LSP farmer-member Dayna Burtness,
talking about the need to reinstate the MPCA Citizens' Board
>
> ♦
>
> “I think it’s important to talk about what the future of the land is, and
what is the value of it to children and grandchildren and how you can make a
system that will fit something other than just be all big farms. Is there a
value to that, is there a value to returning the soil to some sort of soil
health?"
> — LSP farmer-member Mark Erickson, talking about communicating with landlords
in a recent LSP Ear to the Ground podcast
>
> ♦
>
> "We are pleased to see that Gov. Tim Walz and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan’s
proposed Budget for One Minnesota includes many significant steps forward
toward a health care system that meets all Minnesotans’ needs, including
farmers, small business owners and the self-employed."
> — LSP's Johanna Rupprecht & Paul Sobocinski, writing in the Winona Daily News
>
> ♦
>
> "It can continue to be a real force in our rural economies. As the farm
economy is stronger, that ripples out throughout the economy and throughout the
state."
> — LSP farmer-member Ben Doherty, talking about the benefits of Farm to School
in the Duluth News Tribune