Land Stewardship LIVE-WIRE, April 23, 2004
Hello:
This is the tenth issue of "Land Stewardship LIVE-WIRE," the Land Stewardship Project's e-mail update. We send this out periodically to provide an update on activities and information related to LSP's work. We hope you enjoy this service, and are looking for feedback. Please send your comments to Brian DeVore at bdevore@landstewardshipproject.org. If you prefer not to receive this newsletter, please e-mail lspwbl@landstewardshipproject.org and write, "remove LIVE-WIRE" in the subject line.
IN THIS ISSUE
1) Minn. Legislative Update
2) Phones & Volunteers Needed for Membership Drive
3) Join a Farm, Get Fresh Vegetables
4) Community Food & Farm Festival May 1-2
5) Volunteer at the Food & Farm Festival
6) LSP Open House/Cookout
7) Field Days to Feature Grazing, CSA, Swine, Dairy Processing
8) Art Show Runs Until May 8
9) Grazing School June 8-9 in Morris
10) SE LSP Meeting June 26
11) LSL Out Soon
12) Worth Repeating
1) MINN. LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
Key decisions on two controversial measures in the Minnesota Legislature could be made the week of April 26. Sen. Steve Dille (R-Dassel) has inserted language into the Ag Omnibus Policy Bill (Senate File 2428) that undermines the right of townships and counties to limit how large livestock operations can be. The Senate needs to remove this language when the bill gets to the Senate floor. It could come up for a vote any day, so immediate calls are needed. Sen. Dille’s language states in part: “In order to promote livestock production, state agencies and local governments shall, to the extent allowed by law...allow farms to be competitive and have the potential to generate a net profit through...growth in their farm business.” At first glance this language may seem harmless but the problem is with the words “shall” and “growth.” This could prevent a township or county from protecting the community from a major expansion of a livestock facility as long as the proposer makes the claim it is necessary “to be competitive.” This language is aimed at weakening the rights of people to act democratically through their local units of government to protect human health, quality of life, and the environment by limiting factory farm expansion in their community.
In addition, legislation authored by Sen. Dallas Sams (DFL- Staples) that would allow foreign investors to own Minnesota dairy farms passed the full Senate on April 7. Sen. Dille and Sen. Betsy Wergin (R-Princeton) are co-authors. The House has taken no action on the issue this year. The bill would allow holders of E-2 non-immigrant investment visas to own Minnesota farmland. Minnesota’s current laws allow immigrants who are permanent residents to own farmland and the Land Stewardship Project supports that. But Sams’ bill is not targeted at immigrants—it is designed to help wealthy foreign investors. Concerns cited by opponents of the bill are that foreign investors would outbid local farmers and drive up the price of farmland, making it even harder for beginning farmers and existing farmers who need access to land. For more information, visit http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/pr/04/newsr_040412.html.
This is a critical time to make calls on these two measures. Even if you call over the weekend and leave a message, it will have an impact. Here is some key contact information:
• Senator Jim Vickerman, Chair of the Ag Committee, at 651-296-5650, or e-mail him at http://www.senate.leg.state.mn.us/members/sendis22_email.htm
• Senator Gary Kubly, Vice-Chair of the Ag Committee, at 651-296-5094, or e-mail him at sen.gary.kubly@senate.mn
• Senate Majority Leader Dean Johnson, 651-296-3826, or e-mail him at
http://www.senate.leg.state.mn.us/members/sendis13_email.htm
• Your Senator. For your Senator’s name and contact information, call 888-234-1112 or, in the metro area, 651-296-0504.
In other legislative news, measures that would benefit family farmers and rural communities were still moving ahead at this writing. One would provide no-interest loans to farmers who establish on-farm processing enterprises. In addition, funds were put into a Senate “dairy modernization” bill that would help farmers with development of pastures.
Watch LSP’s Action Alerts page (http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/news-alerts.html) and Press Releases page (http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/news-pr.html) for the latest on how you can help make your voice heard. You can also contact LSP organizer Paul Sobocinski (507-342-2323) or Bobby King (507-523-3366) for more information on legislative issues.
2) PHONES & VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR MEMBERSHIP DRIVE
The Land Stewardship Project will be conducting an important membership drive in the last week of April and the first two weeks of May. This drive will help us expand our membership base and continue our work for family farmers, rural communities and the environment. We can use help from our members in two crucial areas:
-- Donation of office space with phones: If you or someone you know has an office space with at least six phones, and could donate this space for three hours one evening so that LSP members can place phone calls, please let us know. (This can count as an in-kind tax donation; ask Mike for further details.)
--Volunteers: We need volunteers to give approximately three hours of their time in an evening, placing phone calls to former and potential members who will have received a letter in advance. Refreshments and good company will be provided!
If you can assist in either capacity, please contact Mike McMahon at the Policy Office: 612-722-6377 or mcmahon@landstewardshipproject.org.
3) JOIN A FARM, GET FRESH VEGETABLES
Memberships in Community Supported Agriculture farms for the 2004 growing season are filling up fast. Community Supported Agriculture, also known as CSA, is an arrangement where people buy shares in a farming operation on an annual basis. In return, the farmers provide a weekly supply of fresh, natural produce throughout the growing season (approximately June to October). Shares are often sold out by early spring. For a free LSP guide describing CSA farms that serve the Twin Cities region, log onto http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/pr/04/newsr_040223.html. For a paper copy, call LSP at 651-653-0618, or stop by our White Bear Lake office at 2200 4th Street (second level). This guide also provides information on joining CSA farms in other parts of the Midwest, as well as across the country.
4) COMMUNITY FOOD & FARM FESTIVAL MAY 1-2
Speaking of fresh food, consumers will have a chance to meet some of the faces behind the food at the 2004 Community Food and Farm Festival, an annual event that brings together sustainable, direct marketing producers and consumers in a way that celebrates this connection. This year's Festival will again be held in conjunction with the Living Green Expo on Saturday, May 1, and Sunday, May 2, at the Minnesota State Fair Grounds’ Education Building. For details, go to http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/foodfarm-main.html and scroll down to “Links to Other Food & Farm Resources.”
5) VOLUNTEER AT THE FOOD & FARM FESTIAL
Get involved in the Food and Farm Festival and have fun at the same time! We are seeking volunteers to assist with set-up and clean-up as well as volunteers to staff the LSP booth and Farm Festival areas. If you are interested in helping out, please contact Cathy Eberhart at cathye@landstewardshipproject.org or Marjorie Ross at marjorie@landstewardshipproject.org. You can also call them at 651-653-0618.
6) LSP OPEN HOUSE/COOKOUT
LSP’s Policy and Organizing Program will be hosting its third annual cookout on Friday, June 11 from 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. The Open House is a great chance to meet other members and supporters over delicious grilled food (brats, burgers, and vegetarian options provided) and beverages. There will be a short presentation on LSP’s recent work, and ample time to talk, discuss issues, and meet new people. This year, we will also debut a silent auction. There’s no cost for the event, but we invite everyone to bring a side dish to share and a lawn chair to lounge in. The cookout will be held at the Policy Office: 2919 East 42nd Street, Minneapolis. If you have any questions, please contact Mike McMahon at 612-722-6377 or mcmahon@landstewardshipproject.org.
7) FIELD DAYS TO FEATURE GRAZING, CSA, SWINE, DAIRY PROCESSING
Grass-based dairying, vegetable production, Community Supported Agriculture, on-farm dairy processing, organic beef production, pasturing swine, organic crop production, and appropriate technology for small farmers will be the focus of a series of LSP Farm Beginnings™ field days being held in Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin this spring and summer. To attend a field day, call LSP’s
southeast Minnesota office at 507-523-3366, or our western Minnesota office at 320-269-2105, to reserve a spot and get directions. LSP members can attend these field days for free. The fee for nonmembers is $5 per person and $10 per family. If you choose to become a member of LSP the day of a tour, an immediate benefit will be free admission.
Field day dates and locations:
-- Saturday, May 8, Delano, Minn.—Vegetable production and direct marketing to restaurants
-- Saturday, May 8, Postville, Iowa—Community Supported Agriculture vegetable production, vegetable handling and cooperative ventures
--Thursday, May 20, New Prague, Minn.—On-farm dairy processing
-- Saturday, June 12, Clearwater, Minn.—Organic beef grazing
--Wednesday, June 16, Minneiska, Minn.—Organic milk production using managed intensive rotational grazing; grassland bird responses to intensive rotational grazing with Melissa Driscoll
--Saturday, June 19, Kerkhoven, Minn.—Pasturing hogs and dairy heifers
-- Saturday, June 26, Madison, Minn.—Pork and organic crop production
--Thursday, July 15, Prairie Farm, Wis.—Community Supported Agriculture vegetable production and profitability; what it takes to be a successful beginning vegetable farmer
--Saturday, July 31, Wykoff, Minn.—Low-cost, appropriate technologies for small farmers; Community Supported Agriculture vegetable production
For a complete listing of field days, meetings, gatherings and other events of interest, check out our calendar at http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/index-calendar.html, or our Press Releases page at http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/news-pr.html.
8) ART SHOW RUNS UNTIL MAY 8
Painting, drawing, sculpture, pottery, printmaking and photography come together in a show depicting Minnesota’s family farms and rural life. The exhibition, “Family Farms and Rural Communities: A Tribune,” opened April 2 and runs through May 8. It is being held at the Banfill-Locke Center for the Arts, 666 East River Road, Fridley, Minn. For more information, call 763-574-1850 or log onto http://www.banfill-locke.org.
9) GRAZING SCHOOL JUNE 8-9 IN MORRIS
Economics, livestock health, forage management, fencing and watering systems will be some of the topics covered during a two-day grazing workshop June 8 and 9 at the West Central Research and Outreach Center (WCROC) near Morris, Minn. This workshop is being put on by the Land Stewardship Project, the University of Minnesota, USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service and USDA’s Agricultural Research Service. For more information and to register, contact Dennis Johnson at WCROC by calling 320-589-1711 or e-mailing dairydgj@mrs.umn.edu. More information is also available by contacting LSP’s Terry VanDerPol at 320-269-2105 or tlvdp@landstewardshipproject.org.
10) SE LSP MEETING JUNE 26
LSP’s southeast Minnesota office will hold its annual meeting Saturday, June 26. The supper event will be held at the Eric and Lisa Klein farm in Elgin, Minn. Speakers for the evening will be independent organic inspector Jim Riddle and Steve Morse, Endowed Chair in Agricultural Systems at the University of Minnesota. This event will celebrate food, family and farming in the southeast Minnesota region. LSP will provide a bountiful array of local meats to compliment potluck salads and desserts for this gathering. For more information, call 507-523-3366 or e-mail lspse@landstewardshipproject.org.
11) LSL OUT SOON
The latest issue of the Land Stewardship Letter is at the printers and should be in your mailbox by early May. This edition will feature a discussion about Community Supported Agriculture and the 2004 Stewardship Food Network. The Network lists LSP member-farmers who direct market food to consumers. Also included in the listing are LSP members who run retail or processing businesses and try to handle as much locally produced food as possible. For back issues of the LSL, check out http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/news-lsl.html.
12) WORTH REPEATING
“We're doing it for the cause." –farmer Eric Klein, who is helping mentor participants in LSP’s Farm Beginnings™ program. Klein was recently interviewed by Successful Farming Business Editor Dan Looker (http://www.agriculture.com/future/advice/040329looker.html)
top
|
