Land Stewardship LIVE-WIRE, May 27, 2004
Hello:
This is the 11th 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) Legislative Update: A Mixed Bag
2) Supreme Court to Hear Checkoff Case
3) USDA Hamstrings CSP
4) Join a Farm, Get Fresh Vegetables
5) …And for Your Other Food Needs
6) Get a Phd in Pasturing June 8-9 in Morris
7) LSP Open House/Cookout June 11
8) Organic Dairying for Birds & Profit June 16
9) Getting a Handle on Grazing
10) Field Days to Feature Grazing, CSA, Swine
11) SE LSP Celebration June 26
12) Dialogue Addresses Hunger at Home & Abroad
13) Need a Reefer Unit for Direct Marketing?
14) Worth Repeating
15) Worth Repeating II
1) LEGISLATIVE UPDATE: A MIXED BAG
The 2004 Minnesota Legislature may have some unfinished business, but the Agriculture Bill has been passed and signed into law. The legislation is a mixed bag as far as family farming and sustainable agriculture goes.
The good news is that despite pressure to weaken local government, township powers survived the session. Thanks in large part to the efforts of LSP members from across the state, none of the half dozen bills introduced to weaken township rights passed in forms that had any significant impact on township local control. Visit www.landstewardshipproject.org/pr/04/newsr_040520.html for details.
In addition, LSP and others worked successfully to get a provision that provides state loans for, among other things, capital investments in pasture systems and on-farm processing facilities. In addition, the interest rate on the “shared savings and loan program” has been lowered from 6 percent to 3 percent. These loans are often used by small and medium sized farmers to make environmental improvements on their operations.
On the negative side, lawmakers pushed through a bill that changes state law to allow holders of foreign investment visas to own Minnesota dairy farms and up to 1,500 acres of farmland. The bill was defeated last year due to strong opposition from farm groups and independent dairy farmers. LSP and other groups see this change as a way for foreign investors to finance large-scale factory farms. For more information, check www.landstewardshipproject.org/pr/04/newsr_040518.html.
2) SUPREME COURT TO HEAR CHECKOFF CASE
The U.S. Supreme Court decided on May 24 to hear an appeal of a lower court decision declaring the mandatory beef checkoff program unconstitutional. In February, the U.S. Justice Department asked the Supreme Court to review the case. The Supreme Court’s decision on the mandatory beef checkoff program is expected to determine the finality of both the beef and the pork checkoff programs. For background, check www.landstewardshipproject.org/pr/04/newsr_040524.html.
3) USDA HAMSTRINGS CSP
The USDA’s plan to restrict implementation of the Conservation Security Program (CSP) to a handful of watersheds nationwide severely hamstrings the program and directly contradicts the original law that created it, say LSP staff and member-farmers. They were reacting to the USDA’s announcement on May 19 that the only area in Minnesota where the program will be implemented this summer is the Blue Earth watershed in the south central part of the state. Iowa fared no better, with only the East Nishnabotna watershed in the southwestern corner of the state being selected. For more information on CSP, check www.landstewardshipproject.org/pr/04/newsr_040519.html or www.landstewardshipproject.org/programs_csp.html.
4) 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). For a free LSP guide describing CSA farms that serve the Twin Cities region, log onto 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.
5) …AND FOR YOUR OTHER FOOD NEEDS
LSP’s Stewardship Food Network is now available on our Web site (go to www.landstewardshipproject.org/foodfarm-main.html and scroll down to “Stewardship Food Network”). This resource lists LSP member-farmers who offer food and other products for direct sale to consumers. Retailers, processors and restaurateurs who belong to LSP and handle locally produced food are also listed. For a paper copy, call LSP at 651-653-0618, or stop by our offices in White Bear Lake, Lewiston, Montevideo or Minneapolis.
6) GET A PHD IN PASTURING 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. Details are at www.landstewardshipproject.org/pr/04/newsr_040507.html.
7) LSP OPEN HOUSE/COOKOUT JUNE 11
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.
8) ORGANIC DAIRYING FOR BIRDS & PROFIT JUNE 16
Research findings into grassland bird response to rotational grazing will be the focus of an organic dairy field day Wednesday, June 16, near the southeast Minnesota community of Plainview. www.landstewardshipproject.org/pr/04/newsr_040522.html to get the skinny.
9) GETTING A HANDLE ON GRAZING
Between June and November the Land Stewardship Project is helping organize a series of hands-on workshops with Natural Resources Conservation Service State Grazing Specialist Howard Moechnig on grazing management in southeast Minnesota. The first one is June 19 at the Mike Walsch farm near Altura. It will focus on forage plant identification and management. On July 10, a workshop on pastured livestock watering systems will be held at the Tom Scarponcini farm near Lewiston. To register for these free workshops, or for more information, contact Caroline van Schaik in LSP’s Lewiston office at 507-523-3366 or caroline@landstewardshipproject.org.
10) FIELD DAYS TO FEATURE GRAZING, CSA, SWINE
LSP’s Farm Beginnings™ field days re in full swing. Grass-based dairying, vegetable production, Community Supported Agriculture, organic beef production, pasturing swine, organic crop production, and appropriate technology for small farmers are the focus of field days being held in Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin this summer. For more information, visit www.landstewardshipproject.org/pr/04/newsr_040416.html.
11) SE LSP CELEBRATION JUNE 26
The Land Stewardship Project’s southeast Minnesota office will hold a “Food, Family and Farming” summer celebration and pig roast Saturday, June 26, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Eric and Lisa Klein’s Hidden Stream Farm near Elgin, Minn. Go to www.landstewardshipproject.org/pr/04/newsr_040508.html to get the details.
12) DIALOGUE ADDRESSES HUNGER AT HOME & ABROAD
When thinking about hunger in this day and age, people usually associate it with poverty-stricken children and families in Third World countries. The fact that there are hungry people in our own country, state and community is often neglected, as people don’t realize that the issue of hunger is just as pressing at home. LSP helped put on an Intergenerational Dialogue focused on the problem of hunger at home and abroad May 5 at the Montevideo Community Center. Visit www.landstewardshipproject.org/pr/04/newsr_040511.html for details.
13) NEED A REEFER UNIT FOR DIRECT MARKETING?
LSP member Nick Jones is getting the word out on a refrigerated truck that’s for sale. The 225.5 cubic foot box, mounted on a diesel pickup, could make a nice addition to a direct-marketing farming operation. For more information, call Kelly Biensen at 641-483-2286 or e-mail biensen@marshallnet.com.
14) WORTH REPEATING
“This group of grass-roots activists has mobilized demonstrable opposition to the checkoff, prevailed in a national referendum and convinced two federal judges that its cause is right. The Supreme Court should let its victory stand.” – Star Tribune Editorial Board (www.landstewardshipproject.org/pr/04/itn_040428.html)
15) WORTH REPEATING II
"…CSP payments virtually ignore three of the most innovative and important conservation farming systems being used today--managed rotational grazing, resource-conserving crop rotations, and organic production."--LSP Policy Director Mark Schultz (www.landstewardshipproject.org/opinions/04/opin_040426.html)
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