Land Stewardship LIVE-WIRE, April 19, 2006
Hello:
This is the 34th issue of "Land Stewardship LIVE-WIRE," the Land Stewardship Project's e-mail newsletter. 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) LSP Hosts West African Farmer April 22-23
2) ‘Planting in the Dust’ April 22 & 29
3) Volunteers Needed for April 22 Earth Day Wetlands Rally
4) CSA Fair April 23 at Seward
5) 'Voices' in Lanesboro May 6
6) Food & Farm Fest May 6-7
7) ‘Voices’ Showing May 14 in Saint Paul
8) Grazing Sensitive Areas May 15 & 22
9) CURE Event May 20-21
10) Farm Beginnings Dairy Tour June 3
11) Sustainable Garden Tour June 3
12) Tour of Established Grazing Operation June 5
13) Check the Calendar
14) LSP Sponsors Radio Spots on Local Democracy
15) Legislative Update
16) 2006 CSA Farm Directory Available
17) CSA Farms Seeking Interns
18) Worth Repeating
19) Worth Repeating II
20) Join LSP
1) LSP HOSTS WEST AFRICAN FARMER APRIL 22-23
A West African farmer will provide a global perspective on the impacts of American agricultural policy Friday, April 21, and Saturday, April 22, at two LSP/Oxfam America events.
On Friday, beginning at noon, LSP’s office in Lewiston (180 E. Main St.) will host Seydou Ouerdraogo during a lunchtime discussion. Soup and bread will be provided during this event, which is free and open to the public. Bring a salad or dessert to share. RSVP by calling 507-523-3366.
On Saturday, we will host Ouerdraogo in Willmar from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Bethel Lutheran Church (411 Becker Ave. SW). There will be a potluck luncheon during this event, which is free and open to the public as well. Bring a dish to share. RSVP Terry VanDerPol at the Land Stewardship Project’s Montevideo office by calling 320-269-2105, or e-mailing tlvdp@landstewardshipproject.org.
Seydou Ouerdraogo, who raises cotton and is a community leader in Burkina Faso, has seen firsthand the negative impacts of some U.S. crop subsidies. In some cases, these programs have flooded the international market with cheap commodities such as cotton, causing a social and economic crisis in places like West Africa. Immediately following Ouedraogo’s remarks, farmers and other residents
will engage in a discussion on how farm policy affects rural communities in West Africa as well as Minnesota.
2) ‘PLANTING IN THE DUST’ APRIL 22 & 29
“Planting in the Dust,” a one-woman play that dramatizes the conservation dilemma of farming, will be presented at the Village Emporium in Wadena, Minn., on April 22 and April 29. The start time for both dates is 7 p.m. Tickets are free, with voluntary donations accepted. Reserve tickets by calling 218-632-8455. This powerful play was originally written for LSP by Nancy Paddock,
and over the years has been performed across the country, as well as internationally.
3) VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR APRIL 22 EARTH DAY WETLANDS RALLY
The second annual "Ducks, Wetlands & Clean Water Rally" (http://www.wetlandsrally.org) will be held on Earth Day (Saturday, April 22) at the Minnesota Capitol in Saint Paul. Like last year, LSP will have a booth at this event, which is a great opportunity to educate hunters and other outdoor enthusiasts about the need to
support sustainable farming and agricultural policy reform. If you would like to volunteer to staff the booth, contact LSP's Bobby King at 612-722-6377 or bking@landstewardshipproject.org.
4) CSA FAIR APRIL 23 AT SEWARD
Seward Co-op's fifth annual Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Fair will be Sunday, April 23, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. This fair, which will be held at 2111 East Franklin Avenue in Minneapolis, gives consumers a chance to meet CSA farmers, compare their crop share offerings side-by-side, and determine the share that best fits their family's needs. For details, call 612-338-2465, or visit http://www.seward.coop.
5) 'VOICES' IN LANESBORO MAY 6
There will be an opportunity to see the "Voices of Minnesota Farm Women" film on Saturday, May 6, at the Lanesboro (Minn.) Community Center. This showing is sponsored by the Lanesboro Library Board and the Lanesboro Farmers' Market. For more information, call Phil Holtegard at 507-421-0216. To learn how you can book this film for your group, contact LSP’s Dana Jackson at 651-653-0618
or danaj@landstewardshipproject.org.
6) FOOD & FARM FEST MAY 6-7
The 2006 Community Food and Farm Festival will be the weekend of May 6-7 at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds. This annual event is a great opportunity to meet farmers and learn how they produce food using sustainable methods. LSP is looking for volunteers to help staff our booth at the Festival. For more information, see http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/cfff/cfff.html.
7) ‘VOICES’ SHOWING MAY 14 IN SAINT PAUL
There will be a “Voices of Minnesota Farm Women” showing and discussion Sunday, May 14, at Macalester Plymouth United Church, 658 Lincoln Avenue, in Saint Paul. For details, contact Leslie Reindle at 651-633-4410
8) GRAZING SENSITIVE AREAS MAY 15 & 22
There will be grazing workshops on managing sensitive areas in pastures on Monday, May 15, and Monday, May 22, in Troy, Minn. For more information, call Caroline van Schaik in LSP’s Lewiston office at 507-523-3366, or e-mail her at caroline@landstewardshipproject.org.
9) CURE EVENT MAY 20-21
Clean Up the River Environment (CURE) will hold its River, Culture & History Weekend on May 20-21 in Granite Falls, Minn. For details, call 1-877-269-2873, or visit http://www.curemnriver.org.
10) FARM BEGINNINGS DAIRY TOUR JUNE 3
A Farm Beginnings public tour of a dairy grazing operation near Canton,
Minn., will be held Saturday, June 3. For the skinny, contact Karen Stettler in LSP’s Lewiston office at 507-523-3366 or stettler@landstewardshipproject.org.
11) SUSTAINABLE GARDEN TOUR JUNE 3
The annual Southeast Minnesota Sustainable Garden Tour and Supper is set for Saturday, June 3, in the gardens of Barb and Martin Nelson of rural Winona. For details, contact Karen Benson in LSP's Lewiston office at 507-523-3366 or lspse@landstewardshipproject.org.
12) TOUR OF ESTABLISHED GRAZING OPERATION JUNE 5
A workshop featuring a tour of an established grazing system will be held in southeast Minnesota on Monday, June 5. For more information, contact Caroline van Schaik at 507-523-3366 or caroline@landstewardshipproject.org
13) CHECK THE CALENDAR
Busy. Busy. Busy. Not to brag or anything, but that describes our calendar. For the latest listings, see http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/index-calendar.html. Details on events can also be found on our Press Releases page at http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/news-pr.html.
14) LSP SPONSORS RADIO SPOTS ON LOCAL DEMOCRACY
The importance Minnesotans place on local democracy is being featured in a special statewide radio spot created by LSP. The spots are in part a response to a series of television commercials being run on WCCO that inaccurately suggest local governments are an impediment to livestock farming in Minnesota. For details and to listen to the spot online, see http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/pr/06/newsr_060411.htm.
15) LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
Speaking of local democracy, the 2006 session of the Minnesota Legislature is heading into the home stretch. Proposals related to family farming, beginning farmers and sustainable livestock production systems are still alive at this writing. To get the latest on where these proposals are, as well as to learn how you can help with passage of positive legislation, see http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/alerts/06/newsr_060411.htm.
16) 2006 CSA FARM DIRECTORY AVAILABLE
Now is the time to join a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm. There are over two-dozen CSA farms serving the Twin Cities region alone. These farms sell "memberships," and in return farm members get a weekly delivery of fresh, organic produce into the fall. LSP's annual CSA directory is now available at http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/csa.html.
If you'd like a free paper copy, call our White Bear Lake office at 651-653-0618. To hear a discussion on how CSA farming can bring farmers and consumers together, check out LSP's podcast page at http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/rss/podcast.php. Ear to the Ground No. 16 features an interview with two longtime CSA farmers. To learn how to subscribe to
our free podcast service, see http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/podcast.html.
17) CSA FARMS SEEKING INTERNS
While we are on the subject of CSA farms, at least two Twin Cities area operations are still looking for interns: Blackberry Community Farm (bhftrust@localnet.com; 715-658-1042); and North Creek Community Farm (kstout@chibardun.net; 715-455-1569). Other CSA farms in the area may also be looking for interns.
To find out which ones utilize inerns, see http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/csa.html.
18) WORTH REPEATING
"I was concerned when an outside investor proposed a factory farm in my community. My neighbors and I knew this project would harm family farmers, the environment, property values—our way of life. Our township supervisors listened to the people and took action to protect us.”— Janet Hallaway, a retired farmer from Dodge County, Minn., speaking in an LSP radio spot on local
democracy (http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/pr/06/newsr_060411.htm).
19) WORTH REPEATING II
“Pasture development allows farmers to be low-cost producers and top notch conservationists.” —LSP member-farmer Dan Miller, testifying at the Minnesota Legislature in favor of a dairy investment tax credit for pasture development (http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/pr/06/newsr_060316.htm)
20) JOIN LSP
The work of LSP, including the LIVE-WIRE, is supported by the donations of people like you. To become a member, give a gift membership, or donate an extra gift above your membership, click here. If you have questions about membership, contact cathye@landstewardshipproject.org.
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