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A Guide to the Art and Science of
On-Farm Monitoring
The Monitoring Tool Box
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The Monitoring Tool Box |
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A Land Stewardship Publication
The Tool Box assumes you care about your landscape—the natural resources and the people on it. Produced by the Monitoring Project, tested by the Monitoring Team, and used worldwide, it is meant as a springboard for monitoring a farm field, a suburban garden, your personal goals, and anything else having to do with the land and the people on it. This is a comprehensive, accessible guide for farmers and others trying to be intentional about why and how they manage their land. And not just the land is addressed. Packaged in a three-ring binder, this 161-page guide covers the monitoring of quality of life issues, farm sustainability and financial data, as well as birds, frogs and toads, soils, streams, and pasture vegetation. The Tool Box was developed in the field over a three-year period and has been tested and refined by crop and livestock producers throughout the Midwest. This monitoring
package includes a copy of the video, Close to the Ground, a 24-minute
Blue Moon production that describes the workings of the Monitoring Project,
a joint venture of the Land Stewardship Project and the Minnesota Institute
for Sustainable Agriculture. The package also includes the Close to the
Ground newsletter, a publication for people who want to continue learning
about monitoring while networking with others interested in this activity. The Tool Box and the video were developed by the Monitoring Team, an initiative involving six farm families who worked closely with biologists, economists, sociologists and government agency staff to develop common-sense, user-friendly monitoring techniques. The project is known nationally for its unique integration of wildlife watching, soil testing, water analysis, quality of life analysis and gauging of finances to create a well-rounded system for measuring the success of a farm. The people involved in this project have become friends over the years, overcoming the barriers that can stand between farmers and scientists/environmentalists/government officials. In the meantime, landowners other than farmers are discovering the utility of the Tool Box and its range of monitoring ideas.
Mail this order form and a check payable to the Land Stewardship Project to: LSP, PO Box 130, Lewiston, MN 55952. For bulk order discounts contact the Southeastern LSP Office at 507-523-3366 or E-mail: lspse@landstewardshipproject.org
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The
Monitoring Tool Box, along with its companion video, Close
to the Ground, is for farmers and other land managers interested in
learning easy-to-use techniques for monitoring the imact of management
decisions on their land, finances and family. The Close
to the Ground
newsletter was a quarterly publication of the Land Stewardship Project
and the Biological, Social, and Financial Monitoring Project. The publication
is currently out of print. 