CONTACT: Brian DeVore, LSP, 612-729-6294;
bdevore@landstewardshipproject.org

2/16/06
What is the future of agriculture? Sustainable farming leader Fred Kirschenmann addresses that question in two recent installments of Ear to the Ground, the Land Stewardship Project’s audio magazine podcast.

Ear to the Ground episodes 12 and 13 were recorded during a recent panel discussion at the Jon Hassler Theater in the southeast Minnesota community of Plainview. Kirschenmann, a North Dakota farmer and sustainable agriculture pioneer, led off the discussion. Kirschenmann writes and speaks extensively on agricultural trends, and is currently a Distinguished Fellow at the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, located at Iowa State University.

During the discussion, Kirschenmann provided a brief history of farming, and talked about the current trends that characterize modern industrial agriculture. He then went on to explain why these trends cannot continue if we are to create a food and farming system that lasts long into the future.

The podcasts also feature comments from other members of the panel: Mary Jo Forbord, a western Minnesota farmer and executive director of the Sustainable Farming Association of Minnesota; Mike Rupprecht, a southeast Minnesota crop and livestock farmer; Larry Gates, watershed coordinator for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources; and Paul Wotzka, who is in charge of water quality monitoring for the Whitewater River drainage in southeast Minnesota.

Gary Holthaus, a writer from Red Wing, Minnesota, moderated the discussion, which included questions from audience members. “The Future of Agriculture” panel discussion was sponsored by the Sustainable Farming Association of Minnesota and the Rural America Institute for the Humanities and Community. It was made possible in part with funding from the Minnesota Humanities Commission, in cooperation with the National Endowment for the Humanities.

The Ear to the Ground podcast is available at http://landstewardshipproject.org/rss/podcast.php. Despite the name, people do not need an iPod to listen to a podcast such as Ear to the Ground. Using programs that are often available for free via the Internet, Ear to the Ground can be listened to through a computer or MP3 player. Programs can also be recorded onto CDs or cassette tape so they can be played later in a car or on a portable boom box. For a step-by-step guide on how to subscribe to the free Ear to the Ground service, visit http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/podcast.html.

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