Planning and Managing for Stewardship
Incorporated into much of LSP's work is a holistic planning philosophy that considers the three main resources of the "whole" -- land, people and money -- and their interrelationships. LSP offers a number of training opportunities and resources that translate this holistic attitude into practical techniques for planning and managing farming operations.

Fundamental to this is Whole Farm Planning, which we have introduced hundreds to via workshops and discussion groups. In January of 2001, LSP held a Holistic Resource Management course in southeast Minnesota. This practical approach to farm management assists families in developing goals, making decisions, and monitoring their progress.

Some 10 years ago, a group of graziers wanted to find out if they were on track with their stewardship goals. In response, LSP convened the Monitoring Project, which, in turn developed the Monitoring Tool Box, a collection of ideas and "how-to's" for measuring the impact of management decisions on quality of life, financial sustainability, soils, streams, birds, frogs, and new this year, pasture vegetation. Since is was first published in 1998, nearly 700 have been distributed worldwide. LSP staff and members hold frequent workshops and seminars on the concepts and techniques of monitoring. The Close to the Ground newsletter keeps Tool Box owners and others informed and inspired.

Within each chapter of the Tool Box, you will find work sheets to help you move forward. Examples include exercises in goal setting, charts for bird counts, indicators of soil aggregation, and pictures of macroinvertebrae in your pond. They are here because the Monitoring Team means for you to use them. Copy them, modify them, keep them in your notebook for referencing next year and later, pass them on to encourage others. Writing things down really helps us see where we are going and how (or whether!) that fits with our goals.

Aquatic macroinvertebrates can be a valuable tool for people who wish to learn more about the water quality of a stream. The Water Quality Monitoring with Aquatic Invertebrates web site is intended to introduce people to using insects for water quality monitoring.  At first glance, identifying these critters and determining the quality of a stream using them may seem like something only scientists can do, but in reality anyone from schoolchildren to adults can do it!  Use this resource to learn about why aquatic invertebrates are a good gauge of stream quality, as well as how to use them to monitor water quality (This site is best viewed using Internet Explorer).

Monitoring Project Report - Whole Farm Participatory Research: Recommendations from the Monitoring Project Team is now available on-line in PDF format. This 34-page report outlines how the Monitoring Team was set up and provides detailed recommendations on how to go about developing similar monitoring initiatives that involve farmers and various other resource professionals.

In September of 2000 and again in June of 2001, LSP co-sponsored several one-day grazing schools to address the growing interest in the environmental and financial benefits of managed grazing. These events provided a special emphasis on riparian situations and observation of environmental indicators. An annotated bibliography of riparian grazing literature has also been compiled with more than 200 publications summarized. It will be available on our Web site by summer 2001.

Try our online calculator! To help you calculate the indicators for evaluating a farm's sustainability (reliance on government programs; use of equipment, chemicals and non-renewable energy; creation of jobs; and balance between feed use and feed production), we've created a calculator you can use online. This on-line tool is based on LSP's publication Monitoring Sustainable Agriculture with Conventional Financial Data by Dick Levins. The Financial Indicators For Sustainable Agriculture worksheets can found on pages 9-10 in the booklet. [Please note: You must use a Javascript-enabled browser for the calculator to work.]

Take Action
· Begin monitoring on your land. Order the Monitoring Tool Box by calling the Southeast office at 507-523-3366 or print the order form off the LSP website. This binder offers a collection of techniques for measuring the impact of management decisions on quality of life, financial sustainability, soils, streams, birds, frogs, and pasture vegetation.

· Take a Whole Farm Planning Class. Contact Karen Stettler in the southeast office if you are interested in attending next year's class.

· Share your observations. Contribute your field notes to the quarterly monitoring newsletter, Close to the Ground. Contact Caroline in the Southeast office at 507-523-3366.

· Call the Metro office at 651-653-0618 to order a copy of Monitoring Sustainable Agriculture with Conventional Financial Data, by Dick Levins.

Updates on monitoring and whole farm planning can also be found in the Land Stewardship Letter. See the following issues:

Jan/Feb/Mar 2003 - Water, Grass & Livestock published (pdf)

May/June 2002 - Holistic Management and LSP - multiple benefits; Biodiversity, agriculture and Holistic Management

Jan/Feb 2002 - Grazing's promise

July/August 2001 - Plowman's Progress - conservation tillage (feature story)

Jan/Feb/Mar 2001 - Monitoring Project - the sequel, New monitoring publication

December 2000 - On-line sustainable calculator available

November 2000 - New pasture chapter

November 2000 - Are you a farmer or an investor, by Dick Levins

July/August 2000 - Gauging changes

July/August 2000 - Thinking like a watershed

November 1999 - Teaming with ideas