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Fact Sheets    

LSP's well-documented fact sheets on various topics are available in PDF format:


1. Bigger is Not Better
    Small-scale family farms are more efficient than their large-scale industrial counterparts.
2. Factory Farming's False Promise
    Industrialized ag extracts the wealth of rural communities, leaving behind empty farmsteads and shuttered main streets.
3. Grass-Based Beef & Dairy Production
    This innovative system is economically viable and good for the environment.
4. Hometown Factory Farm Fighting
    How rural Minnesotans are using local democracy to control factory livestock operations.
5. When Manure Hits Water
    Large-scale livestock factories are a major threat to water quality in rural America.
6. Hydrogen Sulfide & Factory Farms
    How a group of rural residents made Minnesota hog factories accountable for the hydrogen sulfide gas they produce.
7. How Farms Can Improve Water Quality
    Minnesota studies show how working farmland can have a positive impact on water resources.
8. LSP's Farm Beginnings®
    Rotating in a new generation of farmers.
9. 1 Storm -- 2 Outcomes
    Why did one field lose a truckload of soil during a heavy rain storm, while just up the road another lost only a bucket's worth?
10. Writing a Letter to Your Newspaper
     Putting pen to paper can be a powerful media tool.
11. Racking up the Food Miles
     Why the distance between the field and the table is important.
12. Farm Bill Support for Beginners
     The Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program.
13. Growing Green Fuel: RIM-Clean Energy
     How we can jump-start sustainable biofuel production.
14. Biofuels -- Sustainable Energy from the Land
     Grain-based ethanol is getting a lot of attention, but biofuels based on perennial plant systems may hold the key to sustainable energy security.
15. Rural Development & Local Foods
     Rural communities are finding that production and consumption of local foods can feed main street economies.
16. Green Acres—A Key Minnesota Farm & Conservation Program is in Jeopardy
     Changes made to Green Acres by the 2008 Legislature threaten farmland in Minnesota and should be repealed.
17. Syngenta & Atrazine—A Controversial Weed Killer & Agribusiness Come Under Scrutiny
     Agribusiness and government have teamed up to block a close examination of the health and environmental impacts of this herbicide.
18. Atrazine—Alternatives to a Controversial Herbicide
     Despite what atrazine's primary manufacturer claims, there are viable ways to raise corn without a total reliance on the herbicide.
19. Buying Directly From a Farmer
     Consumers can bypass the corporate bottleneck.
20. Pollinators in Peril
     Diverse farms can help key beneficial insects.
21. How U.S. Cities are Using Zoning to Support Urban Ag

 

Conservation Stewardship Program Fact Sheets
The Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) fact sheet series describes various aspects of this innovative initiative, which was established by the 2002 Farm Bill and significantly strengthened in the 2008 Farm Bill. CSP holds great promise for rewarding producers who are taking good care of the land.

  1. Get Paid for Real Conservation – January 2005
    http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/pdf/CSP01.pdf
  2. Resources of Concern – April 2003
    http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/pdf/CSP02.pdf
  3. A Tale of Two Farms – March 2003
    http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/pdf/CSP03.pdf
  4. Update on USDA’s Proposed Rules – January 2004
    http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/pdf/CSP04.pdf
  5. Commenting on the USDA’s Proposed Rules – February 2004
    http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/pdf/CSP05.pdf
  6. Interim Final Rule Released – Next Steps – July 2004
    http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/pdf/CSP06.pdf
  7. Tips for Enrolling in the Conservation Security Program – December 2004
    http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/pdf/CSP07.pdf
  8. Payment Estimates for 3 Types of Midwestern Farms – January 2005
    http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/pdf/CSP08.pdf
  9. The New & Improved Conservation Stewardship Program – October 2008
    http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/pdf/CSP09.pdf
  10. Using CSP on Your Farm – August 2009
    http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/pdf/CSP10.pdf
  11. Using CSP on Your Farm in 2010 – May 2010
    http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/pdf/CSP11.pdf
  12. CSP on Your Farm in 2011 – February 2011
    http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/pdf/CSPFactSheet1.pdf

Free in PDF format at http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/programs_csp.html 

 

Multiple Benefits of Agriculture Fact Sheets
Pasture-raised livestock systems and diverse crop rotations provide public benefits of improved water quality, reduction of flooding, enhanced wildlife habitat, reduced air pollutants and reduced global warming potential. These fact sheets describe a few of the ways “multifunctional agriculture” can work.

  1. Pasture-raised Dairy and Meat Products are Good For You and the Environment — 2004 http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/mba/fact_sheet_pasture_raised.pdf
  2. Pasture-raised Livestock: An Innovative Strategy for Farmers to Comply with the Clean Water Act — 2004 http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/mba/fact_pasture_clean_water.pdf

Free in PDF format at http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/programs_mba.html.

 

Myth Buster Fact Sheets
The Myth Busters are an ongoing Land Stewardship Letter series on agricultural myths and ways of deflating them.

  1. Anti-corporate farm laws stifle rural economic development. http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/pdf/myth_buster_1.pdf
  2. Strict “Right to Farm” laws help alleviate land use conflicts in rural and suburban areas. http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/pdf/myth_buster_2.pdf
  3. There are so few small- and medium-sized farms left that it is not worth saving them. http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/pdf/myth_buster_3.pdf
  4. The only way to get started in dairy farming is by investing hundreds of thousands of dollars in high-cost, full-confinement systems. http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/pdf/myth_buster_4.pdf
  5. The only way for family farmers to survive in the livestock market is to sign an exclusive contract with a packer or sell specialty products through niche markets. http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/pdf/myth_buster_5.pdf
  6. Genetic engineering is the only viable method available for improving food crops. http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/pdf/myth_buster_6.pdf
  7. We no longer have a soil erosion problem in this country. http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/pdf/myth_buster_7.pdf
  8. Insecticide sprays eliminate pest problems in farm fields. http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/pdf/myth_buster_8.pdf
  9. All certified organic milk comes from cows that spend most of the year grazing on pastures. http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/pdf/myth_buster_9.pdf
  10. It will be prohibitively expensive to tell consumers what country their food comes from. http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/pdf/myth_buster_10.pdf
  11. Large-scale factory hog farming creates strong local economies. http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/pdf/myth_buster_11.pdf
  12. Global climate change will benefit agriculture. http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/pdf/myth_buster_12.pdf
  13. Industrial agriculture is efficient. http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/pdf/myth_buster_13.pdf
  14. Meat that's labeled "all natural" is produced in a significantly different manner than meat produced in a "conventional" system. http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/pdf/myth_buster_14.pdf
  15. Organic vegetable production spawns outbreaks of deadly bacteria. http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/pdf/myth_buster_15.pdf
  16. Large-scale factory livestock farms succeed because of the efficiencies of the free market. http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/pdf/myth_buster_16.pdf
  17. Conservation tillage reduces global warming by trapping much more carbon in the soil when compared to conventional tillage. http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/pdf/myth_buster_17.pdf
  18. Federal law makes it illegal to favor local farmers when purchasing food for public schools. http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/pdf/myth_buster_18.pdf
  19. Genetically-engineered products like Roundup Ready crops will reduce the presence of dangerous pesticides in the environment. http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/pdf/myth_buster_19.pdf
  20. Because of petroleum-based fertilizers, we do not need to build soil
    using plant residue and other natural sources of organic matter.
    http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/pdf/myth_buster_20.pdf
  21. Sustainable farming methods cannot feed the world.
    http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/pdf/myth_buster_21.pdf
  22. Buying locally produced food will automatically reduce your ecological footprint. http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/pdf/myth_buster_22.pdf
  23. Organic and sustainable farming systems are a luxury only well-fed countries like the U.S. can afford.
    http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/pdf/myth_buster_23.pdf
  24. Country of Origin Labeling will make it impossible for farmers to market their products through local stores and restaurants.
    http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/pdf/myth_buster_24.pdf
  25. Undocumented immigrants drain the U.S. economy by not paying taxes and by being a tremendous burden on the health care system.
    http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/pdf/myth_buster_25.pdf
  26. Genetically modified crops have reduced pesticide use.
    http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/pdf/myth_buster_26.pdf
  27. Local and regional food systems don't help the economy.
    http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/pdf/myth_buster_27.pdf
  28. Roundup is not a long-term environmental threat.
    http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/pdf/myth_buster_28.pdf
  29. Producing clean water in rural areas will require taking the majority of our farmland out of production.
    http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/pdf/myth_buster_29.pdf
  30. Banning subtherapeutic use of antibiotics in livestock production will be an economic disaster for farmers.
    http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/pdf/myth_buster_30.pdf
  31. Soil erosion is at sustainable levels.
    http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/pdf/myth_buster_31.pdf
  32. Using crops to produce biofuels does not raise food prices.
    http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/pdf/myth_buster_32.pdf
  33. Artificial drainage of agricultural land is a boon to the environment.
    http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/pdf/myth_buster_33.pdf

Free in PDF format at http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/resources-myth.html.


  
 


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