Podcasts about land stewardship project

Alex Romano from the Land Stewardship Project joins us to talk about how farmers are leading each other to sustainable practices and healthy soil. How can farmers teach each other sustainable soil practices and does it benefit them? Wander with us to find out. 

When Lillian Hang's parents immigrated to the United States from Laos in the late 1970s, they were already experienced farmers.  “It was one skill that they had coming to a ‘foreign land,' where they didn't know the language, they didn't know the culture, they didn't know the system,” she said. “It was the one thing mom and dad could do to provide for themselves.”Lillian Hang's family started out with backyard plantings of squash, green beans and corn. Then they expanded into growing in plots in the exurbs south of the Twin Cities and selling produce at the St. Paul Farmers' Market. They didn't earn a lot, but it was enough to pay for clothes or school books. But access to the land was precarious. They never knew if the landowner would renew the lease or sell the land to someone else.  From North Star Journey Live Growing diversity: The changing face of Minnesota farming “There's always a 50/50 chance that come the springtime, the land may not be there anymore,” Lillian Hang said. That uncertainty disappeared when the Hmong American Farmers Association closed on farmland just south of the Twin Cities in Dakota County last year. The more than 150 acres are home base for the organization and 20 families of Hmong farmers, providing some elders who came to the United States as refugees decades ago with the opportunity to plant seeds and literally put down roots on land they own.   ‘We can save ourselves'Land access has been an ongoing issue for farmers, especially those from diverse backgrounds, according to Robin Moore of the Land Stewardship Project, which advocates for sustainable agriculture. As it became harder for smaller farms to compete, surviving farms gobbled up their neighbors, leading to both land and wealth consolidation — mostly by white farmers.  “The face of farming has been primarily white, the idea of farmers has been primarily white, even though that's absolutely not true,” Moore said. “In the larger scale of things, it's just been financially less and less feasible to be a farmer of any kind, let alone a smaller scale farmer.”Hmong farmers in the last three decades have become an important part of the local food system in the state. The Minnesota Department of Agriculture found that about half the vendors at Twin Cities farmers' markets are of Hmong descent. But the principal operators of Minnesota farms are about 99 percent white.That's where the Hmong American Farmers Association (HAFA) came in. Co-founder and executive director Janssen Hang, Lillian's brother, said the initiative for the group was sparked at a meeting of non-profits and farmers more than a decade ago. “One farmer stood up and said, we need to stop waiting for people to save us and we can save ourselves,” Janssen Hang said. “That really led to the inception of HAFA.” HAFA formed in 2011 as a collection of Hmong farmers, most of whom sold at farmers markets. They noticed Hmong farmers were often at a disadvantage when dealing with agencies like the U.S. Department of Agriculture, banks or even local landowners, who would often hike up the rents for Hmong farmers. Janssen Hang said it was clear that farmers needed to band together.  “We know that you can't just stress land and have produce to grow but not have a market,” he said. “You can't just focus on land and market but not have access to credit and capital so that you can improve your farm operation. It's that whole cycle that needs to be addressed simultaneously.” Other efforts are being made to help diversify farming in the state, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture has a new Office of Emerging Farmers, which is tasked with helping farmers who have traditionally faced barriers in farming. The office got a $1.5 million boost in the last legislative session and took applications for hundreds of thousands of dollars in grants for farmers to get technical help or subsidies for crop insurance. “As commissioner, I saw the opportunity to open our programs to all farmers who maybe don't look like me, because I think we have a real thriving and changing demographic in Minnesota,” Commissioner Thom Petersen said. “Our Latino population is growing, our Somali population, our Hmong population and that provides a lot of opportunities, very agrarian in nature because, ultimately, one of my goals is to always have more farmers.”  HAFA has worked closely with partners, including the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. Petersen said their project is a great example of the success that farmers with diverse approaches can have. “I do this too when I see a farmer, ‘Oh how big is your farm? How many cows do you have? How many acres do you have?'” Petersen said. “That's not always representative of what's done there — it's amazing the volume that farmers can grow on small acreages.” Working the farmIn 2014, an anonymous benefactor with a ten-year lease on the farmland offered it to HAFA. The farmers in HAFA each claimed plots of five or ten acres, and staff started working to set up the day-to-day operations of the farm, with an eye towards the ultimate goal of buying the land. If you drive south from the Twin Cities, the geography of big box stores and fast-food chains gives way to field after field of commodity crops like corn. But on Highway 52, in the township of Vermillion, there's a blink-and-you'll-miss-it break in the scenery as little red sheds dot the landscape, and farmers on foot go about their daily tasks. Walking into the plots, you'll see flowers for cut bouquets, high tunnels with rows of trellised heirloom tomatoes and even more obscure fruits like ground cherries, with the fruit tucked away in papery husks.Janssen Hang said the 10 HAFA staffers see their job as supporting the about 100 farmers who work on site. They help with everything from organizing agricultural trainings to providing a pool of shared equipment like potato planters and eco weeders. HAFA staff even demonstrate new farming techniques for sometimes skeptical farmers, including an analysis of costs associated with growing heirloom tomatoes in a high tunnel. Farmers were wary of spending $10,000 just to buy each tunnel, but Janssen Hang said they set up a tunnel and showed farmers that one season could bring in enough extra produce to pay for the costs of the tunnels plus some.  “The whole cooperative model is to help reduce the risk to farmers,” Janssen Hang said.  HAFA also helps farmers connect with new markets, including through a Community Sustained Agriculture program they run, test the soil and provide areas to wash and clean produce up to the required standards.The goal, Janssen Hang said, is to give these small farmers the support and resources they need to make a go of it in a state where the average farm size is more than 370 acres, according to the most recent U.S. Department of Agriculture numbers. They focus on mixed-vegetable production, most of which is done by hand, because they want to farm more sustainably than big farmers, who plant just one or two crops. Farmers at HAFA now grow about 160 varieties of crops on the land.  “You have fruits, you have vegetables, you have corn, you have beans, you have flowers,” Janssen Hang said. “It's about that biodiversity, so what we're trying to create here is an agro-ecological environment.”Moore of the Land Stewardship Project said groups like HAFA, and Hmong farmers in general, have been at the forefront of showing that more diverse farming, which supports pollinators and even native plants, can be successful.  In 2020, after working with allies at the State Capitol, HAFA was allotted $2 million to help the organization buy the land. They closed on the deal last September, which Janssen Hang said was a historic moment for “all immigrant and minorities across the United States to have the very first Hmong-owned nonprofit, collective farm.” The HAFA farm wasn't always an easy fit in mostly white Dakota County. Early on, HAFA farmers had a fence they built cut through during the night. Someone else painted swastikas on their garage. Some township officials seemed to show special interest in any perceived infractions by the farmers, although Janssen Hang said the “intensity” of their attention has diminished over the years. “They are supportive about the preservation of agriculture. Would I say that they have been very supportive from the very beginning?” he said. “No, they weren't.” After HAFA closed on the land, they found out that the Minnesota Department of Transportation decided to renovate the highway that bisects the HAFA land, eating into farmland and making it difficult for farmers to cross without a long detour or a sprint across the busy highway. They again took the issue to the Legislature, which allotted $2 million to the Minnesota Department of Transportation to build a box culvert that would allow farmers to safely cross or transport equipment like tractors. A spokesperson for the Minnesota Department of Transportation said they don't yet have a schedule for construction of the culvert, but look forward to working with HAFA on the details. Other plans to build an interchange that would have encroached on HAFA land was abandoned by Dakota County after opposition from HAFA and their allies, including the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy (MCEA), which described the highway expansion as an issue of environmental justice. “Communities of color have traditionally carried the burden of road construction,” said MCEA attorney Evan Mulholland. “A preliminary look at the history of the highway development in Minneapolis and St. Paul and most other cities in the country, it's really striking how that happened — and it's not stopping.” Growing community at the farmJanssen Hang said owning the farm has changed how the farmers thought about themselves. They could now plant more perennials. Work on the soil. Make plans for the future.  The first generation of farmers is in their mid-60s. Ten years ago, Janssen Hang said the older generation thought farmwork was too hard for their children raised and educated in the United States. But after they bought the land, that changed for some, who now saw a future for their children or grandchildren in farming. “To me at the end of the day, having this conversation, I was like wow. This is what wealth is,” Janssen Hang said. “This is what intergenerational wealth is.”As a child, Lillian Hang, Janssen's sister, detested farming. While most of her classmates enjoyed summer breaks from school, she and her siblings were expected to wake up early to help their parents plant, weed or sell produce at farmers markets.   “Ask any Hmong kid and, man, no one liked it,” she said. “Half the time you are kind of embarrassed that you had to do it.”But decades later, Lillian Hang said it's grown on her. She said it's a bit symbolic that people who came to the United States as landless refugees are now putting down roots on their own land. “The whole purpose of us working so hard and studying so hard is so that we wouldn't have to farm,” she said. “Then ten, twenty years later we realized the importance of farming, not just bringing the extra income for the family, but the community that's built at the farm, the intergenerational community with the grandparents and kids.”Lillian Hang's mother passed away last year. Now, Lillian Hang brings her own kids, 9 and 11, to help her father with the physical labor. She said they're master kale washers.“I noticed from the way he interacts with my kids that he's teaching more,” she said. “‘This is how you plant the garlic, this is the best way to bundle kale. So he's really teaching us and sharing that knowledge and making sure that that knowledge and those experiences continue beyond him.” Judy Yang has been with HAFA since the beginning and said through a translator that owning the land has changed her life. Yang's son now hopes to follow in her footsteps: “My plan is and their plan is, they will stay a long time.” Corrections: (Sept. 15, 2023): An earlier version of the story misspelled the last name of Minnesota Agriculture Commissioner Thom Petersen and misidentified Highway 52 in a photo caption.

This week Laura is joined by Scott Elkins of the Land Stewardship Project.

Before there was the Land Stewardship Project, there were people like Sister Mary Tacheny helping farmers speak out and be heard. More Information • Strangers and Guests: Toward Community in the Heartland • LSP’s 40-Year Timeline • Ear to the Ground No. 223: Interview with LSP co-founder Ron Kroese You can find LSP Ear to…  Read More → Source

Food Freedom Radio spotlights the Land Stewardship Project.

Stories in this episode: Day in History: 1997: Plaque dedicated in memory of Deputy Jack Werner Chatfield features a unique HGTV-style home for $439,900 How Mayo Clinic might tip the odds for patients with rare cancer Daley Farm sues Winona County commissioners, Land Stewardship Project, alleging 14th Amendment violations Fillmore Central football's perfect season on the line in Section 1A championship game

“We want to get continuous living cover, or perennial agriculture, more animals on the land. We have to really get that happening with farmers as much as possible. So that when the change in policy comes, they're ready for it. They're receptive to it, they're ready to go, rather than fighting it.” -George Boody This week, George talks with our host, Ron Kroese, about taking care of the land through conservation, diversifying the landscape, and water quality. Additionally, the conversation touches on organic agriculture, crop insurance reform, rotational grazing, and more. George recently retired as Science and Special Projects Lead of the Land Stewardship Project, a nonprofit with headquarters in Minneapolis. Before 2016, he was the Executive Director for 23 years of the Land Stewardship Project. While serving as Executive Director, George led the Land Stewardship Project through significant expansion of its work into three main areas: policy and organizing, beginning farmer training and community based food systems. The organization gained national attention for its work on sustainable agriculture and family farm issues during George's tenure. Prior to the Land Stewardship Project, George was an early leader in the organic farming movement. He has a master's of science degree in horticulture and human nutrition and a bachelor of science degree in biology from the University of Minnesota. George has deep roots in rural Minnesota, where his mother grew up on a farm and his father was a doctor. The interview was conducted on Dec. 3, 2015. Links this episode: National Sustainable Agriculture Oral History Archive Land Stewardship Project -------- Liked this show? SUBSCRIBE to this podcast on Spotify, Audible, Apple, Google, and more. Catch past episodes, a transcript, and show notes at cfra.org/SustainbleAgPodcast.

Dana Jackson and Loni Kemp are women powerhouses in the sustainable ag industry. On this week's podcast, they talk with Ron about rural issues in general, water quality, soil health, climate, and food security. Dana and Loni both started their careers in the 1970s, and discuss the evolution of sustainable ag in the ‘80s, ‘90s, and ‘00s. Loni was a senior policy analyst at the Minnesota Project from 1979 to 2008, directing the agriculture and water program. She was a founding board member of the National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture, the Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, and the Midwest Sustainable Agriculture Working Group, now merged into the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition. From 2002-2004, Loni was awarded a Food and Society Policy Fellowship from the Kellogg Foundation. She served as a board member of the Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, and the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources. Loni created Kemp Consulting, an independent consulting firm that advises on agriculture, renewable energy, conservation and climate change. Clients have included National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, Land Stewardship Project, McKnight Foundation, Energy Foundation, Walton Family Foundation, and the Pew Charitable Trusts, among others. Dana was employed in sustainable agriculture from 1976 until 2012. She co-founded The Land Institute in 1976 and served as co-director, then director of education until 1993. For one year, she was a program associate for The Minnesota Food Association, then was hired to be co-director of the Land Stewardship Project. After 12 years, she changed roles to work in Land Stewardship Project's Food Systems program, creating and coordinating the St. Croix Valley Buy Fresh Buy Local Chapter. Dana and her daughter Dr. Laura Jackson co-edited The Farm as Natural Habitat: Reconnecting Food Systems and Ecosystems. Dana served on the boards of directors of five sustainable agriculture organizations (including the Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture), and still remains active in the field as an advisor to the Wild Farm Alliance, Our Community Food Projects, and the Pollinator Friendly Alliance. Dana's honors include a Pew Scholar's Award in Conservation and the Environment in 1990, designation as "Sustainable Woman of the Year" in 2007 by the Women, Food and Agriculture Network, and an award from the Rural Sociological Society in 2012. The interview was conducted on Oct. 21, 2015. Links this episode: National Sustainable Agriculture Oral History Archive “The Farm as Natural Habitat: Reconnecting Food Systems and Ecosystems” National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition Land Stewardship Project The Land Institute Women, Food and Agriculture Network -------- Liked this show? SUBSCRIBE to this podcast on Spotify, Audible, Apple, Google, and more. Catch past episodes, a transcript, and show notes at cfra.org/SustainbleAgPodcast.

In this first full episode of “Sustainable Agriculture Policy with Ron Kroese,” Brian Depew, executive director of the Center for Rural Affairs, explains why we started this podcast. We then bring you an episode of “Ear to the Ground,” a podcast from the Land Stewardship Project. In this episode, Brian DeVore with the Land Stewardship Project interviews Ron about his oral history project. Special thanks to Land Stewardship Project for letting us include this episode of “Ear to the Ground" to introduce the series. Links this episode: National Sustainable Agriculture Oral History Archive Land Stewardship Project -------- Liked this show? SUBSCRIBE to this podcast on Spotify, Apple, Google, and more. Catch more information about episodes and show notes at cfra.org/SustainbleAgPodcast.

Stewardship is defined as the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one's care.   We are in the midst of a series on environmental topics. As the United Nations Global Climate Conference is nearing, we thought it was important to emphasize the issues that will be discussed there, and relate them back to our own lakes, streams, forests, and pastures.   How do we, in our small corner of the world, ensure that we are being good stewards of the land Guests: Laura Schreiber, Land Stewardship Project Policy Organizer, soil health Show Notes: Land Stewardship Project 2021 Legislative Session Wrap-Up: Good News for Soil Health, Local Foods, Emerging  Farmers — Bad News for Healthcare Land Stewardship Project - Five Year Plan (2019- 2024…A Vision for the Future) The Board of Water and Soil Resources survey -  Implementing BWSR Climate Change Initiatives: Healthy Soils, Cover Crops and Water Storage and Treatment >>>Accepting responses through November 12th, 2021

In this episode of Nourish by MN350, host Eli Crain talks with Matt Maier, owner/founder of Thousand Hills Lifetime Grazed, and Laura Schreiber of The Land Stewardship Project.Matt founded Thousand Hills with the vision of rescuing the U.S. food system from collapse by implementing regenerative agriculture practices on family farms nationwide. Using practices that increase soil fertility, biodiversity, water retention, and soil carbon sequestration, Thousand Hills has a goal of converting 1,000,000 acres from extractive conventional ag practices to holistic regenerative grazing practices by 2025.Laura is a policy organizer with The Land Stewardship Project, mobilizing around a collective vision that includes a just food and farm system, a healthy landscape, thriving small and mid-sized farms, just and prosperous communities, and a flourishing democracy. LSP is celebrating recent wins at the Capitol, including $5.35 million to get more soil-healthy farming practices onto the landscape - effectively taking soil health from non-existent to a top issue in the 2021 Minnesota legislative agenda.This conversation with writer, producer, and host Eli Crain is redolent with information to aid farmers and eaters at all stages with how to take care of the land for better climate health.

In the first episode of Nourish by MN350,  host Terry Hokenson covers a lot of ground with his guests Shona Snater of the Land Stewardship Project, Bob Dahm of Organic Bob Lawn Care, and Leslie McKenzie, founder of Transition Longfellow. Together they explore the idea that agriculture and gardening can play a role in solving the climate crisis. Shona describes her work in southern MN with farmers reaching out to learn all they can about regenerative farming practices, and why diversity in the soil matters. She explains six separate goals LSP has for creating farmland that is diverse and regenerative. Bob Dahm speaks to us about our yards. Bob works at convincing his customers to plant diverse, native plants in their yards as a more sustainable practice. He also manages to keep lawns, for those who have them, lush and green without harmful chemicals. Leslie McKenzie points out the benefits of having chickens in the city as a way to improve our soil, and share resources for consumers looking to buy in to the regenerative food economy.Full episode transcript available here.

Tom Frantzen has been in organic agriculture for thirty years with his wife Irene in Iowa. Join us and host Dr. Erin Silva for part three of our four part series on transitioning to organic farming, where we’ll discuss his introduction and transition to organic farming, lessons he’s learned, the values and disciplines he treasures, and the changes he’s seen in organic farming over the decades. Tune in to learn more about: The benefits of holistic management Why it’s important to match what you value and what you do How owning and caring for livestock can help your crop rotations Why discipline and long-term thinking is crucial in organic farming How plant breeding is advancing organic farming If you would like to find transcripts for this episode or sign up for our newsletter, please visit our website: http://fieldlabearth.libsyn.com/ Contact us at podcast@sciencesocieties.org or on Twitter @FieldLabEarth if you have comments, questions, or suggestions for show topics, and if you want more content like this don’t forget to subscribe. If you would like to reach out to Erin, you can find her here: Twitter: @Emsilva624 emsilva@wisc.edu Resources CEU Quiz Link: http://www.agronomy.org/education/classroom/classes/778 Managing through the Organic Transition in Grain Crop Production Webinar Series: https://www.agronomy.org/education/classroom/classes/658 Land Stewardship Project: https://landstewardshipproject.org/ Practical Farmers of Iowa: https://practicalfarmers.org/ Allan Savory’s book, Holistic Management: A Commonsense Revolution to Restore Our Environment: https://savory-institute.myshopify.com/collections/holistic-management-books OGRAIN Conference: https://ograin.cals.wisc.edu/events/ NCR SARE: https://www.northcentralsare.org/ This material is based upon work that is supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, under award number 2018-38640-28416 through the North Central Region SARE program under project number ENC18-166. USDA is an equal opportunity employer and service provider. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Field, Lab, Earth is copyrighted to the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America.

Episode Title: Organic Certifications with Harriet Behar Show notes: Getting organically certified is one of the first and most important steps to transitioning to organic farming, but how does one actually go about it? Harriet Behar has worked in organic systems for over thirty years and is an expert on the regulations, processes, and requirements for getting organically certified. Join us and host Dr. Erin Silva as we discuss this crucial process in part one of our four part series on transitioning to organic farming. Tune in to learn more about: What goes into creating an Organic System Plan How knowing the requirements ahead of time can save time when transitioning to organic farming How to avoid comingling of organic and non-organic crops and seeds in parallel organic and conventional operations What happens during an organic inspection How crop rotations differ in conventional and organic systems If you would like to find transcripts for this episode or sign up for our newsletter, please visit our website: http://fieldlabearth.libsyn.com/ Contact us at podcast@sciencesocieties.org or on Twitter @FieldLabEarth if you have comments, questions, or suggestions for show topics, and if you want more content like this don’t forget to subscribe. If you would like to reach out to Harriet, you can find her here: harriet.organic@gmail.com If you would like to reach out to Erin, you can find her here: Twitter: @Emsilva624 emsilva@wisc.edu Resources CEU Quiz Link: https://www.agronomy.org/education/classroom/classes/776 Managing through the Organic Transition in Grain Crop Production Webinar Series: https://www.agronomy.org/education/classroom/classes/658 OGRAIN: https://ograin.cals.wisc.edu/ OGRAIN Resources: https://ograin.cals.wisc.edu/resources/ OGRAIN Winter Conference: https://ograin.cals.wisc.edu/events/ OGRAIN YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbIqPECXj3WfeUEjYGAgdYg OGRAIN Field Days: https://ograin.cals.wisc.edu/events/prior-ograin-events/ Moses Organic Certifier list: https://mosesorganic.org/organic-certification/ Moses Fact Sheets: https://mosesorganic.org/publications/organic-fact-sheets/ Moses Farmer-to-Farmer Mentoring Program: https://mosesorganic.org/projects/mentor-program/ Moses Organic Field Days: https://mosesorganic.org/events/organic-field-days/ Practical Farmers of Iowa: https://practicalfarmers.org/ Practical Farmers of Iowa Field Days: https://practicalfarmers.org/events/field-days/ Land Stewardship Project: https://landstewardshipproject.org/ Land Connection: https://thelandconnection.org/ Land Connection Field Days: https://thelandconnection.org/workshops-2/ Michael Fields Agricultural Institute: https://michaelfields.org/ National Organic Program website: https://www.ams.usda.gov/about-ams/programs-offices/national-organic-program NCR SARE: https://www.northcentralsare.org/ This material is based upon work that is supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, under award number 2018-38640-28416 through the North Central Region SARE program under project number ENC18-166. USDA is an equal opportunity employer and service provider. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Field, Lab, Earth is copyrighted to the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America.

Dr Scott Kenney talks about potential of virus jumping from pigs to humans and George Broody from Land Stewardship Project talks about new white paper on climate change and agriculture.

In this episode, Beth sits down with her longtime friend and colleague, Dave Mann for a chat about the emerging and evolving individual and collective narratives of the upcoming 2020 Presidential Election. We talk about what messaging is gaining traction, what isn't, and what's maybe just starting to. We talk about how this election already echos elections past in some ways and about the opportunities that some candidates might have to potentially pull away from the fray by framing their messaging in the values behind their positions on the issues. We talk about why leading with an anti-Trump narrative is a problem, we touch briefly on a few of the candidates who are doing a few things right, and talk about why and how all of this matters in the larger scope of movement building beyond just the upcoming election. Resources referenced in this episode: Grassroots Policy Project: https://grassrootspolicy.org/ Building Organizations in a Movement Moment (the article Dave & Beth wrote): https://bethzemsky.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Building-organizations-in-a-movement-moment.pdf Social Movement Organizational Strategic Planning: https://bethzemsky.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Social-Movement-Organization-Strategic-Planning.pdf Stewardship, Justice, & Democracy – An example of values based framing from the Land Stewardship Project: https://landstewardshipproject.org/posts/1220 New Social Contract - Organizing by values: https://bethzemsky.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/New-Social-Contract-Organizing-by-values-.pdf LSP Narrative case study - https://grassrootspolicy.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/ANarrativeOfRuralAbundance.pdf

For our last episode with Hannah Breckbill of Humble Hands Harvest, we take things back full circle to the core components of her life: social justice, activism, and farming. Hear how Hannah blends her passion for farming with other areas she feels strongly about, from caring for the area immigrant communities to building equity in a local food system for all. Hannah Breckbill has been farming since 2009 when she interned as a CSA manager at World Hunger Relief outside of Waco, Texas. She was part of Land Stewardship Project’s Farm Beginnings and Journeyperson programs where she crafted a vision for Humble Hands Harvest, which launched in 2013 and is now a worker-owned cooperative farm that raises organic vegetables, grass-fed lamb, and pastured pork. She serves on the board of Northeast Iowa Peace and Justice Center and the Iowa Food Hub, and she hosts an annual Queer Farmer Convergence on her farm.

We are back with Hannah Breckbill of Humble Hands Harvest talking about how she weaves together the different pieces of her farming livelihood in a way that fuels her personal energy and keeps her going. From singing during farm chores to taking on a partner to scheduling time off the farm, Hannah shares how she keeps her key priorities front and center. Hannah Breckbill has been farming since 2009 when she interned as a CSA manager at World Hunger Relief outside of Waco, Texas. She was part of Land Stewardship Project’s Farm Beginnings and Journeyperson programs where she crafted a vision for Humble Hands Harvest, which launched in 2013 and is now a worker-owned cooperative farm that raises organic vegetables, grass-fed lamb, and pastured pork. She serves on the board of Northeast Iowa Peace and Justice Center and the Iowa Food Hub, and she hosts an annual Queer Farmer Convergence on her farm.

We continue our series with Hannah Breckbill of Humble Hands Harvest as she digs into ways farmers can amplify their missions cooperatively. Hear about her interesting journey to design and legally structure her farm in a cooperative way that is equitable for everyone. Think outside the box and get ideas to farm stronger collaboratively. Hannah Breckbill has been farming since 2009 when she interned as a CSA manager at World Hunger Relief outside of Waco, Texas. She was part of Land Stewardship Project’s Farm Beginnings and Journeyperson programs where she crafted a vision for Humble Hands Harvest, which launched in 2013 and is now a worker-owned cooperative farm that raises organic vegetables, grass-fed lamb, and pastured pork. She serves on the board of Northeast Iowa Peace and Justice Center and the Iowa Food Hub, and she hosts an annual Queer Farmer Convergence on her farm.

Today we sit down with Hannah Breckbill of Humble Hands Harvest in Decorah, Iowa, as she shares her inspiring journey of launching her farm. Hear the creative and thoughtful story behind the farm's name and learn how a math degree can support the analytical side of farming. Hannah Breckbill has been farming since 2009 when she interned as a CSA manager at World Hunger Relief outside of Waco, Texas. She was part of Land Stewardship Project’s Farm Beginnings and Journeyperson programs where she crafted a vision for Humble Hands Harvest, which launched in 2013 and is now a worker-owned cooperative farm that raises organic vegetables, grass-fed lamb, and pastured pork. She serves on the board of Northeast Iowa Peace and Justice Center and the Iowa Food Hub, and she hosts an annual Queer Farmer Convergence on her farm.

We’re back with Annelie Livingston-Anderson of Good Turn Farm to talk about all things local food system and her leadership of the Lake Pepin Local food group via a North Central SARE Farmer Rancher grant. She shares inspiring ideas on how women can serve as the catalyst to collaboratively bring farmers together to address common barriers like market access. Annelie grows certified organic vegetables and flowers with her husband, Kevin (and their 3-year-old daughter, Hazel) on Good Turn Farm in Stockholm, Wis. Last fall she started working with the Land Stewardship Project as an organizer for Farm Beginnings, a training program for beginning farmers.

Today, we sit down with Annelie Livingston-Anderson of Good Turn Farm in Wisconsin to learn about her farm story. She and her husband, Kevin, are the 5th generation to farm her husband’s historic family land, now incorporating sustainable and organic practices. Spoiler alert: this is the land Laura Ingalls Wilder’s family was on during Little House in the Big Woods. Annelie Livingston-Anderson grows certified organic vegetables and cut flowers with her husband, Kevin (and their 3-year-old daughter, Hazel) on Good Turn Farm in Stockholm, Wis. She is also on the steering committee for Lake Pepin Local, a group of local farmers & buyers cooperatively marketing locally grown products. Last fall she started working with the Land Stewardship Project as an organizer for Farm Beginnings, a training program for beginning farmers.

Brian DeVore from the Land Stewardship Project discusses his new book about having success in the modern age of farming.  Hazelwood Food and Drink chef/partner Scott Foster explains what he's doing to help out the Taste of the NFL.

On today’s show our guest is Amanda Babcock, Amanda is the policy program organizer for the Land Stewardship Project. landstewardshipproject.org We’re also joined by Leslie Mackenzie of Chard your Yard and Armel Martin from New City Backyard Farms Way

The average age of the American farmer is nearly 60. An entire generation of growers – of commodities, specialty crops, dairy, and livestock – are staring retirement in the face and the transition is often a tough one for many reasons. Not only does the older farmer confront the end of a loved career, but […]

Nick Olson and his wife, Joan, own Prairie Drifter Farm in Litchfield, Minnesota – out on the edge of the prairie. They raise about six acres of vegetables 90 minutes west of the Twin Cities, selling most of them through a CSA and the rest to stores and restaurants. Nick has also coordinated the Farm Beginnings courses for the Land Stewardship Project for a number of years. We talked about how his experience with that program influenced the decisions that he and Joan have made on their farm over the past six years, covering topics from holistic management to relationship management. I had a lot of fun talking to Nick, and I learned a lot. I think you’ll find the conversation as valuable as I did.

Tony Schultz of Stoney Acres Farm CSA was a fiery speaker at the 3/12/11 Farmer/Union Demonstration in Madison, WI. He's active with the Land Stewardship Project and Family Farm Defenders.