Loon Commons

The Land Stewardship Project is a contributor to Loon Commons, a blog of the Minnesota Environmental Partnership. Contact Land Stewardship Project at bdevore@landstewardshipproject.org. Contact Loon Commons at erinjredlin@mepartnership.org

Senate Farm Bill falls short on conservation, family farm agriculture

By Adam Warthesen, Loon Commons

On April 26, the U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee passed its version of the 2012 Farm Bill by a vote of 16 to 5. The bill, which includes $23 billion in cuts over the next 10 years, is anticipated to be brought to the Senate floor for a vote yet this year.MORE »

Why is James E. McWilliams ignoring the facts on sustainable agriculture?

By Brian DeVore, Loon Commons

History Professor James E. McWilliams’ recent doubled-barreled attack on sustainable livestock production and the local food movement in general is so contradictory and full of factual holes, it’s tough to know where to begin to pick it apart.MORE »

Crop insurance: A safety net becomes a threat

By Brian DeVore, Loon Commons

When it comes to the crop insurance sweepstakes, southwest Minnesota farmer Darwyn Bach is a winner.MORE »

The fight for local control goes local

By Bobby King, Loon Commons

Some lawmakers in St. Paul are turning a deaf ear to an important fact: local control is a key tool for Minnesota cities, townships and counties seeking to create a positive future for their communities.MORE »

It's mostly good news for Minneapolis urban agriculture, but...

By Anna Cioffi, Loon Commons

Overall, the results of yesterday’s Minneapolis Zoning and Planning Committee hearing were good news for urban agriculture in the city.MORE »

We need to stop treating soil like dirt

By Brian DeVore, Loon Commons

Talk of how agriculture can improve soil quality seems to be popping up more frequently these days. Perhaps the most exciting recent mention was in an issue of Successful Farming magazine, which has produced an impressive package of stories called The Good Earth.MORE »

Local control and the Capitol's dangerous double standard

By Brian DeVore, Loon Commons

Nice irony: when a key committee passed House File 389 last Wednesday, it was by a 9 to 5 vote, which is less than the two-thirds majority the bill imposes on local governments that want to enact a temporary freeze on major development—the kind of development that can change a community forever.MORE »

Tell Mpls City Council by March 1 to support market gardens

By Anna Cioffi, Loon Commons

The Minneapolis City Council will be voting on the complete Urban Ag Text Amendments on March 1 during the Zoning and Planning Committee meeting. As we’ve reported here before, these text amendments are an important step toward making urban farming a key part of the city’s fabric.MORE »

Loving the land enough to let it go

By Brian DeVore, Loon Commons

While recording a recent LSP podcast interview with southwest Minnesota farmer Carmen Fernholz, I was reminded of how important it is that farmers identify closely with the land they’re producing a livelihood from.MORE »

First on the agenda Thursday: Weaken local control

By Brian DeVore, Loon Commons

Well, that didn’t take long. Tomorrow, at the very first meeting of the Minnesota House Government Operations and Elections Committee, lawmakers will take up House File 389, which weakens township, county and city local control.MORE »

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