Land Stewardship Project

SEE SCHEDULE OTHE LAND STEWARDSHIP PROJECT (LSP) WORKS TO FOSTER AN ETHIC OF STEWARDSHIP TOWARD FARMLAND IN THE UNITED STATES, PROMOTE SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE AND DEVELOP HEALTHY COMMUNITIES. LSP IS DEDICATED TO CREATING TRANSFORMATIONAL CHANGE IN OUR FOOD AND FARMING SYSTEM BASED ON VALUES OF STEWARDSHIP, JUSTICE, DEMOCRACY AND HEALTH.

SEE SCHEDULE OTHE LAND STEWARDSHIP PROJECT'S POLICY ORGANIZING STARTS FROM VALUES - LIKE STEWARDSHIP AND JUSTICE - AND THEN ORGANIZES PEOPLE, RESOURCES, AND IDEAS TO BUILD THE POWER TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE. LSP WORKS AT THE LOCAL, STATE, AND NATIONAL LEVELS TO CHANGE CORPORATE, GOVERNMENTAL, AND INSTITUTIONAL POLICIES AND PRACTICES.TO BUILD ON THE $5 MILLION IN STATE FUNDING FOR SOIL HEALTH LSP WON IN THE 2021 LEGISLATIVE SESSION, LSP IS SUPPORTING THE DEVELOPMENT OF PROGRAMS FUNDED THROUGH THAT WORK. THIS YEAR, LSP ORGANIZED FARMERS TO PROVIDE DIRECT FEEDBACK TO STATE AGENCIES OFFERING FINANCIAL INCENTIVES TO FARMERS WHO UTILIZE SOIL HEALTH PRACTICES SUCH AS COVER CROPS, NO TILL, AND ROTATIONAL GRAZING. BASED ON THIS FEEDBACK, PROGRAMS THAT INITIALLY FOCUSED ON FARMERS UTILIZING SOIL HEALTH PRACTICES FOR THE FIRST TIME NOW ALSO SUPPORT FARMERS ALREADY COMMITTED TO REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE TO EXPAND THEIR WORK, WHICH IS KEY TO CREATING LASTING CHANGE ON THE LANDSCAPE OVER TIME. TO SUPPORT RURAL PEOPLE WORKING TO STOP THE ESTABLISHMENT OF FACTORY FARMS IN THEIR COMMUNITIES, LSP WORKED WITH RESIDENTS OF NINE MINNESOTA COUNTIES TO EDUCATE THEIR NEIGHBORS AND DEVELOP STRATEGIES TO MAKE THEIR VOICES HEARD.LSP HAS A LONGSTANDING COMMITMENT IN ITS THEORY OF CHANGE AND LONGRANGE PLAN TO ADDRESSING RACIAL JUSTICE. LSP'S UNIQUE ROLE OFTEN INVOLVES WORKING IN PARTNERSHIPS AS WELL AS ENGAGING RURAL PEOPLE ON ISSUES OF RACIAL JUSTICE TO IDENTIFY INTERCONNECTIONS BETWEEN OUR ISSUES AND THEIR OWN SELFINTEREST. THIS YEAR, LSP DEEPENED RELATIONSHIPS WITH BLACK, INDIGENOUS, AND PEOPLE OF COLOR (BIPOC)LED ORGANIZATIONS THROUGH COLLABORATIONS INCLUDING JOINING THE HEAL FOOD ALLIANCE POLICY WORKING GROUP AND CODEVELOPING AND DEPLOYING A SURVEY OF MORE THAN 700 FARMERS WITH MIDWEST FARMERS OF COLOR COLLECTIVE TO INFORM SHARED POLICY PRIORITIES FOR THE 2023 FARM BILL.

SEE SCHEDULE OMEMBERSHIP, OUTREACH, AND COMMUNICATIONS THE ADVANCEMENT DEPARTMENT HOUSES LSP'S MEMBERSHIP AND INDIVIDUAL GIVING TEAM, WHICH CONDUCTS ONGOING OUTREACH, RECRUITMENT, RENEWAL, FUNDRAISING, AND ENGAGEMENT OF LSP'S MEMBERS AND SUPPORTERS.DURING THE YEAR ENDING JUNE 30, 2022, THE TEAM ENGAGED 4,075 MEMBER HOUSEHOLDS WITH LSP UPDATES, MEMBERSHIP APPEALS, ACTION ALERTS, AND ORGANIC AND PAID SOCIAL MEDIA. THE TEAM COMMUNICATED DIRECTLY WITH MORE THAN 225,000 PEOPLE ABOUT REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE, STATE AND FEDERAL POLICIES, AND HEALTHY COMMUNITIES THROUGH MAILED LETTERS, EMAILS, PHONE CALLS, TEXT MESSAGES, PERSONAL VISITS, AND SOCIAL MEDIA. LSP'S COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT PRODUCED 3 ISSUES OF THE LAND STEWARDSHIP LETTER, WHICH PROVIDED ONGOING COVERAGE OF LSP'S WORK AND ITS ROLE IN THE WIDER CONTEXT OF THE MOVEMENT. ON AVERAGE, 5,000 COPIES WERE PRINTED AND DISTRIBUTED FOR EACH ISSUE. LSP'S ENEWSLETTER,LIVEWIRE, WAS SENT TO 20,000 SUBSCRIBERS EACH MONTH.LSP SUCCESSFULLY TRANSITIONED ITS CONSTITUENT RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT (CRM) TOOL TO BETTER SUPPORT THE GROWING NEEDS OF THE ORGANIZATION. LSP IS NOW EQUIPPED WITH TOOLS THAT ALLOW IT TO ENGAGE ITS MEMBERS, TRACK THE OUTCOMES OF ITS WORK, AND EVALUATE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF ITS EFFORTS MORE EFFECTIVELY.

SEE SCHEDULE OTHE SOIL HEALTH PROGRAM WORKS WITH FARMERS, LANDOWNERS, NATURAL RESOURCE PROFESSIONALS, AND SCIENTISTS TO PROMOTE AGRICULTURAL SYSTEMS THAT TREAT SOIL AS A LONGTERM INVESTMENT THAT CAN RESULT IN A MORE RESILIENT LANDSCAPE, THRIVING FARMS, AND VIBRANT COMMUNITIES. LSP'S FARMERLED MODEL SUPPORTS LANDSCAPELEVEL CHANGE BY DIRECTLY SUPPORTING THE ADOPTION OF REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES THAT REDUCE RUNOFF, REDUCE EMISSIONS, IMPROVE SOIL FERTILITY AND FARM VIABILITY, AND INCREASE THE LAND'S RESILIENCE IN THE FACE OF THE EXISTING IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE. BASED ON RESPONSES TO A SUMMER 2022 SURVEY, LSP ESTIMATES THAT WE HAVE DIRECTLY IMPACTED THE ADOPTION OF SOIL HEALTH PRACTICES ON MORE THAN 48,000 ACRES TO DATE.MORE THAN 659 FARMERS AND LANDOWNERS ATTENDED EVENTS INCLUDING FILM SCREENINGS, FIELD DAYS, GRAZING AND MARKETING WORKSHOPS, AND A SPEAKING TOUR ACROSS SOUTHERN MINNESOTA WITH TEXAS GRAZIER ALEJANDRO CARILLO. FOUR GROUPS OF 10 FARMERS AND GRAZERS PARTICIPATED IN LSP'S SOIL HUBS AND GRAZING GROUPS, PEER LEARNING GROUPS THAT MEET REGULARLY TO SHARE BEST PRACTICES FOR BUILDING SOIL HEALTH, TROUBLESHOOT, AND BUILD RELATIONSHIPS. LSP HELD 130 ONETOONE MEETINGS WITH FARMERS AND RURAL PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND THEIR PERSONAL INTEREST IN BUILDING SOIL HEALTH. ADDITIONALLY, LSP EXPANDED ITS SOIL BUILDERS' NETWORK, A LIST OF PEOPLE WHO REGULARLY RECEIVE INVITATIONS TO EVENTS ALONG WITH DIGITAL RESOURCES, BY 1,000 PEOPLE.LSP RAN A BILLBOARD CAMPAIGN TO DRIVE AWARENESS OF SOIL HEALTH PRACTICES AND COUNTER THE CORPORATE AGRICULTURAL ADVERTISEMENTS THAT INUNDATE RURAL COMMUNITIES. THE BILLBOARDS GENERATED CONVERSATION AMONG LOCAL FARMERS AS WELL AS ATTENTION FROM LOCAL AND AGRICULTURAL PRESS OUTLETS.IN FEBRUARY 2022, LSP'S SOIL HEALTH TEAM FACILITATED A 30PERSON RACIAL AND ECONOMIC JUSTICE WORKSHOP IN STOCKTON, MINNESOTA THAT BUILT ON FARMERS AND RURAL COMMUNITY MEMBERS' LIVED EXPERIENCES TO MAKE KEY CONNECTIONS BETWEEN THE ECONOMIC FORCES AND RACIAL INEQUITIES AT PLAY IN RURAL COMMUNITIES.