Land Stewardship Project

Filing Period

Jul 1, 2009 to Jun 30, 2010

Signed

Mar 16, 2011

Return Version

2009v1.7

Gross Receipts

$2,180,583

Mission

Major Activities

Activity 2

Policy and Organizing - Policy and Organizing works at the local, state and federal levels to educate and engage members and citizens to strengthen their communities and foster land stewardship through democratic participation. At the federal level LSP sought annual appropriations and improvement in the implementation of the Conservation Stewardship Program and Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program engaging farmers and providing information to Congress and USDA officials in Washington. These farm programs, as well as the Child Nutrition Act at the federal level, can advance sustainable agriculture. LSP and collaborators also assembled 25,000 signatures for a petition to the USDA to suspend loans for new or expanding large hog and poultry factory farms. Working at the Minnesota legislature LSP and partners brought forward proposals that supported family farmers, growth of regional food markets and land stewardship and successfully opposed legislation to weaken factory farm regulations for the largest operations. Additionally, LSP: Co-produced the report The Syngenta Corporation & Atrazine: The Cost to the Land, People and Democracy and jointly asked the Environmental Protection Agency to be transparent in its review of Atrazine; Served on the Natural Resources Conservation Service's State Technical Committee and other advisory panels; Organized the Family Farm Breakfast attended by 250 lawmakers, LSP members and friends; Held three organizing meetings with over 100 members in central and southeast MN; Recruited members to participate in several Centro Campesino organizing events including those on immigration reform; Organized for health care reform; and Engaged Winona County members to participate in updating the comprehensive planning/zoning ordinance.

Activity 3

Farm Beginnings - Farm Beginnings is a farmer-led educational training program designed to help beginning and transitioning farmers learn about and plan to adopt low-capital, environmentally sound farming businesses. Staff and members organize community support in two 20-county regions of Minnesota and bordering states. Over 480 people have taken the LSP-led Farm Beginnings course since 1998. According to respondents from a recent survey, sixty percent are actively farming. This past year LSP: Held two Farm Beginnings courses for 39 families at St Joseph, MN and River Falls, WI and ten field days/skills sessions for 230 people; Distributed $7,000 in scholarships to qualified applicants; Made one livestock loan to a qualified farmer; Created an advanced training program with two day-long winter programs serving over 40 people; Published the 2010 Farmer Network Handbook; Reached out to 20 prospective Hmong farmers and 7 prospective Latino farmers; Engaged interested course graduates in core LSP programs and supported them in community leadership; Strengthened beginning farmer training across the country by forming a multi-state collaborative with nine organizations licensing LSP's course in northeastern MN, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, New York, and three programs in Illinois through which 120 people have taken Farm Beginnings and related programs; and Facilitated a day-long planning session for Pike County Agribusiness Authority in GA. LSP also hosted the "Seeking Farmers-Seeking Land Clearinghouse" with 49 postings to identify options for farmers and land.

Filer

EIN

41-1466054