Lawmakers Invest in Soil Health, Regional Food Systems, Emerging Farmers & Water Quality

By Laura Schreiber & Amanda Koehler

Earlier this year, Land Stewardship Project members leveraged an historic Minnesota legislative session to win, after decades of underfunding, record investments in sustainable and regenerative agriculture, small and mid-sized farmers, and rural communities. People power made these wins possible. Here are some organizing highlights: and various pollinator protections.

➔ We held the largest Family Farm Breakfast and Lobby Day in LSP history, with more than 300 people participating (see page 10).

➔ We held four town hall meetings with key elected officials, featuring small and emerging farmers, farmers’ market managers, and rural leaders.

➔ Twenty-five LSP farmers, processors, and rural leaders shared their stories at legislative hearings in support of our priorities for people and the land.

➔ Regional Food Systems: We won the establishment of Meat Processing Liaison and Farm-to-School Coordinator positions within the MDA. Also made available was record funding for local food systems via the Farm-to-School Grant Program, the Good Acre’s Local Emergency Assistance Farmer Fund (LEAFF), the Urban and Youth Agriculture Grant Program, the Good Food Access Program, SNAP/EBT infrastructure for farmers’ markets, the Minnesota Grown Program, and the Healthy Eating Here at Home Program (i.e. Market Bucks). Additionally, we won funding for local meat processing training, retention, and development.

➔ Emerging Farmers & Land Access: We won historic funding for the Emerging Farmers Office; increased funding and important policy changes to the Farmland Down Payment Assistance Program; and the renewal of and important policy changes to the Beginning Farmer Tax Credit.

LSP members and allies participated in a lobby training after the 2023 Family Farm Breakfast (see page 10). Over 1,100 LSP members and supporters engaged in legislative organizing during this session by attending events, signing petitions, and contacting their legislators, as well as the Governor. (LSP Photo)

➔ Over 300 farmers, processors, and marketers signed our letter calling for significant investments in emerging and small-scale farmers, local meat processing, local food systems programming and infrastructure, and soil health.

➔ Over 1,100 LSP members and supporters engaged in our legislative organizing during this session by attending events, signing petitions, and contacting their legislators, as well as Governor Tim Walz.

➔ LSP deepened our partnership with several allied organizations.

➔ LSP attended the signing of the Omnibus Agriculture, Broadband, and Rural Development Bill at Medicine Creek Farm, which is owned and operated by Hannah Bernhardt, a farmer-leader within LSP, the Minnesota Farmers Union, Climate Land Leaders, and the Emerging Farmers Working Group.

Major wins that resulted from this powerful organizing, strong partnerships, and favorable legislative dynamics include:

➔ Soil Health: We won the establishment of a fulltime Climate Coordinator Position within the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA); over $44 million for soil health cost-share and grant programs; over $50 million for Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCDs); over $4 million per year for the development and commercialization of continuous living cover crops; a ban on PFAS and PFOS chemicals in pesticides;

➔ Factory Farming & Water Quality: We won comprehensive changes to fish kill investigations as well as millions of dollars for private well and drinking water testing. We also won the passage of the Frontline Communities Protection Act, which creates stronger permitting requirements for facilities seeking to emit pollutants in “environmental justice” areas, and requires the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) to evaluate existing pollution in an area when issuing a new permit. Unfortunately, corporate polluters were successful in limiting the scope of the Frontline Communities Protection Act to the Twin Cities seven-county metropolitan area, Duluth, and Rochester, making the bill unlikely to be a tool to address factory farm proposals.

➔ Fair Farm Economy: Passed was a voluntary Grain Indemnity Fund (championed by the Minnesota Farmers Union); full funding for the state Attorney General’s Office; $8 million for the Dairy Assistance, Investment, and Relief Initiative (DAIRI) Program; and additional funding for the Farm Advocates Program.

➔ Healthy, Robust Rural Communities: We won a MinnesotaCare Public Option;

Legislature, see page 8…