Resources - Publications

Publications

A Better Row to Hoe
A summary of the Northwest Area Foundation’s interpretation of research results on the economic, environmental and social impacts of sustainable agriculture in seven states: Iowa, Minnesota, North and South Dakota, Montana, Oregon, and Washington. 1994 - 39 pages. Free; $4.00 if shipped

A Gentler Way - Sows on Pasture: Reports from sustainable farmers from Minnesota and Iowa
Complied by Minnesota farmers Dwight and Becky Ault, this publication provides first-person accounts of alternative hog production practices. 1994- 23 pages. Free when you order “An Agriculture That Makes Sense: Making Money on Hogs”

A Guide to the Art & Science of On-Farm Monitoring: The Monitoring Tool Box
This guide is for farmers interested in learning easy-to-use techniques for monitoring the impact of management decisions on their land, finances and family. It covers the monitoring of quality of life, finances, birds, frogs, soils, pastures and streams. Purchasers of this monitoring package also receive the Close to the Ground Video. 1998 - 115 pages. $45.00 + $8.00 S & H

A New Dawn of Farming: The Sustainable Farming Association of Minnesota’s Formation & Growth
A joint project of the Sustainable Farming Association (SFA) and the Land Stewardship Project, this publication summarizes the many accomplishments of the various SFA chapters since the first ones were launched by LSP in the late 1980s. Written by LSP’s Audrey Arner & Brian DeVore, this publication includes special sections on how the SFA is structured, as well as member survey results. A copy of the organization’s chapter charter is also included. 1998 - 24 pages. Free; $4.00 if shipped SOLD OUT

Agriculture that Makes Sense - Profitability of Four Sustainable Farms in Minnesota
This exciting case study offers revealing insights into the profitability of sustainable farms, proving there are alternatives to capital-intensive production. It was written by LSP’s Jodi Dansingburg along with Doug Gunnink and Charlene Chan-Muehlbauer of the Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s Energy and Sustainable Agriculture Program. It found that on a per-acre basis four farms using sustainable practices were three times as profitable as their conventional neighbors. Writer-farmer Wendell Berry said of this publication: “Here is such news as we hunger for: hard evidence to confirm what we knew all along. Good farming makes sense... Every word and figure in it is worth its weight in topsoil.” 1994 - 43 pages. $7.00

Agriculture that Makes Sense - Making Money on Hogs
This publication focuses on the 50-sow hog enterprise of one Minnesota crop and livestock operation. The case study, written by LSP’s Jodi Dansingburg and Doug Gunnink of the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, compares the farm’s production records to the averages of the top performing hog operations as reported in the regional Minnesota Farm Business Management Program annual report. The case-study farm minimizes expenses through such production practices as outdoor farrowing and low-cost housing. 1996 - 8 pages. $4.00

Antibiotics, Agriculture and Resistance
A special Land Stewardship Project report that examines how large-scale industrialized livestock production is contributing to the development of bacteria that resist being killed by antibiotics. This report, which originally appeared as a series of articles during 2002 in the Land Stewardship Letter, describes what livestock farmers are doing to get off the antibiotic treadmill and wrestles with the question of whether new “drug-free” labels give consumers a complete picture. 2002 - 12 pages. Free off the LSP website www.landstewardshipproject.org/pdf/antibio_reprint.pdf or $5.00 if shipped.

Congregational Tool Kit
This kit contains videos, resource materials and activities for small and large group gatherings with a focus on building healthy communities by linking people with their food, the land and each other. Also included are suggestions for involving individuals and congregations in supporting a local good system while helping those with special needs in their community. $125.00; $10.00 for a six week rental.

Community Supported Agriculture Directory
Each spring, the Land Stewardship Project publishes a directory of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Farms that serve the Twin Cities area. When you purchase a "share" in one of these farms you receive a weekly delivery of organically grown produce during the growing season. But CSA consumers don’t so much "buy" food from particular farms as become "members" of those farms. CSA operations provide more than just food, they offer ways for eaters to become involved in the ecological and human community that supports the farm. The CSA Directory is available online at http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/csa.html. Free by calling 651-653-0618.

Creating a Bright Future for Livestock Farmers in Minnesota
Developed by the Citizen Task Force on Livestock Farmers and Rural Communities, this 2004 report describes how a healthy livestock farming economy in Minnesota requires support for livestock on family farms, strong local township government and a tough corporate farm law. The Citizen Task Force -- Minnesota Farmers Union, Minnesota National Farmers Organization, Land Stewardship Project and the Sustainable Farming Association of Minnesota -- makes several policy recommendations that it believes will help increase the number and profitability of Minnesota livestock farmers in ways that benefit rural communities. This report is available at no charge on LSP's website: http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/pdf/citiz_task_report.pdf. For information on obtaining a paper copy, contact LSP's Policy Program office at 612-722-6377.

Excellence in Agriculture
Interviews with 10 Minnesota farm families who are stewards of the land, edited by LSP founder Ron Kroese, with interviews conducted by Patrick Moore, Doug Nopar and Joe Paddock. 1988 - 105 pages. $5.00

The Farm as Natural Habitat: Reconnecting Food Systems with Ecosystems
This is an Island Press book produced by the Land Stewardship Project’s Agroecology Program. Dana Jackson, LSP’s Associate Director, co-edited the book with her daughter, Laura Jackson, who is a University of Northern Iowa biology professor and LSP member. Contributors to this groundbreaking and highly-praised collection of writings promote the idea that restoration of a relationship between farming and the natural world enhances the sustainability of both communities and landscapes.
2002 - 250 pages. $50.00 hardcover; $25.00 paperback. To order contact Island Press at 1-800-828-1302 or www.islandpress.org.

Farming for the Future - Set of 3
Results, information and observations gleaned from Midwestern farmers during three years of on-farm experimentation. 1994 - 8 pages each.
Mechanical Weed Control
Nitrogen Management
On-Farm Composting – SOLD OUT
Time-Controlled Grazing
$10.00 Set; $4.00 Each

Farmland and the Tax Bill: The Cost of Community Services in Three Minnesota Cities
This analysis by LSP and the American Farmland Trust found that sprawling residential development imposed a net financial loss on these communities, inhibiting their ability to, among other things, fund quality school systems. 1994 - 26 pages. $10.00

Food Choices Series – $5.00 each or $15.00 set of four:

Food Choices: Moving Toward a Sustainable Food System in the Upper Midwest
This report, by E.G. Nadeau, summarizes results of the research carried out in Phase I of the Food Choices project. It also outlines the planning an implementation steps that are to be taken over the next five years by the initiative. Food Choices (which later became Food Alliance Midwest) is a nonprofit project coordinated by LSP, Cooperative Development Services and the Organic Alliance. Its goal is to create a food system that is based on sustainable and regionally produced foods. 1999- 75 pages. $5.00

Marketing Sustainably Produced Foods: International Examples and Lessons for the United States
This report, by E.G. Nudeau, is part of the Food Choices series, provides a review of ecological and sustainable marketing programs in Europe and the United States. 1998 - 55 pages. $5.00

Talking to Consumers about Sustainable Products
This report by Sandra Strawbridge Senn is based on focus group discussions. 1998 - 39 pages. $5.00

Talking to Farmers about Sustainable Production and Marketing
This report by Anne de Meurisse summarizes interviews conducted with several farmers involved with sustainable agriculture. 1999 - 21 pages. $5.00

Getting a Handle on the Barriers to Financing Sustainable Agriculture
This publication describes the results of a survey project led by the Land Stewardship Project in 2002. Sustainable farmers, farm lenders and agricultural educators in Minnesota and Wisconsin were surveyed on credit-related practices as well as the perceptions each group holds about banks, sustainable farming and each other. June 2003 - 29 pages. Free http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/pdf/edsurvey.pdf

Holistic Resource Management
This is Allan Savory’s classic book on an innovative decision making process that has revitalized farms across the country. 1988 - 563 pages, available in our Montevideo office. $27.50 SOLD OUT

Holistic Resource Management Workbook
A companion to Savory’s Holistic Resource Management book. 1990 - 182 pages. $25.00 SOLD OUT

Killing Competition with Captive Supplies:A Special Report on How Meat Packers are Forcing Independent Family Hog Farmers Out of the Market Through Exclusive Contracts
This groundbreaking report by Anne de Meurisse is based on farmer interviews, a review of the economic literature and a legal analysis by Lynn Hayes of the Farmers’ Legal Action Group. 1999 - 47 pages. $5.00

Land Stewardship Letter-Back issues
This is LSP’s official newsletter. The LSL is a benefit of membership of LSP. http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/news_lsl.html. First 10 Free

Land Stewardship Minnesota Congregational Directory and Resource Guide
Features 13 congregations, primarily from the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, that are involved in local farm or garden projects whereby fresh, locally grown food is donated to people with special needs. A list of Twin Cities area food shelves which accept fresh produce is also included. 1995 - 19 pages. $3.00 SOLD OUT

Making the Most of Freedom to Farm
A guide to options for farmers who are looking to use the flexibility of the 1996 Farm Bill to maximize their environmental and economic performance, written by LSP’s Washington, D.C. , staffer, Brad DeVries. It includes real examples of farmers who have diversified into sustainable systems. 1997 - 40 pages. $4.00 SOLD OUT

Making Sense of Federal Farm Conservation Programs
This is a shortened version of the popular Making the Most of Freedom to Farm, by Brad DeVries, which sold out within a few months of publication in 1997. 1999 - 9 pages. $2.00

Monitoring Sustainable Agriculture with Conventional Financial Data
In this publication, agricultural economist Dick Levins presents four financial indicators to evaluate the sustainability of farming operations: reliance on government programs; use of equipment, chemicals and non-renewable energy; creation of jobs; and balance between feed use and feed production. This popular book is in its second printing. 1996 - 30 pages. $5.00

Multiple Benefits of Agriculture - An Economic, Environmental & Social Analysis
LSP's "Multiple Benefits of Agriculture" project has estimated and compared the benefits of various kinds of agriculture operations in two watersheds in Minnesota. This research is being used to develop agriculture policy options that reward farmers for producing public benefits such as enhanced soil and water quality, improved wildlife habitat, healthful food and stronger rural economies. 2001 - 52 pages. $10.00

“Music of the Land: Songs of Soil, Ecology, and care of the Earth” Songbook
Bret Hesla, a talented musician who has long been associated with LSP, has put together a fun and thought-provoking collection of songs in this handy booklet. 1991 - 48 pages. $7.00

Public Seeds – Public Goods
Public plant breeding is a cornerstone of the U.S. land grant university research system. Concerns have been raised that as public funding is cut and private firms increase control of our seed, the very foundation of research that benefits the public good will be destroyed. In a series of Land Stewardship Letter articles, LSP described the threats and what some individuals, groups and institutions are doing to protect our public germplasm. This special report contains a compilation of these articles. March 2004 – 11 pages. Free off the website: http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/pdf/pubseeds_pubgoods.pdf; or $5.00 if shipped.

Putting Farming Back in the Driver's Seat
This is a special report based on a series of articles that ran in the Land Stewardship Letter in 2006. It describes firsthand the efforts of Woodbury County, Iowa, to utilize local, sustainable family farming as a rural economic development tool in the region. 2006 - 10 pages. http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/pdf/rural_develop_report.pdf (968 KB). Paper copies are available from LSP's Communications Office by calling 612-729-6294, or e-mailing bdevore@landstewardshipproject.org.

Reshaping the Bottom Line: On-Farm Strategies for a Sustainable Agriculture
Written by David Granatstein, this booklet provides conservation-minded farmers in the Upper Midwest a collection of ideas which make farming more economically and environmentally sustainable. 1988 - 63 pages. $5.00

Stewardship Food Directory
This is a listing of LSP members who produce food and fiber for direct sale to consumers. It also includes listings for processors and retailers who are LSP members and work with LSP member-farmers. This is updated regularly. 29 pages. This list is available online http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/pdf/sfd.pdf or in printed form. Free

Sustainable Farming Systems: Demonstrating Environmental and Economic Performance
This is a summary of water quality research and economic monitoring conducted on three Minnesota livestock farms participating in the Sustainable Farming Systems Project. The research found that grass-based management systems, when compared with more traditional management systems, can protect against soil erosion and improve water quality while returning competitive profits in the long run. 2002 - 34 pages. Free; $4.00 if shipped

Swine Source Book: Alternatives for Pork Producers
This book by the University of Minnesota’s Alternative Swine Production Systems Program is packed with information on just about every aspect of setting up a sustainable hog enterprise. The Source Book is designed so individual sections can be easily removed and photocopied. Copies can be examined at LSP’s offices in Lewiston, Montevideo and White Bear Lake. Copies are also available for review at Minnesota Extension Offices. 1999 - three-ringed binder; for information on purchasing a copy, call 1-800-876-8636 or 612-625-8173; or order online at order@extension.umn.edu.

Water, Grass & Livestock: An Annotated Bibliography of Riparian Grazing Publications
This publication contains more than 250 listings for journal articles, brochures, manuals and book chapters. It covers such topics as bank erosion and vegetation, fish and insects in a stream, pollution removal by buffers, compaction, and pasture systems. This guide was developed by Melissa Driscoll of the Land Stewardship Project and Bruce Vondracek of the Minnesota Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Unit at the University of Minnesota. Sections are alphabetized by author and each entry includes a full reference and short synopsis. 2002 - 37 pages Free off the website: http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/pdf/graze_biblio.pdf or $5.00 if shipped

When a Factory Farm Comes to Town: Protecting Your Township from Unwanted Development
Produced by LSP's policy program, this booklet provides guidance on using the Minnesota Interim Ordinance and other tools in the state's Municipal Planning law. It also contains an extensive list of resources. This is a significantly updated version of the original 1997 publication. 2006 - 52 pages. Paper copies available from LSP's Policy Program office by calling 612-722-6377, or e-mailing bking@landstewardshipproject.org. Free off the website: http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/pdf/township_manual06.pdf (5.3 MB—may take a while to download); $8.00 if shipped.

The Whitewater Whistleblower
This is a feature article that originally appeared in the Summer 2007 edition of the Land Stewardship Letter. It describes the case of Paul Wotzka, a hydrologist who was fired from his job with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency after he was asked to testify before the Minnesota Legislature about his research into the herbicide atrazine. 2007 - 3 pages. Free on LSP website: http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/pdf/atrazine_whistleblower.pdf

Whole Farm Participatory Research: Recommendations from the Monitoring Project Team
This report outlines how the Monitoring Team was set up and provides detailed recommendations on how to go about developing similar monitoring initiatives that involve farmers and various other resource professionals. 2001 - 34 pages. Free on LSP website: http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/pdf/monitor_report_final_2.pdf

Whole Farm Planning: What it Takes
A collaborative publication of LSP, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture and the Minnesota Extension Service, this booklet summarizes comments given by approximately 40 farmers during a series of forums held throughout the state in 1996. 1997 - 17 pages. $4.00 SOLD OUT