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Lessons From The Land
Lessons From The Land is a limited audio series highlighting sustainability efforts by farmers throughout the country. Six episodes will be released each year beginning Summer of 2024. Lessons From The Land is produced for the Minnesota Farm Bureau in partnership with the Minnesota Chapter of Natural Resources Conservation Service. A division of the USDA.
Episodes
14 episodes
Regenerative Roots: Cultivating Conservation and Sustainable Agriculture
Regenerative agriculture is more than just a trend—it’s a powerful solution for restoring soil health, improving biodiversity, and creating resilient farms. In this episode, we sit down with Dawn and Grant Breitkreutz, regenerative farmers from...
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Season 2
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Episode 6
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21:25
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Minnesota Cattle Rancher Rachel Gray: How Sustainable Farming and 4th Generation Wisdom Built a 500-Head Beef Operation
Join us on Lessons From The Land as we sit down with Rachel Gray, the powerhouse behind Little Timber Farms in Blackduck, Minnesota, and 2023 Beltrami County Farm Family of the Year. In this inspiring episode, Rachel shares her incredible journ...
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Season 2
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Episode 5
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31:00
Sustainability On A National Scale: Where Minnesota Ranks with Minnesota Ag Commissioner Thom Petersen
Join us for a forward-thinking conversation on the future of agriculture in Minnesota with Agriculture Commissioner Thom Petersen. In this episode, we explore how sustainability is shaping the state’s farming industry, from regenerative practic...
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Season 2
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Episode 4
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30:07
Farmfluence: The young farmer utilizing social media and technology to create healthier crops.
On this episode of Lessons From The Land, James Pieper shares how he left a suburban life and a career in ag finance to revive his family's Minnesota farm. Hear how drone technology, social media, and community helped him grow as a par...
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Season 2
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Episode 3
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29:46
Pollinator Patch: Cultivating on the farms for a thriving environment
In this episode, we’re diving into the heart of conservation in Minnesota with special guest Bill Carter, a passionate advocate for pollinators and sustainable habitats. As the CEO of Prairie Moon in Winona, Minnesota, Bill builds thriving poll...
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Season 2
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Episode 2
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31:45
Superior Harvest: Cultivating Sustainability and Protecting Ag Lands Connected to Lake Superior
In this episode of Lessons From The Land, we dig into one of the most overlooked — yet absolutely critical — components of agriculture: soil. Often dismissed as a "hippie" cause, conservation is undergoing a powerful rebrand, driven by...
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Season 2
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Episode 1
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35:00
We're Back! New episodes of Lessons From The Land coming in 2025.
Our limited audio series is back with six new episodes and stories in 2025. Join us as we travel around the state of Minnesota, finding farm stories of sustainabilityLessons From The Land is a limited audio series highlighting sustainabi...
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Season 2
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1:34
A partnership for a sustainable journey in farming with Minnesota NRCS Director, Troy Daniell.
At the farm level, a sustainable journey from planting, production, and harvest begins with the right partners. To meet the demands of consumers, state and federal agencies like the Natural Resources Conservation Service help farmers move towar...
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Season 1
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Episode 4
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32:00
Roots & Resilience: Ag lands and forestry practices for sustainability.
Forest management is tightly connected to agriculture and farming practices. It plays a major role in on-farm sustainability efforts and can be part of farmings sustainability story for consumers. In this episode, we bring on Minnesota State Fo...
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Season 1
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Episode 5
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27:02
The farmer protecting one of Minnesota's premiere trout rivers.
The Root River in Southeastern Minnesota is an 80-mile tributary of the Mississippi River and, one of the state's premier trout and recreation rivers. In this episode meet Ron Pagel, a Minnesota farmer who has transformed his dairy and beef far...
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Season 1
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Episode 4
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29:02
Let the grass grow and the animals graze: Its impact on sustainable farming.
Animals need to eat, of course. Land grazing is an important part of sustainable farming. Finding the right mix of feeding farm animals and, just letting them eat the grasses on the land can have major implications for long-term soil and plant ...
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Season 1
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Episode 3
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30:20
The environmentalist. The educator and the cattle comforter. Meet Peter Bakken
Manure is the unsavory reality on a farm. With animals comes waste. For decades farmers have been turning farm "waste" into renewable or reusable materials to keep their operation sustainable. In this episode, meet Pete Bakken a 5th generation ...
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Season 1
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Episode 2
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29:15
Measuring water quality on these Minnesota farms.
Water is the lifeblood of, well, life. It’s an incredibly important resource on a farm and can be heavily regulated in how it's used, and how farmers impact nearby waterways. Water is one of the most important resources when it comes to sustain...
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Season 1
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Episode 1
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36:20