Education and mentorship to support mutually beneficial leases that promote regenerative agriculture

View the project final report

Commodities

Practices

• Crop Production: conservation tillage, cover crops, crop rotation, no-till, nutrient management, water management, water storage
• Education and Training: farmer to farmer, mentoring, networking, participatory research, workshop
• Farm Business Management: financial management, value added
• Natural Resources/Environment: biodiversity, carbon sequestration, wildlife
• Pest Management: precision herbicide use, weed ecology
• Soil Management: soil quality/health
• Sustainable Communities: partnerships, quality of life, sustainability measures, urban/rural integration

In the words of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, “the Minnesota River is unhealthy. Sediment clouds the water, phosphorus causes algae, nitrogen poses risks to humans and fish, and bacteria make the water unsafe for swimming.” Regenerative agriculture is a tool to reduce phosphorus, nitrogen, and sediment loading. The majority of the region is in a corn/soybean rotation, and roughly half of farmers in Minnesota are tenants who face unique obstacles. Many tenant farmers have difficulty negotiating leases which make regenerative practices economically viable. Corollarily, many non-operating landowners have difficulty “speaking the language” of conventional farmers and nudging them toward more regenerative operations.

We propose a series of interactive conferences bringing together farmers with landowners and facilitating ongoing peer-to-peer mentorship. As farmers learn best from other farmers, we have partnered with farmer and landowner leaders through every step of the process. Facilitating ongoing peer-to-peer support among conventional corn/soybean farmers is critical to enacting landscape-level change and improving water quality in the region.

While several initial objectives were not fully met, the project generated valuable insights and momentum that will inform future outreach and engagement strategies. Early in the project, it became clear that bridging the gap between farmers and conservationists requires time, trust, and sustained local presence. Despite these challenges, we successfully hosted 7 different workshops throughout the MN River Valley. From these workshops an estimated 70 farmers participated and had 37 different agricultural professionals who closely work with farmers.

In summer 2025, we hired a Regenerative Agriculture Project Coordinator to strengthen local relationships and engage with farmers, SWCD staff, and agricultural businesses throughout Redwood and surrounding counties. The coordinator contacted all of the 37+ SWCD in the MN River area and participated in over 8 different events such as FarmFest and other local conservation events. Those efforts helped initiate numerous constructive conversations and establish early connections that lay the groundwork for future conservation efforts.

Through these efforts, the project made many unique impressions on local farmers and stakeholders. Although ongoing economic pressures and uncertainties have limited adoption of new practices, the initiative successfully advanced awareness of conservation opportunities and highlighted the importance of continued dialogue between agricultural and conservation communities.

• Educate 250 farmers at 5 conferences through the Minnesota River Valley on ways to negotiate with landowners to make adoption of regenerative practices more feasible
• Educate landowners regarding the benefits of encouraging regenerative practices on their land
• Expose landowners and farmers to each other’s perspective
• Recruit landowners and farmers to an ongoing mentorship opportunity where they may have more success at adopting or encouraging regenerative practices
• Increase number of producers that adopt enduring regenerative agricultural practices
• Improve economic sustainability of tenant farming and farmland leasing through smarter contracts and regenerative agriculture