Press

Climate Land Leaders in the news

Local 5 ABC News: Nitrate levels may climb as result of heavy rains – Lee Tesdell (6/10/2026)

Civil Eats: Op-Ed: The Next Farm Bill Can Help Farmers Kick Fertilizer – Wendy Johnson (6/10/2026)

More Perfect Union: Iowa’s Cancer Rate Is Skyrocketing. Our Tests Prove Why. – Jodi Reese and Terry Langan (6/2/2026)

Marketplace: Congress considers farm bill as farmers are pinched by rising costs – Hannah Bernhardt (4/29/2026)

McKnight Foundation: The Four Oaks: Majestic and Enduring – Alanna Koshollek (4/2026)

At the Iowa Farm Table Podcast: Iowa, Farming and Cancer: What Do We Really Know? – Seth Watkins (4/21/2026)

Des Moines Register: Forest reserve fees would undercut environmental stewards – Sylvia Spalding (4/19/2026)

Wallaces Farmer: How to find the perfect landowner and farmer fit – Matt Vermeersch, Maggie McQuown, and Steve Turman (4/2/2026)

Des Moines Register: Where is conservation in the ‘Iowa Farm Bill’? – Lee Tesdell (3/15/2026)

Minnesota Star Tribune: Bill aims to recognize inherent right of wild rice, Minnesota’s state grain in decline – Leanna Goose (3/10/2026)

Offrange: Farming Without a Farm Bill – Wendy Johnson (2/14/2026)

MinneapoliMedia: Naima Dhore – The Power of Her: A Spotlight on Women Building Legacy, Leadership, and Liberation in Minnesota (12/28/25)

MPR News: Stories for the cold months: The importance of seasonal storytelling – Teresa Peterson (12/23/2025)

Floodlight: Corn’s clean-energy promise is clashing with its climate footprint – Wendy Johnson (12/3/2025)

Public News Service: Can the hazelnut be a shot in arm for rural Minnesota economies? – Paul Mairet (12/1/2025)

Iowa Public Radio: In the wake of a near-total fish kill, southwest Iowans wade into water testing – Jodi Reese (11/5/2025)

Winterset Madisonian: St. Charles landowner awarded by Practical Farmers of Iowa – Ruth Rabinowitz (10/29/2025)

The Beacon: Vicki Rae Harder-Thorne honored for protecting wildlife and her family’s legacy (10/1/2025)

Hydro20: Seth Watkins: Regenerative Farming for Clean Water and Health Soil in Iowa (9/25/2025)

Illinois Farmer Today: Women-owned farms aim for diversity – Wendy Johnson (9/20/2025)

Farm Aid 40 Press Event: Hannah Bernhardt (9/2025)

Chicago Tribune: In Central Illinois, carbon capture project’s proximity to Mahomet Aquifer raises fears – Sally Lasser (9/14/2025)

The Happy Disrupters Podcast: Farmer & Landowner Conservation Perspectives – Lee Tesdell (9/11/2025)

National Geographic: The family farmers regenerating the soil of America’s heartland – Wendy Johnson (9/4/2025)

Des Moines Register: Fewer farms, older farmers: Young Iowans are struggling to break into farming – Maggie McQuown (8/5/2025)

The Minority AgVocate: Agripreneur Spotlight – Beatrice Kamau (7/2025)

Des Moines Register: Iowa depends on stewardship for the farm bill’s “big, beautiful” promises – Seth Watkins (6/9/2025)

Practical Farmers of Iowa: Tim Welsh (5/7/2025)

Iowa Capital Dispatch: Foraging for oil – Levi Geyer (4/4/2025)

The Gazette: ‘There’s room for creativity’: Farmer, conservationist awarded for sustainable ag practices (12/30/2024)

NPR: Iowa backs an industry-friendly fix for farm pollution, despite weak results (12/29/2024)

Iowa Soybean Association: Equipping community leaders with ag knowledge (11/20/2024)

The Wall Street Journal: Can Home Wind Turbines Take Off in the U.S.? (11/7/2024)

The New York Times: Hidden in Midwestern Cornfields, Tiny Edens Bloom (10/3/2024)

Successful Farming: 15 Minutes With a Farmer Podcast: Wendy Johnson, Iowa Organic Farmer (9/29/2024)

Iowa Public Radio: An Iowa farm grew with a mission to feed the community. ‘It was just a really good feeling’ (9/23/2024)

KCUR/NPR: Prairie home companions: Why more farmers are planting native landscapes in their crop fields (9/23/2024)

The News-Gazette: From the boardroom to the barn: Brennan named Entrepreneur of the Year (6/8/2024)

Iowa Farmer Today: Lee Tesdell (8/28/23)

Austin Daily Herald: Letter to the Editor: Programs are important to farm families and climate – Meg Nielsen (11/2023)

MPR: Farming in the face of climate extremes – Dan Guenther (11/2/2023)

Civil Eats: Op-ed: Farmers Want Climate Resilience but GOP Lawmakers Want to Redirect Billions in Conservation Funds – Wendy Johnson & others (10/12/2023)

MPR: Nonfarming landlords control a significant amount of land – Meg Nielsen (4/25/2023)

Civil Eats: Op-ed: We Need a New Farm Bill for My Iowa Farm and Beyond – Wendy Johnson (4/5/2023)

Successful Farming: 4 Sisters Steer Family Farm into a Regenerative Future – Bouska sisters (2/13/2023)

KMSU: One man’s journey to protect the environment – Lee Tesdell (12/27/2022)

Press releases, statements, and public comments

Public Comment: Iowa Water Quality Standards: With Iowa positioned as second highest in cancer rates and the recent release of the Central Iowa Source Water Research Assessment, it is critical that we take the necessary steps to better protect our water, including precise measurement and quantification for evaluating the quality of our water. (10/20/2025)

Public Comment: USDA reorganization: The proposed USDA reorganization, with its relocation of staff and consolidation of offices, risks more staff attrition, further eroding the knowledge, experience, and local working relationships that farmers and landowners value and depend on. (9/22/2025)

Press Release: Landowners share their conservation legacies in new publication: The Climate Land Leaders Initiative has just published the stories of conservation-minded landowners working to ensure that their conservation continues long after they are gone. (7/16/2025)

Statement: Federal Worker Cuts Hamper Conservation, Harming Farmers and Rural Communities: The federal funding freeze has stalled conservation programs and funding for many farmers and ranchers across the country. This puts multi-year, farmer-led projects – and therefore farmer livelihoods – at risk. (2/19/2025)