The foundation is one of the most important pieces of any home, an earthbag home is no different. In an environment like the northern midwest you will definitely need to have a foundation that is up to the major freezing and thawing cycles of the region.
Here is a really great write up on the Earthbag Building Blog. A trench is dug around the footprint of the roundhouse. I would opt to use a French drain to ensure proper water drainage. I think it's worth the extra work to get as much water away from the foundation as possible. That way there is less to freeze, and less heaving of the land that could crack the plaster finishing. Atop the French drain would be gravel until it is at the same grade as the surrounding land. At that point bags would be filled with more gravel to form the first few courses (layers of earthbags) to ensure that there is no water that is wicked up from the foundation.
Overall I feel like this would be the best foundation to use for an environment rich in weather extremes.
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