Preparing for Sustainable Beef: Two Conditioning Challenges Changemakers Face

One of the most important components of creating change is the psychological concept of “classical conditioning” . Put simply, the idea behind conditioning is to understand a person’s unconscious response to a concept, this concept explains why we react the way we do – whether physically or emotionally – to the world around us. Ensuring that this unconscious […]

Not Acres, But People

Regenerative ag targets aren’t about changing acres – they are about changing people.  It is no secret that our world faces an immense crisis surrounding climate change and the degradation of natural resources. Realizing the potential positive impact that their supply chains can have, major companies are making headlines by announcing “regenerative ag” commitments with […]

Change Is Human

We must prioritize the humanity of farmers in our change programming.  Before they put their dirty boots on in the morning, farmers and ranchers are humans first. If we want to empower our nation’s agricultural system to be more regenerative, sustainable, equitable and inclusive — then we are talking about empowering them to do so. We […]

Emerging Trends In Sustainable Beef

Three major takeaways from NCBA’s 2021 cattlemen’s convention.  Last week, the cattle industry gathered in Nashville for the annual NCBA Cattlemen’s Convention. The event draws thousands of cattle industry members from across the value chain – producer to retailer and every link in between – to discuss emerging trends in the industry as well as […]

Translating Pressure Into Progress For A Better Beef System

There is no doubt that every organization across the entire food system is under increasing pressure to improve the environmental footprint of its supply chains – and for good reason. The beef supply chain is no different. Often hailed as one of the largest environmental villains, beef is arguably one of the supply chains under […]

Sustainable Beef 101

Understanding the pillars that make beef production sustainable.  No matter what it is in reference to, the word “sustainable” almost always comes with some baggage attached to it. It is a polarizing term, defined and perceived differently by each individual. Helping ranchers understand what is meant by the term is key in advancing work towards […]

The Key to a Robust Data Network is Actually a Robust Human Network

Digital farm-level data collection, use, and sharing rates across the U.S. are problematically low. These low rates create a snowball effect, ultimately hindering the progress of the farm operation itself as well as the sustainability efforts being undertaken by the supply chains  farm products enter. One of the key drivers of low rates of farm-level […]

Bridging ag’s digital divide

Farm-level production data is no magic panacea for climate change or agriculture’s sustainability problems. But, increased data collection and sharing can play a critical role in addressing the challenges we face reshaping the American agricultural sector to be more sustainable, resilient, and equitable. Increased data collection levels at the farm level empower farmers to make better […]

How farmers feel about data collection and sharing

Our new report in collaboration with The Sustainability Consortium (TSC) provides actionable insights on the complex relationship among farmers, their operation’s production data and conservation. We surveyed 610 row-crop farmers of all sizes from across 42 states to understand their perspectives on farm-level data collection and sharing.  We asked questions like:  How much data do […]

The American Rancher

How the old-school cowboy identity can adapt to a connected world and play the crucial role in the future of sustainable beef.  In a world with self-driving cars and smartphones, the weathered hands and dusty-chaps identity of American ranchers might feel like an aging caricature to some, or a painful reminder of American westward expansion […]