Farmer Insights Drive America’s Conservation Ag Movement Peer-To-Peer Learning Communities
In the not-too-distant past, a paradox of some U.S. sustainable agriculture activities was that too often, farmers and ranchers weren’t at the table. Alternately, farmers and ranchers were invited to the table to clean up the leftovers—after the big decisions were made. Such an approach understandably left many farmers and ranchers with a bad taste […]
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 […]
Farmer Learning Community Insights From The Field: A Chorus of Conservation ’Whys’
It seems that so much of the conversation about farmers and conservation centers on why farmers are not implementing conservation, including barriers and limitations to voluntary adoption. Those sentiments sometimes sound like, “If only we could figure out how to reduce the economic consequences of….” or, “That will never work with our equipment limitations…” or, […]
Why We Must Put Mississippi River And Gulf Of Mexico Back In The National Conservation Dialogue
As in all industries, agriculture has its share of topics that ebb and flow in popularity. Water quality seems to fall squarely into that camp. (Let’s reserve water quantity and availability for another post in the near future–sadly, that subject is certainly having a moment as 10% of the contiguous U.S. reels from drought conditions […]
3 Insights About Farmer-To-Farmer Learning Communities From Our Work On America’s Conservation Ag Movement
If you’ve been paying attention to the latest trends in farmer outreach and engagement, you’ve probably seen a lot of noise about “farmer networks,” “producer groups” or “farmer peer networks.” Conservation nonprofits, state and federal government agencies, academia, even agribusinesses are standing up these groups. In not a few cases, farmers have established their own […]
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 […]
U.S. Farmers And UN SDGs: A Market Access Opportunity – Part 1
This guest editorial was shared by Jay Vroom, chairman, Trust In Food and America’s Conservation Ag Movement Board of Advisers. I’ve been connected to U.S. production agriculture my entire life. From growing up on a grain and livestock farm in Illinois (which I still own) to working in my career in ag trade associations, I’ve […]
How Much Can Farming Address Climate Change?
During Day 1 of our 2021 Trust In Food Symposium: Regenerative Reset event held in February, Trust In Food posed the question, “How much can farming address climate change?” In this 90-minute session, moderated by Trust In Food’s Executive Vice President Amy Skoczlas Cole, we heard from Dr. Jonathan Foley of Project Drawdown on the role […]
Biden Watch: What 5 Ag Experts Are Following On Climate, Equity
Experts watching the nascent Biden administration’s early moves in Washington say they’re seeing clear action on climate and racial equity in the food system, according to a panel at the 2021 Trust In Food Symposium: Regenerative Reset held in late February.
How Farmers Can Use Social Media to Influence Change in Their Community
One of the most exciting new ways we have seen farmers take steps forward in their conservation journey is by learning from peers in the industry via social media. They are then able to share their efforts with the public in the same way. Social media can be an incredible tool to bring conservation agriculture […]