The reality of the farm business (with the idyllic red barn and bountiful locally grown, organic vegetables) is much more complex than the rosy stories that are told in these documentaries. Every conversation I have with a regional-scale food producer is a reminder that the path toward success is not straightforward.
Read MoreDepending on the type of farmer or foodie or agricultural innovator you are talking to, you will hear different answers defining practices and farming systems that regenerative agriculture can encompass. It is almost always a nuanced conversation.
Read More40% of all of the U.S. corn crop goes to ethanol production. Earlier this year General Motors (GM) made a commitment to exclusively offer electric vehicles by 2035. Why and how these statements are related and what it means for the future of the grain industry.
Read MoreThere are a number of fads, new hobbies, and a plethora of unpredictable interests that the world has taken to throughout the pandemic. The latest quarantine fad? Mushroom growing.
Read MoreEarlier this month I had the chance to chat with Sarah Nolet to record an episode for the AgTech So What Podcast. It was a great opportunity to not only have the chance to share my journey working in agriculture but to also reflect on where I have been and where I hope to go.
Read MoreFinding the positive in 2020.
Read MoreA couple of weeks ago I had a conversation with a colleague in the agriculture technology space about where its worth focusing time and resources to make an impact and improve our agricultural supply chain. My thoughts on this question
Read MoreI look at the state of American agriculture and see a system that is built on serving large commodity agribusinesses and behemoth processors and consumer product goods companies (CPGs). I see a system that is held up by agriculture subsidies that are primarily designed to support a handful of commodity crops in any given area. Why is this?
Read MoreOne of the easiest ways to work through a problem is to break it down into smaller pieces. If the individual pieces of the puzzle can be solved, then when put together, in theory, it should work. Yet, often, when we solve for those individual piece we lose critical information.
Read MoreIt was a hot summer night in August 1959. The summer doldrums brought on by the hot and humid days and nights of southeast MO had set in. An essay that brings life on the farm in the 1950s back to life.
Read MoreNow, sitting on the front porch of our family’s cabin in rural Missouri, just a couple miles down the road from my family’s original homestead, I have been doing a lot of thinking. I’ve been mulling over what was gained and what was lost by the great migration from rural to urban and from farms to desk jobs.
Read MoreFirst published on Pure Advantage as a part of “Our Regenerative Future” series. Learn more about my journey discovering New Zealand agriculture by talking to farmers, getting my hands dirty and traveling across Aotearoa, New Zealand.
Read MoreI recently had the opportunity to work with the TFF team on their recently launched WTF: Where’s The Farmer Lab on TFF Digital Labs. Learn more by reading this short interview.
Read MoreEveryday there is a new headline about restaurants trying new ways to stay in business or policies temporarily changing to allow innovative ideas to flourish. The old adage, “necessity is the mother of invention” is unfolding before our eyes. New ideas and out of the box thinking is what is needed right now, and people are stepping up to the plate.
Read MoreThe USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) Prospective Plantings Report was recently released. U.S. farmers are expected to plant 97 million acres of corn in the 2020 season. This number is up from last year despite abysmally low commodity prices and decreased demand for biofuels. Why do farmers continue to plant these commodity crops with little return?
Read MoreEven amidst a global pandemic everyone has to eat; however the foods that fill our plates over the past several weeks has altered dramatically, leaving the U.S. agri-food chain struggling to adapt.
Read MoreThe agri-food industry is an important focus during this time because of its essential services that it provides to all of us. We all need food. There is no option for our food system to fail. Now is the time to figure out how to build its resilience in the face of adversity.
Read MoreThis is an important time in the agri-food space as people around the globe are exploring the impacts of the Covid-19 crises and its impact on food accessibility and our agri-food system. Many of these questions do not yet have clear answers. Our critical thinking about potential solutions must match its novelty.
Read MoreLooking at Covid-19’s potential impact on our food and agriculture system is an incredibly important task to prepare for the unknown and develop a more resilient agriculture system. The impacts vary widely across the gamut, from small vegetable farmers to large commodity grain operations.
Read MoreAs my time in New Zealand has drawn to a close, I took some time to reflect on the moments and experiences that have helped me learn and grow over the past several months. When I look back over all of the different people that I met and farms I worked on I am filled with gratitude for the wide range of experiences I’ve had.
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