In the United States, around 98 percent of farms are family owned and operated. And many of these farmers want to continue their family tradition by handing down their operation in better shape to the next generation. That takes hard work, dedication, and a continuous focus on doing what’s best for the land and the business.
In the latest episode of This is U.S. Sustainability, we hear from two multi-generational farmers – an eleventh-generation grains farmer from Maryland and the owner of a centennial cattle farm in Louisiana – about how they have moved with the times while staying true to their roots.
We cover rotational grazing, no-till cultivation, water conservation, biotech seeds, and more. And we discuss why going back to the natural cycle is sometimes the best approach.
When it comes to capturing and storing carbon, there is nothing better on land than forests, says Professor Tony D’Amato, a silviculture expert from the University of Vermont and guest on This is U.S. Sustainability. The challenge is ensuring that forests stay as forests, he adds.
According to Paul Catanzaro, a professor and state extension forester from the University of Massachusetts, the issue is compounded by an aging demographic of private landowners who own around 70% of forests in New England. “The decisions that these current landowners make about what will happen to their land when they pass away will largely shape the public benefits that we receive in the future,” he says.
Tune in to the latest episode of This is U.S. Sustainability to hear how Paul and Tony work together to reach family forest owners and ensure they have the information and resources to make the right decisions about their land. And learn about the vital role Tim Stout, a Vermont landowner, plays in amplifying their message.
Tune in for the lowdown on the innovative, often surprising ways the almond industry and the wider food sector are reducing waste.
Did you know that a significant amount of food is lost before it leaves the farm? The Almond Board of California is working hard to address this issue in its industry by investing in so-called co-product innovations. We speak to Chief Scientific Officer Dr. Josette Lewis about some of the new, productive uses for those parts of the plant that might otherwise be thrown away, such as the hulls, the shells and even the orchards themselves. Jet fuel, beer, water filters and peat moss to grow mushrooms – these are just some of the many applications in use and under development, as U.S. Department of Agriculture research leader Bill Orts explains.
What is soil health? Why is it important? And how can it be improved? Tune in to the latest episode of This is U.S. Sustainability to find out.
We speak to Professor Michelle Wander, a soil scientist at the University of Illinois whose entire career has been dedicated to understanding soil stewardship, and we hear from two award-winning farmers: Cotton farmer Barry Evans, Field to Market’s Farmer of the Year A third-generation cotton grower in the Texas panhandle, the heart of America’s historic Dust Bowl, Barry has experienced the dangers of blowing topsoil first hand. He shares his resilient approach to dryland farming and how he rises to the dual challenges of water and wind erosion of his soil.
Organic farmer Amy Bruch, The Organic Trade Association’s Organic Farmer of the Year A follower of the Albrecht Kinsey principles of soil fertility, Amy is credited with evolving her family operation in York County, Nebraska into one of the most cutting-edge organic farms in the country. She talks to us about intentional soil balancing and how, by feeding the soil, she’s feeding the plants and achieving optimal yields.
In this episode, we take a deep dive into the issue of water conservation.
We travel from Weiner, Arkansas to the central valley of California to find out how some of America’s farmers are rising to the challenge of climate change and extreme weather by implementing water efficiency measures on their land. We speak to an Arkansas rice farmer who describes his approach to irrigation as a giant mathematical equation and hear from a California almond grower who says that the biggest dilemma she faces is how to harness the rain when it comes.
Tune in now to hear more about the intricacies of multi-inlet rice irrigation, the benefits of whole orchard recycling, and how groundwater banking could be the future.
Technology and innovation go under the microscope as we consider the differing approaches between the U.S. and Europe and how technology could play a major role in sustainable food production.
We talk GMOs, the cost benefits of variable rate technologies and how farmers everywhere want access to the best tools but sometimes politics stand in the way.
Tune in now to hear from guests including: Monte Petersen, a soybean farmer from North Dakota and a strong advocate for GMOs, Peter Hvidsten, a wheat farmer from Northwest Minnesota who uses several practices including variable rate application, Benno van der Laan, a public affairs expert who has more than 25 years’ experience in international market access issues associated with agricultural technologies, and Marie-Cécile Damave, Head of Innovation and International Affairs at agricultural think tank Agridées.
Just because the U.S. does things differently doesn’t mean that its animal care practices aren’t as robust as more regulated countries, as our experts explain.
We also feature a real-life example of animal care in action, from a cattle barn that offers the ultimate in cow comfort – from waterbed mattresses to a milking robot. Tune in for expert views and on-the-ground experiences from: Tina Hinchley, a dairy farmer from Cambridge, Wisconsin Cheyenne McEndaffer from the U.S. Meat Export Federation, and a former food safety animal welfare officer Tiffany Lee, Director of Animal Care and Compliance at Clemens Food Group, a pork production company, and a trained veterinarian.
In our first episode of the series, we focus on America’s family farms, which make up 98% of all farms in the United States.
We’ll be hearing from: Jay Hardwick, a cotton farmer from Louisiana who’s in the process of handing over the reins to his sons – the fourth generation; Native Alaskan Bill Thomas who has been a commercial fisherman for 52 years, following in the footsteps of his grandfather, his great uncles and his uncles before him. We’ll be talking about the importance of leaving the land in better shape for the next generation and learning about responsible fisheries management in Alaska, where sustainability has been part of the State Constitution since 1959.
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