We are now experiencing times that many alive today have never been exposed to. We are witnessing our own human condition and our response to something that seems overwhelming and possibly insurmountable. The tangible result is being manifested in widespread panic and fear. Fear that we will run out of toilet paper. Fear that we will run out of food. Fear that our businesses and jobs will implode. Fear that we may contract the coronavirus (COVID-19) and become a statistic.

A trip to the local grocery store today turns up many empty shelves—a sight that most Americans have not seen before. This is just one of a myriad of ramifications of the coronavirus outbreak. Without a doubt, this will affect us for months to come.

Under the heading of “In case you needed even more reasons to switch to regenerative farming,” a recent poll conducted by South Dakota State University indicates that a significantly higher percentage of farmers who are using soil health-improving practices in their operations experience less stress, are more satisfied with farming and are more optimistic about their futures than their conventional farming peers.

Continuing the discussion around unintended consequences, all we have to do is look around us and the evidence is staring us in the face. We simply have to recognize and acknowledge the facts before us. In the process of doing that though, we also have to admit that we have not been the land stewards we should have been. Most of us do not believe we were being poor stewards. As a matter of fact, we have defended ourselves as being excellent stewards. But the evidence says otherwise. Let’s examine it.

Consumers are currently being bombarded with commercials and ads for various forms of what I term “fake meat.” Curiously, many who are manufacturing and selling these products, as well as their supporters, prefer to call them “clean proteins.” The ads appear to be almost everywhere—on the TV, in magazines, radio, billboards, store signs, newspaper and any place imaginable. It’s pretty much impossible not to see, hear, or read about fake meats. Not only are there direct ads, but there have been, and continue to be, numerous stories about “clean proteins” and their benefits for human health, animal welfare, the environment, and climate change.

The Year 2019 presented numerous challenges to farmers and grazers, and consumers. Among them were significant flooding, dust storms, cyanobacteria (algal) blooms, prevent planting, glyphosate residue issues, and fake meats. Any one of these challenges is a serious enough issue to deal with, but all of these have occurred within the same year.

Farming and food production have become hot-button issues today and can be a very confusing subject for consumers to sort out. Farming practices and food production have been linked to a number of things that consumers are concerned about including climate change, harmful runoff, animal welfare, food safety, drought and flooding, greenhouse gas emissions, agricultural chemicals, and many other concerns.

As the New Year arrives, we reflect on the past year where farmers and ranchers faced weather extremes, low commodity prices and a host of other challenges. We can’t predict with certainty what the New Year will bring, but we realize many of these challenges are likely to continue.

Time for change: The compelling case for regenerative agriculture Gabe Brown, Understanding Ag, LLC You cannot pick up a farm magazine, listen to a farm radio program, or talk to an agri-business spokesperson without hearing the words “regenerative agriculture.” But what is regenerative agriculture and why is it creating such interest?

We have all seen the articles and heard the claims: Cover crops have many great benefits. However, from land grant universities to rural cafes people are asking “Yeah, but do cover crops pay?” In other words, is there an immediate return on investment?

The other day I drove by a dairy farm. I am somewhat familiar with this farm. Like most dairies today, they are struggling. On top of multiple years of reduced milk prices and rising production costs, they are struggling with the weather this year. It’s been tough to get crops in and hay up.

The term “cover crop” is everywhere today. It’s in the farming magazines and the ag news, and is the hot topic at many agricultural conferences, workshops and field days.