“When I was a young kid, my grandfather had a painting of a Gaucho riding a horse at full gallop chasing down a cow in the Patagonia Steppe. The Gaucho was swinging a set of ‘boleadoras; above his head, which is the traditional tool to help them wrangle cattle. Ever since I first saw that painting, […]
Read More
We recently had the privilege of attending the National Future Farmers of America convention in Indianapolis, Indiana to represent Understanding Ag. Mingling with a sea of over 70,000 kids wearing the classic blue and gold FFA jackets with their home states emblazoned across the back is an unforgettable experience. It brought back memories of my […]
Read More
“It’s not how much rain you get but how much rain you can keep.” As I write this in late Oct 2024, we have had no measurable rainfall for the entire month here in west-central Indiana. If you look at the August-through-October total rainfall here, we have not been this dry since 2010, and we’ve […]
Read More
The headline in The Washington Post article, published August 25, 2024, proclaimed “Scientists may have found a radical solution for making your hamburger less bad for the planet.” The article, written by Shannon Osaka and Emily Wright, examined research currently being conducted at the University of California-Davis using gene editing techniques on rumen microbes to […]
Read More
In part one, I outlined some of the societal challenges linked to soil erosion and poor soil function. Now let’s take a look at some of the economic costs and benefits of addressing erosion on farms and ranches. To determine the cost of erosion, first we must assign a value to soil. In truth, topsoil […]
Read More
Soil erosion has been one of the most persistent challenges humanity has faced since the advent of agriculture over 10,000 years ago. Loss of productive capacity of the supporting land base contributed to the collapse of numerous civilizations during that time. Poor grazing practices and tillage were the main causes of land degradation historically and […]
Read More
Life is short so embrace change.” That’s the “distilled” philosophy Rodrigo Mestas brings to his tequila business, his regenerative agriculture management style and his outlook on life. In the acres he’s transitioned to regenerative agriculture, Mestas allows naturally occurring cover crops to emerge between the rows of the agave, and then grazes livestock- including […]
Read More
I pulled this image up on GoogleEarth yesterday. The photo below shows an area 12.5 miles wide, by 6.5 miles vertically, much of it in Rock Dell Township, Minnesota where our farm is. Hayfield is in the upper left-hand corner. The green area in the middle is along Hwy 30, and at the top is […]
Read More
In Part Four, I discussed the importance of keeping living roots in the soil and avoiding overapplication of nutrients at the wrong time. In this final post I will examine nitrogen sourcing options and how plants acquire nutrients in a healthy soil. To understand what the ‘right source’ of nitrogen is, we first need to […]
Read More
God designed the world to function as a perpetual motion machine. If done right, it should always be building fertility, not extracting it. But you have to understand the principles of soil health, and the four ecosystem processes, in order to achieve that outcome. While many individuals are content with simply “growing a cover crop” […]
Read More
In Part Three, I reviewed the concept of using marginal nitrogen use efficiency and zero N check strips as tools to evaluate application rates. Now I will shift the focus to problems with overapplication, how to determine the right timing for application, and the consequences of not doing so. The fastest way to diminish the […]
Read More
In business, it all comes down to profit. In farming, profit comes down to things we can’t control like the weather and the markets, and the things we can control like our management decisions. One of those key management decisions is determining how much nitrogen to apply to our crops. In part two of this […]
Read More
Sara Keough MS, CNS, LDN – Integrative Eco-NutritionistUnderstanding Ag, LLC Technical Advisor “I do think all rich countries should move to 100% synthetic beef. You can get used to the taste difference, and the claim is they’re going to make it taste even better over time.” -Bill Gates, 2021 Six years prior to the quote […]
Read More
Written by Ron NicholsPhotos by Ernie Friessen During a Soil Health Academy School in Chihuahua, Mexico, Gabe Brown handed Ernie Friessen a copy of his book, “Dirt to Soil.” The 29-year-old farmer took it home where he and his wife, Aracely, began reading it. They were engrossed by the book’s storyline of crop failures from […]
Read More
Within Understanding Ag, we teach what we term Adaptive Stewardship. We believe this to be an integral part of regenerative agriculture because without a good understanding of stewardship, we cannot be good practitioners of regenerative principles. The dictionary defines stewardship as “the responsible overseeing and protection of something considered worth caring for and preserving” or […]
Read More
In my last article, I wrapped up 2020 with a synopsis of major events that affected both farmers and consumers. This month, I want to focus on what the 2021 food scene will look like and how it may impact pastured protein producers and regenerative farmers. 2021 Food TrendsIn December 2020, Food & Wine magazine […]
Read More
August Horstmann began his farming career following the scholarly prescriptions he was taught by his animal science professors at the University of Missouri (Mizzou). Following those prescriptions nearly ended his full-time farming dream. On his family’s 1,000-acre farm in Owensville, Missouri, the then 19-year-old Horstmann used registered bulls for breeding, fed his herd grain, included […]
Read More
The Hidden Dangers of Processed Plant Proteins Sara Keough MS, CNS, LDN- Integrative Eco-Nutritionist Understanding Ag, LLC Technical Advisor While animal products have been routinely vilified and branded as promoting heart disease, cancer, and other chronic diseases, it turns out there is no solid evidence to support these claims. Yet, mainstream restaurants and supermarkets continue […]
Read More
What would a world without context be like? Navigating a world without context is like trying to find your way out of a dark room. It’s disorienting, confusing and problematic. Information is important, but knowledge is “information in context,” giving us a way to accurately and effectively “connect all of the dots” in any given […]
Read More
Plant-based meats.
It’s a phrase likely to evoke controversy and contention among a wide array of consumers depending on their dietary preferences, environmental concerns, ethical issues with meat consumption and knowledge of the food industry. Enthusiastic proponents of plant-based meats insist that they’re a more nutritious option than meat and reduce the environmental impacts driven by animal agriculture. Some consumers are on the fence, feeling conflicted about the ostensible health benefits of meat substitutes, yet accepting them as an eco-friendlier alternative.
Read More
For Brandon Bock, it was a crisis of conscience.
“I saw all of those grasshoppers at the edge of my spring wheat field. I knew I shouldn’t apply an insecticide, but it ran counter to everything I had done before,” the 37-year-old farmer from Foxholm, North Dakota, says. “The spring wheat was starting to flower and normally would get sprayed with a fungicide and insecticide in one pass around this stage.”
Read More
Confounding Economics: The Farm Income Mirage and How to Prepare for the Future Allen Williams, Ph.D., Understanding Ag, LLC Recent articles have left me scratching my head about the state of U.S. farm economics, especially looking at conflicting titles like, “Farm Income to Hit 7-Year High, Thanks to Record-Setting Aid” and “Farm Cash Receipts Forecasted […]
Read More
“Kiss the Ground.” Understanding Ag’s Ray Archuleta, Gabe Brown and Kris Nichols, Ph.D. Upcoming ‘Kiss the Ground’ Movie Features Three Understanding Ag Experts Questions and Answers with Our ‘In-House’ Stars By Ron Nichols, Understanding Ag Kiss the Ground is a new, feature-length movie that explores key soil health and regenerative agricultural principles, and features interviews […]
Read More
By Doug Peterson There are many things that influence what a person does and how well they take care of the land they own or operate. Several studies show that any kind of absentee or non-operating landowner (investors, heirs, retirees) generally do not invest in conservation on the land as much as owner-operators. There are […]
Read More