Valent USA Emphasizes Conservation Practices That Deliver Results for Growers Conservation practices continue to play an increasingly important role in modern agricultural production, especially as growers face tighter margins and rising input costs. To learn more about how conservation and profitability can work together, we caught up with Tiffany Dean, Vice President of Sustainable Solutions with Valent USA, to discuss …
American Agriculture History Minute: Early Colonists Learned the Hard Way About Soil Stewardship
I’m Mark Oppold with an American Agriculture History Minute. Early colonists had to learn the hard way about soil stewardship. The practices associated with keeping livestock also contributed to deterioration of the land. Colonists would cut down trees, allow their cattle and livestock to graze freely in the forest areas, but never plant more trees. The animals trampled and tore …
Initiative Offers Year-Round Soil Solutions Nationwide
The Forever Green Initiative at the University of Minnesota aims to address one of agriculture’s biggest challenges: keeping soil covered and healthy throughout the year. While the program began with a focus on the Upper Midwest’s shorter growing seasons, co-director Mitch Hunter says its methods can help farmers in other regions as well. “We want to not just find partners …
Give Your Christmas Tree Life After the Holidays
When finished with that Christmas tree, quite a few are sent to landfills. But according to a story from Clint Thompson, there are alternatives to recycle and repurpose those trees. Sponsored ContentFlorida Cattle Industry Supports Administration of Florida Cattle Enhancement BoardJanuary 9, 2026Florida Cattle Enhancement Board Provides Significant Support For ResearchDecember 19, 2025Florida Cattle Enhancement Board Considers Efforts Important to Cattle …
Healthy Soils Week Highlights Benefits of Regenerative Farming Practices
This week, the American Farmland Trust (AFT) is promoting the importance of soil health through Healthy Soils Week, a nationwide campaign to raise awareness about sustainable farming practices. Paul Lum, a Senior Agricultural Specialist for AFT, discussed the organization’s efforts and the critical role of healthy soils in agriculture. Founded in 1980, AFT initially focused on protecting farmland through conservation …
American Agriculture History Minute: Becoming Stewards of the Soil
I’m Mark Oppold with an American Agriculture History Minute. We like to think that early American farmers and ranchers were good stewards of the soil, like farmers and ranchers are today, but history shows they were not. From the 1770s to the 1830s, pioneers moved into new lands that stretched from Kentucky to Alabama to Texas. Most were farmers who …
American Agriculture History Minute: Learning Soil Preservation by Crop Rotation
I’m Mark Oppold with an American Agriculture History Minute. Early settlers, unfortunately, tended to be careless with the use and care of their soil. This was the case across the country, as Americans were used to thinking that there would always be more land for new farms. And by the 1880s, they saw this would not be the case much …
Latest Topsoil Moisture Condition Report
USDA’s latest topsoil moisture condition report reflects a dramatic increase in very-short to short ratings from the previous week, as well as levels not reached in two years. Rod Bain has more. Sponsored ContentFlorida Cattle Industry Supports Administration of Florida Cattle Enhancement BoardJanuary 9, 2026Florida Cattle Enhancement Board Provides Significant Support For ResearchDecember 19, 2025Florida Cattle Enhancement Board Considers Efforts Important …
Wide Disparity in Latest Topsoil Moisture Condition Report
A wide range of climate conditions across the continental U.S. results in some large changes in USDA’s topsoil moisture condition report. Rod Bain reports. Sponsored ContentFlorida Cattle Industry Supports Administration of Florida Cattle Enhancement BoardJanuary 9, 2026Florida Cattle Enhancement Board Provides Significant Support For ResearchDecember 19, 2025Florida Cattle Enhancement Board Considers Efforts Important to Cattle Producers in FloridaDecember 12, 2025Commitment From …
Benefits of Composting for Farms
Learning the importance of composting. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours Seventeen-year-old Summer Davies of Florida is earning her Girl Scouts Gold Award – the highest award in the Girl Scouts – by reporting on the positive effects of composting for small farmers. Here is her report. Listen to Summer Davies’ This Land Of Ours program here. For …










