Helping Farmers Build Community Around Conservation

Who do you trust when you need information or guidance on an important decision? This isn’t intended to be a trick question or even political commentary. Instead, it reflects a daily challenge for all of us, including our nation’s farmers and ranchers. One fact sticks out in the face of the erosion of trust across American society: farmers and ranchers trust each others’ lived experiences more than just about any other business, institution or organization.

The trust among peers is why my colleagues’ work on farmer learning networks as part of America’s Conservation Ag Movement is so important. For far too long, the realm of sustainable agriculture has felt to many farmers like pressure from interests outside the industry. As farmer learning communities take root, we see that the transfer of knowledge from one producer to another is a far more effective and authentic strategy for scale.

That’s why we at Trust In Food are so pleased to see this idea cropping up in different programs, from philanthropic activities to legislation to commercial offerings. Whether it is the adoption of more digitized, connected agriculture or trialing different carbon market programs, producers' knowledge-sharing communities reduce friction, accelerate collective learning and create momentum for change.

We’re at work supporting peer learning communities across the country, and we’re here to help. What challenge do you have that might benefit from growers sharing their firsthand experiences with one another?

Yours In Regenerative Ag,

Amy Skoczlas Cole
Executive Vice President
Trust In Food, a Farm Journal initiative