This is a guest post by Lara Bryant (@larasbryant), Soil Health Fellow at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) in Washington, D.C. "All roads lead back to soil," said Chef Dan Barber, keynote speaker at the Food-Energy-Water- Nexus Conference (FEW) I recently attended.Soil is foundational, literally and figuratively. In matters of food, energy, or water policy, soil should be a part of nearly every discussion, but it usually isn't.This was the theme of a FEW panel that NRDC co-organized along with the Center for Food Safety and …
Ditching Conservation
Start today and lose up to 10 lbs. and 5 inches overall in your first month with the Nutrisystem® weight loss program. According to their spokesperson, the Nutrisystem® diet really works. For many hoping to shed those extra pounds, eating fewer calories is the key. But on the long road to optimal weight, the one thing that helps motivate a dieter is a good jump start plan. It’s that first 5, 7, or even 10 initial pounds lost that, in the beginning, makes the sacrifice all worth it. A quick jump start is a great idea and one that many diet …
Barriers to Private Sector Conservation Planning
Today’s blog is written by Joe Lally, Independent Ag Consultant from Denison, Iowa. Last year, Lally retired from working for more than 12 years at Iowa State University. Previously, he worked for nearly 30 years as an Environmental and Natural Resources Manager for Farmland Foods. In retirement, Lally continues to find ways to be involved with helping the field of agriculture.Yes, ag retailers must actively encourage and assist farmers with soil and water conservation issues. That is a must. And the conservation community must help ag …
Circle the Wagons
Circle the wagons…An expression “…traditionally used by 19th century American settlers traveling to the West in convoys of Conestoga wagons. When faced with attack, such as by hostile Native American tribes, the travelers would rapidly form a circle out of their wagons, bringing the [vulnerable]… to the center of the circle….This tactic was popularly known as "circling up the wagons", and survives into the modern day as an idiom describing a person or group preparing to defend themselves from attack or criticism.” …
Driving Supply Chain Sustainability
I take a great deal of pride announcing that Agren is one of the newest members of Field to Market. For those of you that don’t know about the organization, you should take a look under their hood. Field to Market represents all facets of the U.S. agricultural supply chain; providing an unparalleled platform that helps define, measure, and advance the sustainability of food, fiber and fuel production. It is an organization I have watched for the past 3 or 4 years. After attending several of their meetings, we felt obliged to support their …
Cheaper Conservation
Today, nobody questions whether new technology is getting cheaper. But that was not the case back in 1992, when I returned to Iowa State to earn my MBA. In preparation for my new endeavor, I decided to purchase my first personal computer. I bought a sleek, new Gateway 386 computer for the low price of $1,382.95. Sure it was no Red Ryder BB gun, but for a computer, it was a beauty. I distinctly remember my older brother Bob telling me it was more computer than I would ever need.Shortly after buying it, I remember attending one of my MBA classes …