Farmers' role in sustainable agriculture - Investing in new genetics

Feb 19, 2024

By Farms.com

A panel of agricultural experts convened to discuss the imperative of farmers' involvement in advancing sustainable agriculture through investment in new genetics. Jeff Jackson, representing SeedNet, urged collective responsibility in variety development to ensure industry resilience and growth.

The panel, comprising industry stakeholders, underscored the significance of supporting genetic innovation to address emerging challenges like climate variability and pest management. They emphasized the role of incentivizing plant breeders and funding research initiatives to foster innovation and ensure farmers' prosperity.

Sheri Strydhorst voiced concerns about funding constraints impacting essential trials, stressing the need for industry solidarity to safeguard critical variety development processes. Greg Stamp raised questions about the sustainability of producer-funded programs, urging alignment with long-term industry interests.

Morgan Webb highlighted the importance of genetic purity in seed production for crop quality and integrity, cautioning against neglecting pedigree standards.

The panel concluded by advocating adherence to laws and proper seed acquisition channels to ensure fair compensation for developers and industry advancement.

Video: A chain harrow is a game changer

Utilizing a rotational grazing method on our farmstead with our sheep helps to let the pasture/paddocks rest. We also just invested in a chain harrow to allow us to drag the paddocks our sheep just left to break up and spread their manure around, dethatch thicker grass areas, and to rough up bare dirt areas to all for a better seed to soil contact if we overseed that paddock. This was our first time really using the chain harrow besides initially testing it out. We are very impressed with the work it did and how and area that was majority dirt, could be roughed up before reseeding.

Did you know we also operate a small business on the homestead. We make homemade, handcrafted soaps, shampoo bars, hair and beard products in addition to offering our pasture raised pork, lamb, and 100% raw honey. You can find out more about our products and ingredients by visiting our website at www.mimiandpoppysplace.com. There you can shop our products and sign up for our monthly newsletter that highlights a soap or ingredient, gives monthly updates about the homestead, and also lists the markets, festivals, and events we’ll be attending that month.