Faces Behind Farm Policy: Brandon Batten

Nov 18, 2025

Celebrating its 40^th year of business in February, Brandon Batten’s multi-generational family farm in eastern North Carolina is a diversified row crop operation producing corn, soybeans, wheat, rye, flue-cured tobacco, and grass hay, along with a beef cow-calf herd.

The family has adapted to changing markets in the last four decades, experimenting with sweet potatoes, hemp, cucumbers and cotton. Each decision is based on market demand, soil health and crop rotation.

Eastern North Carolina’s unique climate and soil offer farmers like Brandon the opportunity to diversify their operations with specialty crops and livestock.

One crop that has long shaped the Tar Heel State’s landscape is tobacco.

“Tobacco has always been a favorite crop for me,” Brandon said. “It grows so fast, and when I came home from college, that’s what we were focused on.

“But really, I just love watching anything grow. Springtime is my favorite season because the farm comes alive again.”

Farming has always been Brandon’s goal, but returning to his family’s operation wasn’t guaranteed. Encouraged by his grandfather to pursue higher education, he earned both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in agricultural engineering from North Carolina State University. In 2010, with support from his family and amid industry changes, Brandon returned to the farm full-time.

Since then, the operation has tripled in size and further diversified its crops.

“I truly believe the Lord put me on this earth to work in agriculture, and right now that’s farming,” said Brandon.

There are easier ways to make a living, Brandon admits, but none more rewarding than farming. It’s allowed him to raise his three children with the same values passed down by his father and grandfather.

Source : senate.gov

Video: From Conventional to Regenerative: Will Groeneveld’s Journey Back to the Land

"You realize you've got a pretty finite number of years to do this. If you ever want to try something new, you better do it."

That mindset helped Will Groeneveld take a bold turn on his Alberta grain farm. A lifelong farmer, Will had never heard of regenerative agriculture until 2018, when he attended a seminar by Kevin Elmy that shifted his worldview. What began as curiosity quickly turned into a deep exploration of how biology—not just chemistry—shapes the health of our soils, crops and ecosystems.

In this video, Will candidly reflects on his family’s farming history, how the operation evolved from a traditional mixed farm to grain-only, and how the desire to improve the land pushed him to invite livestock back into the rotation—without owning a single cow.

Today, through creative partnerships and a commitment to the five principles of regenerative agriculture, Will is reintroducing diversity, building soil health and extending living roots in the ground for as much of the year as possible. Whether it’s through intercropping, zero tillage (which he’s practiced since the 1980s) or managing forage for visiting cattle, Will’s approach is a testament to continuous learning and a willingness to challenge old norms.

Will is a participant in the Regenerative Agriculture Lab (RAL), a social innovation process bringing together producers, researchers, retailers and others to co-create a resilient regenerative agriculture system in Alberta. His story highlights both the potential and humility required to farm with nature, not against it.