Food is Commerce

Trump proposes 80,000-ton Argentina beef import. US cattle herd at 70-year low. Why ranchers say timing threatens herd rebuilding and rural communities.

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig says that “productivity and sustainability aren’t competing goals. They go hand in hand.” He’s right. The Mohrs prove it. The question is whether corporations will invest at the scale needed to make regenerative agriculture not just possible for pioneers, but practical for the majority.

Here’s something most of us don’t think about when we’re trying to figure out how to help with climate change: it’s not that the solutions don’t exist. They do. It’s that the money isn’t going where it needs to go.

A new report says we can feed nearly 10 billion people by 2050, cut food-related emissions in half, prevent 15 million deaths annually, and save $5 trillion a year in the process.

There’s a farmer in Adel named Ron Deardorff who grows some of the best sweet corn you’ll ever taste. Hand-picked in the morning, delivered that same afternoon. The kind of sweet, crisp perfection that makes you remember what corn is supposed to taste like. For over thirty years, Ron and his family have been doing this work, carefully selecting hybrids for sweetness and tenderness, planting twenty-one separate crops to keep fresh corn available from July through September.

PepsiCo and Cargill just announced plans to bring regenerative agriculture practices to 240,000 acres of Iowa corn by 2030, working with Practical Farmers of Iowa to support farmers implementing cover crops, reduced tillage, and reduced nitrogen application.

Let’s get something straight right off the bat: if you’re a farmer reading this while wondering how you’re going to make it through another season, you need to know something. This isn’t your fault. You didn’t fail. You’re not bad at your job. In fact, you’re probably better at your job than you’ve ever been—growing more per acre, managing more complexity, juggling more risk than any generation before you.

Uncover the flaws in our broken food system—corporate monopolies, food waste, soil degradation, and inequity. Join The Story of Food to amplify heroes like Wendy Johnson and Jamal, who are fighting for regenerative solutions, healthier communities, and a sustainable future. Nominate a changemaker today!