SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Brian Johnson was just a boy 25 years ago when his dad bucked the trend and adopted no-till farming practices. Now, he's approaching 40 and following in his father's footsteps promoting sustainable agriculture.

The Johnson Farm of Frankfort – 1,800 acres of cropland and 500 acres of grassland – recently snagged the 2019 Leopold Conservation Award, given to private landowners who practice an ethical relationship with the land.

Brian's family farm in northeastern South Dakota was first settled by his great-grandparents. It’s now tended by Brian, his parents Alan and Mickie Johnson, and his wife, Jamie.

He says it's one of many no-till farms in Spink County.

"One of the big things with this family is, 'Take care of land, it'll take care of us.' So, you have to change your mentality, going from conventional to no-till, 'cause there's gonna be hiccups,” says Brian Johnson. “But I think there's enough resources and enough people doing it nowadays that it's not like you're reinventing the wheel now."

The Johnson farm was nominated for the award by the local conservation district. The honor is named for renowned conservationist Aldo Leopold.

The farm's roots trace back to 160 acres that Brian Johnson's Swedish immigrant great-grandfather homesteaded more than a century ago.

After the family gave up conventional farming and adopted no-till practices, Johnson says it took about five years to see real improvement in the soil.

"It was the way that we could cut costs but still be productive, but also do what's right for the soil,” says Johnson. “It just works. If you've got the right machinery, and the right mindset, you can make it work. And it will work, it'll be profitable."

Johnson acknowledges that no-till isn't the right option for every farm, but the combination of cover crops and a herd of cattle to graze them is the better option for his cropland.

"By growing cover crops, it's another feed source, but it's also a way to just really invigorate the system on your fields,” says Johnson. “And then, having livestock come through, we're finding that we can almost wean ourselves off of commercial fertilizer after a few years, if we do it correctly."

No-till farming and cover crops were used for centuries before the rise of modern, chemical-based agriculture. The Johnson Farm will be presented with a $10,000 check at the Cattlemen's Association Annual Convention in December.


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Farmers in Iowa are studying interactions between crops, water usage, carbon and nitrogen storage, and how those factors combine to affect longterm soil biodiversity. It's part of a seven-state project in the Midwest.

Researchers are looking at the effects of crop combinations on soil and moisture across the Corn Belt.

Iowa State University Agronomy Professor Sotirious Archontoulis is running one research site in the five-year, $16 million project.

He's monitoring how crop management, carbon and nitrogen content affect soil moisture - and will try to predict the impact on the viability of future crops.

"We have the same setup in many different environments to capture different organic matter, soil hydrology conditions," said Archontoulis, "so we get a better understanding of the complexities in the agronomic system."

Archontoulis said scientists can also study greenhouse gas emissions from the soil.

He said these ultimately affect its health and can have an impact on large ag operation waste runoff, which is known to pollute nearby ground and surface water. The research is gearing up now.

Based on the computer model's findings, Archontoulis said researchers can make recommendations to farmers based on - for example - how much nitrogen the soil is losing in certain places, and how they can adjust planting schedules as a result.

"We can say, 'This cropping system with this management practice typically loses that amount of nitrogen,'" said Archontoulis. "'However, the other combination of cropping system could reduce nitrogen loss and improve productivity by X%, so this is a better strategy to move forward.'"

Archontoulis said the research begins across the Midwest this summer.




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Washington state has allocated nearly $1.5 million in grants to support local food systems and supply chains. The Washington State Department of Agriculture distributed the funds to 40 projects, supporting farmers, food and meat processors, and distributors.

Galen Van Horn, local food system and supply chain specialist with the Washington State Department of Agriculture directed distribution of the funds and said there has been consolidation in the large-scale market that small and mid-sized operations can combat.

"We've just seen a clear need for investment to support those small and mid-sized operations and make sure the infrastructure is scaled to meet their needs, and that we don't just have very, very large food system infrastructure - like processing facilities and aggregation points - that are only really scaled for very large farms and food businesses," he explained.

The seeds of the program began in 2021, when the Washington Legislature distributed federal COVID-19 recovery funds to support local food infrastructure because of the pandemic's impact on supply chains. Since 2023, the Local Food System Infrastructure Grant program has distributed $8 million in state funds.

Van Horn said the program is popular and received nearly $19 million in requests - well over what it could provide. One project selected in 2022 was the nonprofit Columbia Community Creamery, which received more than $450,000.

"They got a large grant to get the equipment necessary to receive bulk milk deliveries, and then process that into jars and have it ready to be consumed. A lot of food safety involved there," he continued.

The Washington State Department of Agriculture expects to start the next application round in the summer or fall of next year. Van Horn said the agency looks for proposals that impact the regional food system, are achievable and ask for a reasonable amount of money.


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Three members of Nebraska's student-run climate advocacy organization Students for Sustainability were among the youngest participants at the recent Citizens Climate Lobby conference in Washington, D.C.

Evalina Sain, executive director of the group and an incoming senior at Omaha Central High School, said one of their takeaways is how many values farmers and environmentalists share. She pointed out although some city dwellers may be inclined to tell farmers what they should be doing differently, farmers are, in her words, "some of the most sustainable people we know."

"Because they're so incredibly connected with nature, and their values are just rooted in what they can provide for the earth and what the earth can provide for them," Sain noted. "So, really prioritizing our farmers is so crucial as we transition towards a sustainable future within our state."

Sain stressed the nonpartisan nature of the Citizens' Climate Lobby, which starts all its meetings with an "appreciation." Nebraska attendees used the occasion to thank their congressional delegation for supporting the National Center for Resilient and Regenerative Precision Agriculture, which recently broke ground in Lincoln.

Sain added they met with Sen. Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., personally and with legislative staff for the rest of the delegation. One of their "asks" was for lawmakers to prioritize helping Nebraska farmers get Inflation Reduction Act funds for regenerative agriculture.

"If we want them to transition, it shouldn't be such a financial burden on them," Sain argued. "Millions of dollars were dedicated to building this across the nation but it's extremely difficult for farmers to get access to these programs."

Jacki Petrow, a recent Bellevue High School graduate who plans to pursue environmental studies with an emphasis in policy at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, said the conference made her realize climate change doesn't have to be a polarizing issue.

"Being able to be in D.C. and seeing how people come together, especially on these topics like renewable agriculture," Petrow explained, "And learning about how it's really good for everyone has really just cemented my excitement for this topic."

Petrow added the experience also alleviated some of her concerns about environmental studies as a career path.

"We need bipartisan support to get things done, and there is bipartisan support there," Petrow emphasized. "It was really incentivizing and helped me see this as more of a positive future for myself and not like I'm going to have to fight people."


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