An introduction detailing the gullied rockpile of property that germinated Polyface in 1961 provides a stage to honor and celebrate all soil stewards. The ethos of soil stewardship is dependency and development. The economy is all about carbon and hydration. The elegance is integration, innovation, and symbiosis. Finally, empowerment comes from vision, coaching, and a climate of experimentation. If you believe soil is important and you’re committed to its health, this is a tribute to you and the mission.

In a time when “too big to fail” is a cultural mantra, perhaps “too big to operate” is equally valid. Paradigms exceed their efficiency. In farming, small is beautiful for many reasons and in today’s climate, the advantages are compounding by the day. From being more bio-secure to more neighbor friendly, small farms are perhaps more viable and needed today than ever before. Rather than brushing off small farms, let’s celebrate and honor their distinct contributions.

At its core, what is sustainable agriculture? It’s one that romances the next generation. It requires balanced goals—often seemingly opposing goals. It rejuvenates local food systems. It is all this and more because in the great scheme of things, it honors prophets as much as technicians. Industrial agriculture is known for how to do things; sustainable agriculture dares to ask why, and that is the difference between technicians and prophets.

With nutritional awareness on the upswing and mainline farmers aging out, never have forages offered a more viable farming opportunity. From production to marketing to animal welfare, grasslands can be profitable, productive, and pleasurable. With new infrastructure like electric fencing, water lines, and portable shelters, eliminating Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) is now not only possible, it’s imperative. Ecology benefits too.

Conventional industrial agriculture serves a few big corporations and certainly doesn’t deliver healthful sustenance for either people or the land. Good farming tries for excellence, not mediocrity. It serves the commons and bolsters the common good, not a few mega-outfits with headquarters far removed from the farmers and customers who serve the business. Agri-industrial outfits chew up families; farming has the highest suicide rate of any occupation in the country, including ex-military. The time to cultivate excellence rather than destruction is now; and this is how we do it.