Sustainable Agriculture

Building a Sustainable U.S. Beef System

Sasha Gennet of The Nature Conservancy shares her experience implementing livestock grazing practices with farmers to benefit the local ecosystem's soil, water, and biodiversity, leading to healthier cattle and a healthier environment.

Conservation, Soil and Crop Management

Q&A with Future Farmers of America’s Tyler Gardner

Future Farmers of America member, Tyler Gardner, is one hard-working college student. His work at his family’s cranberry marsh has evolved his mission to produce healthy and sustainable food for generations to come.

Soil and Crop Management

Regenerative Ag: The New ‘Sustainable’

Regenerative agriculture is a system of farming practices that promises to reduce the impact of carbon emissions. Each farming operation differs not only in the application of these practices but in their measurement process.

Agricultural Technology, Soil and Crop Management

5 Benefits of GMOs

GMOs are one of the most controversial topics in mainstream culture, even though they are proven to have many benefits for our farmers, consumers, and the environment.

Will New Wheat and Barley Genomes Help Feed the World?

Scientists have discovered a new genetic variation in both barley and wheat through genetic sequencing. This global effort to breed higher-yielding crops can help feed a growing population.

Agricultural Technology, Food Production, Future of Food

Meeting Demand: A New Type of Salmon

There's a new breed of salmon that requires less food and water, takes less time to grow, and supports the rural American economy all while having the same health benefits as farmed or wild-caught salmon. Will you buy it?

Animal Welfare and Health, Food Production, Food Regulations and Policy

Behind the Scenes with a Local Beef Farmer

Dave and Holly Albert, owners of Misty Mountain Farms, raise cattle for their local Pennsylvanian market. Their operation runs on a strong value system, adherence to conservation, continued profitability, and consumer relationships.

Food Production, Soil and Crop Management

Epicor: Strengthening our Immune Response

As we approach winter, we're pursuing ways to strengthen our immune system. Some of us have recently added EpiCor, a postbiotic, to our balanced diets and have felt its benefits. Let's take a closer look at this supplement...

Animal Welfare and Health, Health

Farmer & Rancher Election Survey Results

D2D set out with a goal to better understand the issues affecting American farmers - their concerns, hopes, and thoughts about the next four years. Here are our results...

Food Regulations and Policy, Food Trade, Health, Soil and Crop Management

Trump vs. Biden: Comparing Ag Platforms

Election Day is almost here. So where do Trump and Biden stand on American food and agriculture? We compare the candidates' views on the major issues affecting farmers and ranchers today.

Agricultural Labor, Conservation, Food Regulations and Policy

Making the Case for Sustainable Aquaculture

More than half the fish we eat comes from fish farms. But some countries' farms operate with little to no health or safety standards and zero traceability. With our rising need for fish, are we willing to pay more for high quality and transparent aquaculture production?

Agricultural Technology, Food Production, Food Safety

5G’s Revolution: Will Ag be Ready?

5G - the new frontier in technology. For ag, 5G will result in a smarter, more efficient, and more transparent supply chain. So what are some of the technologies that will benefit? And will the broadband infrastructure in rural farmland areas be ready for the leap?

Agricultural Technology, Food Technology, Soil and Crop Management

SOS: Save Our Soil

Today, we are more aware and proactive about soil erosion than ever before. Rumor has it that we only have 60 years of soil left. Is this true? If so, it is the same as losing 30 soccer fields of soil every minute. How is this possible?

Soil and Crop Management

What is Soil?

We live in a world with a growing population where understanding the importance of vital elements has never been more necessary. Understanding all that sustains us, and keeps us healthy, is critical to our survival. At the root of that is soil.

Soil and Crop Management

Combating Desertification & Land Degradation

On June 17th of each year, people concerned about the scourge of desertification, land degradation, and drought work to raise awareness and promote solutions to these important issues. Think this day may not pertain to you? Think again...

Climate Change, Soil and Crop Management

Demanding Equality: Women Farmers in Africa

These women farmers in Africa not only challenge the status quo, but have dramatically improved their local economies...and beyond.

Agricultural Labor, Food Security, Soil and Crop Management

A Farmer's Life on the U.S.-Mexico Border

Farmers, ranchers, and the industry at large depend on an immigrant workforce to help with food production every year. But how can we continue to fortify an agricultural workforce while protecting farmers at the border?

Agricultural Labor

Bettering Farms in Zimbabwe...and Beyond

Nyasha Mudukuti of Cornell's Alliance for Science reveals the challenges facing her family's farm in Zimbabwe, and how her plight to save African smallholder farms hangs on educating farmers about ag biotechnology.

Agricultural Technology, Food Security

Dirty Tactics from EWG’s Dirty Dozen

EWG recently released its annual “Dirty Dozen” produce list, which stokes fears of eating produce with pesticide residues...as if we don't already have enough to fear with COVID. But is EWG right? Or do the benefits of eating produce to maintain our health far outweigh these concerns?

Food Safety, Health, Soil and Crop Management

Jack Bobo: How We Choose Our Food

Especially during chaotic times like this, we rely on Jack Bobo's insights into our behaviors as food consumers to educate us and help us make better decisions. While we search our supermarket for a new "superfood" to cure us or a "natural" product to make us feel healthier, Jack is searching for the answers to why our brains want us to behave this way and what we can do to better evaluate our purchasing decisions.

Agricultural Technology, Food Production

Cork & Cow: FFA Spotlight on Emily Matzke

As we celebrate International Women's Day this week, we would like to introduce FFA member, Emily Matzke. Emily is developing a business plan to tie her love of ag and local food products together to create a unique dairy product!

D2D on the Farm

People and Nature: Thriving Together in the African Grasslands

Michael Doane of The Nature Conservancy returns to Kenya to witness the Northern Rangelands Trust program's success in restoring wildlife while preparing tribal pastoralists and their cattle for a fruitful livelihood.

Animal Welfare and Health, Conservation

Can Technology Save Urban Farming?

With a growing population and demand for sustainability, innovations in ag are more crucial than ever. Let’s see how pioneers in indoor ag are developing technologies that could prove impactful for our growing needs.

Food Production, Food Technology, Future of Food, Soil and Crop Management

Ag in the Classroom: FFA Spotlight on Lauren LaGrande

Lauren LaGrande, an exemplary member of Future Farmers of America, is on a mission to educate future generations about something that connects all of us – where our food comes from. Here is her story from her point of view...

D2D on the Farm

D2D's "Nice List" for the Holidays

Here's our "nice list" of helpful posts to keep you healthy, happy and in-the-know through the holidays and into the new year. Everything from delicious, low sugar recipes to global trade and alternative proteins, we've got you covered!

Food Regulations and Policy, Health, Soil and Crop Management

2 Trade Deals and Plant Food in a Pear Tree: Top News in 2019

2019 has been a wild ride! News about our food and how we get it – from dirt to dinner – have had us on the edge of our seats...

Animal Welfare and Health, Food Production, Food Regulations and Policy, Food Safety, Food Trade, Soil and Crop Management

Soil Health: A Personal Chronology of a Global Paradigm Shift

Tillage in croplands is one of the primary drivers of land degradation, but it doesn’t need to be. Join The Nature Conservancy's Michael Doane as he experiences zero-tillage cropping systems with farmers in India, and beyond.

Soil and Crop Management

Coffee: Uniting Our Worlds

Our morning brew is so much more than just another beverage! Each cup connects us with farmers in the rainforests and mountains, highlighting the importance of sustainable farming. To bring our cup of joe to life, we introduce sustainability-rated Colombian coffee producer, Finca El Ocaso.

Food Ingredients, Food Production, Food Trade

The Dirt to Dinner Team: Giving Thanks

The D2D Team has a lot to feel grateful for this holiday season! Here are a few things that we'll be giving thanks to this year as we celebrate with our family and friends.

Food Production, Soil and Crop Management

Our Agricultural Extension Service: From Gardening to Food Safety

Our agricultural extension services program is designed to teach people not just how to farm productively, but how we all can benefit, from gardening to food safety practices. And just in time for a few tips before Thanksgiving!

Soil and Crop Management

Land Degradation: The History Lesson We Are Still Learning

While the Dust Bowl era is seen as a historical American experience, the reality is different. Agricultural lands around the world continue to degrade. The Nature Conservancy's Michael Doane explores this topic in an ongoing series.

Soil and Crop Management

Are GMOs Bad for the Environment?

On the contrary. In fact, here's a different way to spell the word green: GE – Genetic Engineering. GE technology includes genetically modified organisms, which some critics claim harm the environment. But in reality, GMOs help farmers use pesticides responsibly, conserve water and increase soil health while increasing their crop yield.

Food Technology, Soil and Crop Management

Packing Social Concerns in the Lunchbox

As a scientist and mom of three young kids, back to school to Dr. Evanega means preparing her kids' lunches with their tastes - and global considerations - in mind.

Agricultural Technology, Food Regulations and Policy, Food Technology

What Are Dead Zones…and is Ag to Blame?

Each year, “dead zones” – large bodies of water lacking the oxygen needed to support aquatic life - appear all around the world. This summer’s flooding in the Midwest has made it worse. How does this happen? And what can we do?

Climate Change, Food Production, Soil and Crop Management

On the Farm & In the Books: FFA Spotlight on Katherine Smith

Katherine Smith, a Future Farmers of America member, strives to help smallholder farmers achieve profitability through financial stability and process improvement, and her mission is to make that happen. Here's her story...

D2D on the Farm

Can GMOs Make Me Sick?

Concerned if GMOs are harmful to your health? We dug into exactly what happens in our bodies when we eat food that has been grown with a GMO.

Agricultural Technology, Food Safety, Health

Fair Oaks Farms: Taking Responsibility

Fair Oaks Farms has come under scrutiny for inhumane treatment to its calves. Find out how the farm's CEO has taken responsibility to better the operations of the farm, as well as the industry as a whole.

Animal Welfare and Health

Temple Grandin’s Advice to Fair Oaks Farms

Animal welfare expert Temple Grandin, Ph.D. praised the Fair Oaks Farms' response to the videos showing animal cruelty and suggested some next steps for Fair Oaks to take in a recent post on Meat + Poultry.

Animal Welfare and Health

Organic Farming & Gene Editing: Oxymoron or Tool for Sustainable Ag?

Agricultural Technology

The Farm Babe: An Ag Love Story

This is the story of the agricultural advocate, Michelle Miller, or better known as "The Farm Babe". D2D learns first-hand about Michelle's journey from the big city to a rural farm in Iowa, and how it completely changed her views on our food system.

D2D on the Farm

What's Happening in Ag?

Agricultural Technology, Food Production, Food Regulations and Policy

GMOs are Confusing: A Recipe for Understanding

Consumers continue to be confused about GMOs. What if we told you that enhancing your banana bread recipe with additional nutrients is similar in concept to adding a gene to a plant?

Food Ingredients, Food Technology

From the Farm Babe: Who is Dirt-to-Dinner?

Dirt-to-Dinner recently visited Michelle Miller, one of our favorite social media collaborators and the voice behind The Farm Babe. Here, Michelle details a bit of the story behind Dirt-to-Dinner and sheds some light on the importance of partnering with like-minded “Agvocates.”

D2D on the Farm, Food Production

Palm Oil: In Pursuit of Sustainability

Every day, consumers are unwittingly caught in a catch-22. Palm oil, an ingredient in many of the foods we eat and products we use daily, has a reputation for deforestation and habitat destruction. But there is a solution: growing it sustainably.

Food Production

Farmer Jake Leguee on Sustainable Farming

Soil and Crop Management

Waste Not, Want Not: Eat Beer and Drink Sandwiches!

Drink Sandwiches? Eat Beer? Beer manufacturers and breweries are turning spent grains into bread, animal feed and even energy and compost. They are also taking bread and turning it into beer! The efforts of the beer industry point to significant progress in the battle against food waste.

Food Production

AquaBounty Salmon: 5 Questions

Rallying for our Flooded Farmers

The ongoing flooding in Nebraska and Iowa has pushed many over the edge, making the next harvest an impossibility for some. Many have lost their homes, their farms, and their livelihood. Here is how you can help.

Food Production, Food Regulations and Policy, Food Security

We Need Common Sense to Understand Risk

Food Production, Soil and Crop Management

Does glyphosate—the world’s most heavily-used herbicide—pose serious harm to humans?

Food Future: What will it take to nourish a nation in 2050?

Food Production

The Green New Deal: Where's the Beef?

The Green New Deal calls on the U.S. to take a leading role in reducing emissions through “economic transformation.” The references to farming and agriculture’s footprint have generated a lot of discussion among the farming community.

Food Production, Food Regulations and Policy

Preparing for Pests: A Gardener's Guide

What is the difference between organic and conventional pesticides? We’ve read about pesticides in our cereal, tea, and food, but what about our natural home garden? Organic pesticides are not always the best option for efficacy and the local ecosystem.

Soil and Crop Management

D2D On the Farm: The Row We Hoe

As consumers crave locally grown fruits, vegetables, eggs, and meat, local farms answer the call. But maintaining a farm and being profitable is a challenge. D2D visits with 4th generation Hindinger Farm in Hamden, Connecticut.

D2D on the Farm

Saving Chocolate, One 'Kiss' at a Time

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY! As you enjoy sweet chocolate confections today, consider this – the cacao tree is under threat from deforestation, pests and diseases, and climate change. Can it be saved by scientific intervention? Ethos Chocolate has come up with a clever promotion to help consumers embrace the possibility.