It’s been a tough few months for farmers.
But instead of focusing on what’s lost,
this could be a time to focus on what’s possible.

“Where focus goes, energy flows.” I first heard that phrase on a Tony Robbins CD about a decade ago. I recall another line from the program, a quote from Good Timber by American poet Douglas Malloch: “Good timber does not grow with ease; The stronger wind, the stronger trees.” Both phrases have been top-of-mind since January, when farmers had the rug pulled out from under them.

With the change in administration, there’s been a not-so-subtle shift in support for local farms and food systems, and it’s not moving in a positive direction. The last few months saw the federal government freeze and terminate billions of dollars previously invested in projects designed to help farmers stay viable in an industry fraught with challenges.

As expected, these decisions have been met with fierce opposition from farm and food advocates throughout the industry. Lawsuits, letters, protests, and tractor brigades have been organized. New Jersey Senator Cory Booker even introduced the Honor Farmer Contracts Act and spent a record-breaking 25 hours on the Senate floor denouncing the administration for its rash and disruptive actions.

It’s easy to be overwhelmed by the current state of the world, thanks to smartphones, social media, and the 24-hour news cycle. And while we certainly need to challenge these cuts for the sake of our farmers and the organizations supporting them, we can’t stop there. If all we do is fret and fight, we’ll fail to see the signal in the noise, the reminder that we can—and must—commit ourselves to prevent this from happening in the future.

Let’s shift some of our focus and energy toward building resilient and regenerative systems, toward shaping a community of businesses that don’t rely so heavily on federal funding, and developing local solutions to local community needs.

Regenerative Farming, Regenerative Economics

Farmers have never had it easy, and the current mix of challenges is nothing short of brutal. Success on the farm largely depends on the mercy of nature, but shifts in climate are forcing producers to manage record-breaking drought, heat, and precipitation; unpredictable frosts; new diseases; and new invasive species. Labor is hard to find, and it’s a challenge to keep abreast of constant changes in regulations. Add to that the rising cost of inputs and cheap, imported food that erode the farmer’s bottom line. That anyone is able to keep above water in such an environment is beyond impressive.

If strong winds create strong trees, then the farmer is a giant sequoia. Trees alone do not make a forest, though. Around our farmers, a mix of nonprofit organizations, institutions, businesses, and passionate stakeholders work together to strengthen the local food economy. Much like nature’s support network of wild-life, insects, fungi, and microbes, our goal is to create a rich ecosystem in which the farmer (AKA the sequoia) can thrive.

FUNDING CUTS AND FREEZES CERTAINLY TAKE AWAY DOLLARS, BUT THEY DON’T DIMINISH THE WEALTH, ASSETS, AND ABILITIES WITHIN OUR LOCAL FOOD COMMUNITY.

We—farmers and agriculture’s support network—work to create markets, to improve land access, to improve soil health and implement conservation practices. We network, share resources, promote farms and engage consumers to “buy fresh, buy local.” These farmers and food system pros employ diverse skill sets that extend well beyond food and farming; in a single day, there might be some accounting, some tractor maintenance, some grant reporting, some plumbing, email marketing, sales, and more.

We in New Jersey are blessed with diverse landscapes and even more diverse communities, each with exciting food cultures to learn from and enjoy. Surrounding the Garden State are some of the largest consumer markets in the country, with New York City, Philly, and D.C. all within reach.

With incredible producers, committed stakeholders, diverse markets, and a temperate climate, one would think we’re well-poised to enjoy a thriving local food industry. Compared to other states, we’re actually uniquely qualified to support a robust, multi-faceted local food system.

There’s a critical piece missing, though: We need a major mind-set shift, a change in how we view not only the challenges but also the opportunities on the table.

In speaking with friends and colleagues, the idea that many of us are now working with “limited resources” is a misnomer and a mental trap. Funding cuts and freezes certainly take away dollars, but they don’t diminish the wealth, assets, and abilities within our local food community. Instead of focusing on what we’ve lost, we can focus on what’s possible when we all work together to cooperate, collaborate, share resources, and shift toward a more local and regenerative economy.

In nature, ecosystems rely on regeneration to sustain vibrancy and health. That is, the individual parts of the ecosystem cycle resources inward and invest in the health of the whole. Trees drop leaves onto the forest floor, where they decompose and create fertile ground for a variety of plants, animals, insects, and other organisms to thrive. New trees sprout, and the cycle continues. With any luck, they won’t get eaten by deer or turned into another warehouse.

“AGRI-CLUSTERS” REFERS TO GROUPS OF PRODUCERS WHO COLLABORATE WITHIN A SPECIFIC REGION OR SEGMENT OF AN INDUSTRY.

Similarly, farms that employ regenerative practices aim to put more resources into the farm than they pull out of it. Practices like composting, cover cropping, mulching, and rotational grazing act like investments in soil health and help foster a vibrant farmscape. Regenerative systems aim for a net-positive outcome, enabling long-term sustainability and resiliency, whereas degenerative systems fail to replenish and cannot sustain themselves.

This same regenerative approach needs to be championed and applied to local food systems and economies. Doing so can set off a cascade of inward investment, keeping wealth and resources within the community while creating jobs, stabilizing businesses, and improving health and wellness for residents. Building on a foundation of regenerative economics, we can equip our state’s food producers with the tools needed to support these positive community outcomes.

Locally Sourced Solutions

Whether public or private, the best use of funding is support for local food purchasing programs. In a secure, stable local market, everyone wins. More local food means a smaller environmental footprint, lower logistical costs for producers, less waste in the fields, and more affordable and nutritious food for the end consumer.

Local food procurement programs have a stabilizing effect on the industry. With a more predictable financial situation, farmers can improve their business in ways not possible when on risky financial footing. A more stable marketplace allows producers to implement more conservation and stewardship practices, to experiment with organic production (and perhaps afford the certification costs), to invest in needed equipment, and to invest in their employees, creating more and better-paying jobs.

Even better, if we can create secure markets for farmers while making food affordable and accessible to all, we have a win-win-win-win situation. Two victims of the recent federal funding cuts—the Local Food Purchase Assistance (LFPA) and Local Food for Schools (LFS) programs—are tremendously impactful. They connected local farms to food banks, food pantries, and schools to help tackle food insecurity in our communities. We need to advocate for dedicated state and local funding to match and exceed what LFPA and LFS have been providing.

Further, collaborative and cooperative efforts are essential in making local, small businesses competitive against larger, international corporations. Agri-clusters refers to groups of producers who collaborate within a specific region or segment of an industry. Agri-clusters might share equipment, logistical infrastructure, and staff; they can utilize group purchasing power to secure bulk discounts on supplies and inputs; and they can coordinate to access market channels that individual producers could not otherwise access on their own.

Partnerships between public institutions, private organizations, and small businesses are needed to make the most of shared resources. Let’s support regional grain mills, livestock processing facilities, cold storage and distribution hubs, commercial processing kitchens, equipment-sharing programs, bulk supplies purchasing, and more. Let’s invest in our own capacity to make the most out of what’s being grown in the Garden State.

Embracing A New Approach

E.F. Schumacher, the celebrated economist and author of Small Is Beautiful, writes “The art of living is always to make a good thing out of a bad thing.” Drawing parallels from his time spent farming, Schumacher understood that resilient systems needed regenerative inputs and were not served by one-size-fits-all solutions. He questioned the feasibility of endless growth, consolidation, and “bigness” while stressing the importance of self-reliant communities.

In the same way farmers and food system professionals evolved to meet community needs in 2020, we can again find ways to move forward within the current funding crisis. Let’s recognize the bounty that we have, inherent within our state, and begin to make the most of it, together. Let’s approach this not as an option, but as a necessity in order to build a food system that serves us indefinitely.

EMBRACING CHANGE

Through his works, the late (great) Irish poet John O’Donohue nourished minds and spirits with words, exploring concepts of permanency, change, nature, beauty, and the landscape of living. In To Bless the Space Between Us, he speaks of the moment in which everything changes, where we have no choice but to move forward and embrace a new normal. We can wait to be surprised by the change, or we can choose a new path of our own design:

“So often we look back on patterns of behavior, the kind of decisions we make repeatedly and that have failed to serve us well, and we aim for a new and more successful path or way of living. But change is difficult for us. So often we opt to continue the old pattern, rather than risking the danger of difference. We are also often surprised by change that seems to arrive out of nowhere. We find ourselves crossing some new threshold we had never anticipated.”