Good News Is Always Welcome

Since 1850, according to regeneration.org, “industrial agriculture has created a legacy of water pollution, animal abuse, degraded land, and unhealthy food. It has been responsible for over a third of all carbon dioxide emissions generated by humans.

Fortunately, regenerative agriculture is gaining in public awareness and financial support. Here are five examples of what might be called a critical turning in how Americans think of and consume food. It is a low-cost, ‘shovel-ready’ solution that can restore degraded land and feed the world.

Good News #1

As of late 2025, Bill Gates et al, who are investing in and promoting fake meat, have run into some resistance. Seven U.S. states have enacted bans or restrictions on the manufacture, sale, and labeling of lab-grown meat – really cell-cultured protein. Two countries, Italy and Hungary, have also joined the ban.

Let’s not forget that Gates is the largest private owner of U.S. farmland, with holdings reported around 242,000 plus acres across 19 states, making him a significant non-farmer investor in U.S. cropland. Gates is not alone in his lab-created food mission. Using the power of words to mislead, The Good Food Institute (GFI) is a think tank that advocates for plant-based and lab-grown alternatives to farm-raised meat and dairy products. GFI promotes veganism as a means to prevent inhumane treatment of animals as well as address the question of global warming. 

But really, isn’t this putting the cart before the horse? First, regenerative farming takes care of the methane crisis that Gates and others have trumpeted. Second, what if we as a nation of meat eaters worked to end the inhumane slaughter of animals and demanded industry create a more humane (undoubtedly less profitable) system? That would allow those who want to eat meat and poultry to do so with a better conscience. Another alternative is just don’t eat meat but still support regenerative farmers who are returning to the true cycles of nature and saving the land.

Good News #2

The U.S. government, primarily through the USDA, is supporting regenerative farming with recent major initiatives. This will boost existing conservation programs, streamline funding for soil health, water quality, and carbon sequestration, making it easier for farmers to adopt practices that benefit both the environment and farm economics. Here are the key programs and funding:

• Regenerative Pilot Program: A recent (Dec 2025) initiative offering $700 million to help farmers implement regenerative methods, bundling practices into easier applications.
  • Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP): Receiving $400 million from the new funding to support conservation practices.
  • Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP): Providing $300 million to advance regenerative agriculture.
• Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS): Manages these funds and provides technical assistance for planning and implementing conservation on farms. 

Good News #3

Fortunately, these initiatives come with much-needed financial support. Here are a few of the supportive measures for small farmers:

• Financial Incentives: Funds help cover costs for adopting soil health practices, improving water management, and increasing biodiversity.
• Streamlined Access: The pilot program aims to cut red tape, making conservation support more accessible for farmers of all sizes.

This robust federal support signals a significant push towards regenerative agriculture as a core strategy for a healthier food system.

Will Harris Speaking at the Rodale Institute*

“Helping the movement to grow will take significant effort,” according to Will Harris. “Two big obstacles stand in the way.” First, farmers and potential farmers need more places to learn how to convert or begin the regenerative farming process. He thanks pioneers like Gabe Brown and Dr. Jason Rowntree for their work helping new farmers (or those who want to convert) avoid some of the financial risks he experienced converting his farmland.

“We also have to educate the people who purchase food and fiber at much larger scale to supply their business needs. They need to understand why regenerative producers matter.” Harris founded a leadership organization called the Center for Agricultural Resilience. It brings farmers and businesses and nonprofit groups together for several-day sessions.

The second challenge is even bigger – the lack of capital. “Farmers need capital to transition their land from the conventional system or to fund them to acquire land. Most of the land in America is owned by people who don’t live on it and have no idea how to manage it.” Hopefully, the first round of funding of $700 million will help make both obstacles less daunting.

Good News #4

Fortunately, there are many organizations doing a great job of helping both farmers and consumers. One such is Farm Action, https://farmaction.us – a nonpartisan, farmer-led watchdog pushing for government and corporate accountability in food and agriculture. The chart below explains why any move away from this scenario needs intervention from all sides – farmers, government, and consumers. For example, 60% of non-organic carrots are produced by just two companies: Bolthouse and Grimmway. This kind of concentration makes food access vulnerable in times of crisis such as during Covid when shelves were empty of essential items.

Today, the U.S. has one-third fewer grocery stores than it did 25 years ago. The result is that just four corporations—Walmart, Kroger, Costco, and Albertsons—control more than two-thirds of the U.S. grocery market. It also means how small town grocers, often the heart of rural communities, have both been devastated.

Back to Good News!

“Farm Action welcomes today’s announcement that the administration will direct hundreds of millions of dollars toward regenerative agriculture. Regenerative agriculture is not only better for the land and public health, but it also creates a path to rebuilding farmer profitability and reducing dependency on costly chemicals and other inputs controlled by a few giant companies,” said Angela Huffman, Farm Action’s president and co-founder.

“Done right, this investment will help farmers lower their input costs, break free from the export-driven commodity overproduction treadmill, and move toward healthier, more resilient, and more profitable farming systems. This initiative reflects the priorities Farm Action has long championed and repeatedly urged the government to adopt.”

Consumers can play a major role in the regenerative farming movement in several ways: support your local farmers wherever their products are available, advocate at the local level for regenerative farming support, and carry the message – we want healthy food and support for farmers – to Congress and at the ballot box.

Photo credits: Good News – jon-tyson, Horse and cart – randy-fath, Carrots and Kale – brad.

*About the Rodale Institute – https://rodaleinstitute.org  J.I. Rodale was an entrepreneur from New York City who struggled with health problems all his life. One day, he wrote these words on a chalkboard: “Healthy Soil = Healthy Food = Healthy People.” In 1940, he bought a rundown farm in Pennsylvania and began to experiment with a way of growing food without chemicals that he coined “organic.” There, he founded the Soil and Health Foundation in 1947 that is known as Rodale Institute today.