When Margins Shrink, Start With Soil Health

This time of year it’s all about farm planning and locking in decisions for the coming season - what you're growing, what you're buying to grow it, fertilizers, chemicals, equipment. That's typical. What's atypical is the state of the ag economy. Crop prices aren't looking good, and in a lot of places, the co-op program costs more than you'll make.

That changes the importance of soil health. We can't be good caretakers if we can't stay in business. When the price is set low, the only thing you can control is expenses. Good soil health means reduced fertilizer, fewer chemical applications, less equipment and labor. That's how you stay afloat in a year like this. 

Practical Soil Health When It’s a Tight Year

On the farming side, we know things are still tough. You're most likely working on your plan for 2026 - what to plant, what your management program will be, how to make it through another year when prices were terrible last year and the outlook isn't any better.

At SCI, we're committed to promoting soil health in a way that helps farmers in this moment.

Gratitude and Grit in a Tough Farm Economy

For most of you, harvest is wrapped up if not close. There's that familiar rhythm to this time of year - the full tilt push followed by the sense of completion and reprieve that comes after harvesting the crop you spent all year growing. But we also know that things in farm country are incredibly tough right now. I've had farmers who lived through the eighties tell me this is as bad of time economically, if not worse, for the American farmer.

Resilience in a Challenging Year

Rolling into this harvest, farmers are facing a tough economic reality. Input costs are high, commodity prices are unimpressive, and there’s just so much uncertainty in the world right now. 

Despite all of that, harvest season still brings that familiar energy. Farmers getting antsier by the day, ready to cut, wanting to see how the year turned out. 

How Farmer-Led Advisory Networks Can Transform Agriculture

Who holds expertise in agriculture? Traditional agricultural advisory systems in the United States have long been built on a one-way flow of information – from university researchers, extension agents, and industry consultants to farmers. This top-down model overlooks a fundamental truth: farmers themselves are among agriculture’s most valuable sources of knowledge and innovation. 

A Summer of Soil and Stories

I'm in the middle of my annual farm tour. It’s my 4th summer on the road - getting out to meet people in person and see regenerative agriculture at different stages across the country.

No two farms are alike. Even next-door neighbors face different realities based on their soil, climate, goals, and reasons for caring about soil health.