With barely break-even commodity prices threatening that viability of many farm operations, a major influencer in regenerative agriculture firmly believes more no-tillers should add livestock to diversify their operations.

Jonathan Lundgren, owner of Blue Dasher Farm and CEO of the non-profit Ecdysis Foundation, says livestock integration on U.S. farm isn’t a crazy idea anymore, which has been proven in the scientific data gathered through the Foundation’s 1000 Farms research project.

Lundgren, a research entomologist, launched Blue Dasher Farm in Brookings, S.D., after his high-profile exit from the USDA over his belief that corporate financing was too heavily involved in the agency’s research efforts. 

The 1000 Farms initiative, the largest of its type globally, began in 2022 and currently includes 1,800 U.S. farming operations voluntarily collecting data through research projects focusing on various regenerative practices. 

Lundgren opines that farmers are almost paying for the right to farm when current commodity prices and utilization of marginal lands are factored in.

“Converting marginal cropland to rangeland and managing those pastures for animal agriculture increases a farm’s overall productivity and adds diversity of revenue streams,” he says…