Make Friends with a Farmer: Digging Into the Story of Food

At the heart of the food we eat are relationships—our connection to the soil, sun and rain that nurture our crops, and connection to the farmers and ranchers supporting their families and ours. 

Industrial systems have led to a disconnect from these sacred relationships, degrading the land and harming communities. There is momentum growing to rebuild our agricultural systems in regenerative and inclusive ways. Our investments seek to repair these relationships at every step of the food chain—from rebuilding soil health and conserving water, to supporting conversion of industrial farmlands to healthier methods, to changing systems so farming can be available as a way of life for new generations and farmers of color, and to make healthy, affordable food more accessible.

We’re on the cusp of exciting change. As our partners at Ecdysis Foundation say, “We anticipate a paradigm shift in the way food is produced in this country, and we want to have answers ready for farmers when they are ready to farm in nature’s image.”

We’re all for that kind of positive, transformational change. Check out these Mighty Arrow partners doing the work to make it happen:

Land Core is working to advance soil health policies and programs that create value for farmers, businesses and communities. This is critical, because America is losing 1.7 billion tons of topsoil from croplands every year—and at this rate, America has an aggregated 60 years of harvests left. Food security is national security, so we must prioritize soil health and evolve the systems that govern our practices.

California Farmlink is dedicated to investing in the prosperity of farmers and ranchers through lending, education and access to land. They helped Anna Maria Villanueva, owner of Anna’s Organic Farms, with a loan to purchase a new truck, so she could transport products without worry—and keep her sights on long-term goals and her farm’s sustainability for the next generation.

The Ecdysis Foundation believes that we can grow food and conserve biodiversity and environmental health. Agriculture can be used to solve many of the world’s problems, and Ecdysis Foundation provides the research and development that can make innovative practices scalable and transferable to as many operations as possible. Their 1000 Farms Initiative is growing across the US, and found recent momentum with a community of farms on the front range of Colorado.

Collaboratives like Regenerate America are seizing the opportunity to bring groups together around the renewal of the Farm Bill in 2023 to ensure support for regenerative agriculture into the future. Their policy recommendations are designed to create healthier soils, profit for farmers, and healthy, thriving communities.

And don’t forget about supporting the supply chain ecosystems that are part of the equation for farmers to maintain profitable businesses. We recently learned that a stone-milled flour company Cairnspring Mills in the Pacific Northwest, who is part of our impact investing portfolio, provides flour to our local bakery, Little Bird Bakeshop, here in our hometown of Fort Collins, Colorado. I think I’ll have another croissant at my next coffee meeting downtown.

There are many reasons our communities are drifting apart in today’s political climate. But there is one thing we can all agree on…good food taste good! Let’s come together, across the table, across the field, and across the aisle to protect our food systems in a way that leads to healthier lives for more of us.

We hope you’ll support these wonderful partners! We also hope you’ll get to know farmers and ranchers in your area. Your local farmer’s market is a great place to start!