Dateline 2025
        One could say it was a marriage made in manure, but how romantic is that??  So let’s step back to February 2022 when the seeds of this happy union were first sown.

       At that time, a coalition of Wisconsin legislators, UW Ag.-business scholars, and biogas industry leaders came together.  They saw several trends aligning to create the opportunity for a new path forward for our dairy state, a path to build a healthy, sustainable agriculture future.  So they developed a legislative package called A-CEW. (www.wibiomass.org/acew to learn more.)

       Let’s face it; the challenges of modern agriculture are extensive.  Large CAFOs are gobbling up family farms.  Nutrient run-off from manure and chemical fertilizers pollutes our lakes and ground water.  Farming bankruptcies are rampant.   Excessive carbon emissions in the atmosphere are wreaking havoc with the climate.

       A-CEW (Agriculture – Carbon / Energy / Water) is an ingenious legislative package that uses 21st century technology and market-driven economics to address all of these challenges.  Why is this the right time for A-CEW to be a success?  It’s because of another set of letters - ESG (Environmental-Societal-Governance) reports.  These are summaries of performance in these three areas for stakeholders and investors.  In other words, these reports show how a company is impacting the wider community and environment. 

       Until the past couple years most companies treated ESG reports as window dressing or used them to “greenwash” their operations.  No more!  Today’s investors and consumers are demanding far more than just financial gains.  They expect genuine progress in being a good neighbor in the world community.  Savvy companies are paying attention to these expectations.

       A-CEW policies would standardize pricing and production frameworks and set clear rules regarding ESG farming practices.  Once these are in place, farmers can determine which markets and companies would reward them financially for enhancing their farm’s ESG practices.  For example, farmers could determine if their bottom line would improve by introducing regenerative grazing practices or by investing in solar or a biogas digester.

       2025 A.D. – Distant neighbors, Farmers Jones and Smith, invested in bio-digesters to supplement their farm income and reduce nutrient run-off.  Mae Thane from Jones’ farm sailed down his gas pipeline and collided with Bye O’Ghass from Smith’s.  It was love at first sight and one tiny step toward a cleaner, healthier world right here, where we’re all forever… Earthbound.

       Chuck Rowst’s hooves kicked up swirls of dust with each step as he sidled up to the fence.  “Whad up?” Chuck asked as he spied his friend Bo Vine in the next pasture.

       “Just havin’ lunch,” Bo replied while chomping on a mouthful of lush grass sprouting from the rich, black soil beneath.  No dusty clouds here as he edged closer to the fence.  “Want to try some?” Bo asked as he dropped a mouthful of the green goodies over the fence.

       “Yum! Here, try some of mine,” Chuck offered as he dropped over a mouthful of dry, brittle stems.  Bo sniffed the forage and turned for another mouthful from his own pasture.

       “Okay, I give up,” Chuck grumbled. “How come your lunch is way more tasty than mine?  And why is your pasture still green and lush while ours is drying up and turning brown?  And how come when it rains, water runs off our pasture while yours seems to soak it in no matter how hard it rains?  Now, what really irks me is how come I don’t see the vet’s truck drivin’ around your pasture so she can jab you guys with antibiotics and such?

       Bo belched and smiled as he explained that Farmer Doowright practices regenerative grazing to build soil health through thoughtful livestock management and wise use of perennial and annual forages.  It’s great for livestock, but it also supports human and ecosystem health, farm profitability, and community and food system resilience.  Nitrogen runoff is reduced while water quality, the microbial soil ecology, and habitat biodiversity are all improved.

       But that’s not all!  Antibiotic resistance is a huge problem for humans.  Currently, 80% of antibiotics go into animal production.  Regenerative grazing practices greatly reduce the need for antibiotics.  Second, agriculture is one of the few carbon-emitting industries that can reduce its own emissions.  Proper grazing practices can sequester (soak up) the excess carbon in the atmosphere that is adding to the climate crisis.  At the same time it lowers a farm’s own carbon emissions.  So as the title of Kristin Ohlson’s book title suggests “The Soil Will Save Us”, or at least it can play a major role.

       “Three cheers for the farmers on your side of the fence!” declared Chuck.  “They’re making a better home for us all right here where we’re all forever… Earthbound.”