One of the greatest privileges of interviewing farmers and ranchers across the country is getting to see firsthand the incredible diversity in how people grow — and now, how they sell — their products. Agriculture is no longer a one-size-fits-all industry.
While growing up in the ’80s and ’90s, I watched our family sell crops the same way each year, relying on the markets to dictate what our harvest was worth. That’s just how it was done.
But today, there’s a growing shift happening…
Every week, I talk to producers who are turning that model on its head — folks who are setting their own prices, telling their own stories, and connecting directly with the people who eat their food. It’s a mindset shift that recognizes not just the commodity value of a product, but the craftsmanship, time, investment, and grit it takes to produce it.