Healing Land and People: A Bold Vision for the Farm Bill and America’s Future

I’ve just returned from an impactful trip to Washington D.C., where I had the opportunity to meet with staff from seven U.S. Senators and Representatives, as well as the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). The conversations were serious and energizing for me—centered around a vision for the future of conservation and how agriculture can work symbiotically for that vision in America. 

My message was clear and urgent: 

If we want to heal our land and our people, we must shift Farm Bill policy away from corporate agribusiness and more toward independent American farmers producing nutrient-dense, sustainably grown food. By reforming subsidies, valuing nature, and investing in regenerative practices, we can unlock one of the highest-return opportunities our country has—economically, ecologically, and nutritionally.

A heartfelt thank you to the National Audubon Society for hosting and to all the policymakers who took the time to listen. It was a privilege to share my story and the REP Provisions mission—to be part of the solution in healing both the land and the health of the American people.

 

The Grassland Crisis: A Tipping Point 

America is losing 2 million acres of grasslands every year just across the Great Plains—that’s about 5,500 acres every single day.

At this rate, our nation’s grazing lands—and the food security, rural livelihoods, and ecosystem services they provide—may vanish within just a few generations.

This isn’t just a land issue. It’s a human health, food security, economic resilience, and biodiversity crisis issue.

 

Why Grasslands Matter

Roughly 39% of U.S. land is used for agriculture, and nearly three-quarters of that is grazing land. These working landscapes are critical:

• They sustain livestock, the backbone of many rural economies
• They preserve biodiversity, providing habitat for native wildlife
• They protect water cycles, absorbing rainfall and replenishing aquifers
• They store carbon, helping regenerate soils and mitigate extreme weather events

And yet, we’re losing them. 

 

Three Major Threats Accelerating the Decline

1. Urban Sprawl

As cities expand, working grasslands are being bulldozed and paved over. This displacement fragments landscapes and pushes food production farther from the communities that depend on it.

2. Woody Encroachment

Species like Eastern Red Cedar and others are rapidly overtaking open grasslands, choking out native forage, increasing wildfire risk, reducing groundwater recharge, and collapsing entire ecosystems.

3. Industrialized Agriculture & Monocropping

The conversion of native grasslands into monocultures—primarily for ethanol fuels, processed foods, or confined animal feed—is a leading driver of soil degradation, habitat destruction, and water mismanagement.

 

A Moment of Opportunity: The 2025 Farm Bill

The upcoming Farm Bill is a historic opportunity to reverse course. We have the science, the know-how, and the grassroots momentum. What we need now is bold policy action.

 Here’s what we’re advocating for:

Key Policy Recommendations

• Expand conservation funding for regenerative grazing and holistic management
• Prioritize invasive species control, especially Eastern Red Cedar
• Incentivize protection of intact native grasslands from row crop conversion
• Designate native grasslands as priority ecosystems for weather-resilient farming
• Level the playing field for domestic regenerative producers through fairer subsidies
• Improve access to local and regionally produced food
• Streamline NRCS & EQIP programs to make them more user-friendly for farmers and ranchers
• Invest in local food infrastructure to reconnect producers with nearby markets
• Support biodiversity and limit erosion through diversified, low-input farming
• Increase public R&D for regenerative practices and systems

 

The Time for Bold Change Is Now

We stand at a crossroads. The choices made in this Farm Bill will ripple through the next generation of American agriculture and conservation. We can choose a future where healthy land produces healthy food for healthy people—or one where consolidation and degradation continue unchecked.

Independent farmers and ranchers are ready to lead. But they need support—not more red tape or tilted subsidies pushing us in the wrong direction.

Let’s invest in land stewards who are healing the land with every bite they produce. Let’s write a Farm Bill that our grandchildren will thank us for.

If you care about food, water, wildlife, extreme weather and fire events, or community—this is your fight too. Join us. Let’s reclaim the promise of America’s working lands.

Photo on Capitol Steps taken by Moriah Ratner.