by Teresa Opheim, Senior VP, Iroquois Valley Farms
Iroquois Valley Farms has reached a milestone: This spring we added the 50th farm to our portfolio. Our farmland REIT — honored as a “Best for the World” company from B Labs — provides secure land tenure for 35 farm families working nearly 9,000 acres of farmland. More families will be joining the Iroquois Valley Farms fold soon.
Powered by the engineer and the ecosystem, modern agriculture is pursuing more efficient sustainable farming methods.
The latest technologies in agriculture are becoming more connected and automated, classic techniques are seeing revival as best practices, and the emergence of software and data science are helping farmers conserve energy.
Climate change is real and it’s already happening. Human activity is contributing to it, and its effects are already being felt around the world. It is one of the greatest challenges humanity will face in this century.
After decades of conventional farm practices of plowing, bedding rows, planting and multiple cultivations, the soil on our South Carolina farm seemed “tired,” and so were we. We recognized there is a need for a delicate balance between forcing the soil to produce an annual crop and empowering the soil’s natural ability to be productive. That’s why our farm decided to look into conservation practices of no-till, cover crops and wildlife management that could improve our soil, our area’s ecosystem, and hopefully, our crops’ productivity.