It’s imperative that soil be protected and conserved as much as possible because the simple fact is that we no longer have the luxury of leaving our degraded soils in the dust as we go in search of new ground. We must take care of the soil if we have any hope that it will continue to provide for us.

I don’t think I’ve ever heard a farmer say they wanted more on-farm government intrusion. Practice mandates generally aren’t welcome amongst the individualistic, entrepreneurial types who gravitate to farming, though some mandates have seen positive outcomes over time. Improvements in the Chesapeake Bay come to mind, though the improvements have taken awhile and are incremental.