Farmer Led Movement Transforms Agriculture Through Peer Learning

By Andi Anderson

A growing farmer-led movement is helping farmers learn agriculture practices directly from each other. This approach focuses on building trust, improving soil health, and strengthening farming communities through shared knowledge and experience.

Greg Thoren, a farmer, closely cares for his cattle and land. While checking his farm daily, he observes new calves and maintains records. His connection with the land reflects the core idea of regenerative farming. He believes, “You’ve got to think about the farm. It's not about the people. It's about the farm. It's about the land. It's about the soil.”

Farmers often trust fellow farmers more than outside experts. As one supporter explained, "Somebody coming from the corporate world or from an institution … and saying, ‘This is what you need to do,’ is not as effective as a neighboring farmer who has tried one practice and found it beneficial.” This trust makes peer learning very powerful.

However, adopting regenerative practices is not always easy. Many farmers face financial pressure and uncertainty. Jonathan Coppess explained, "When things are tight and margins are tough, what we've seen historically is farmers tend to push it, right? You push the land, you try to put more land in production.” This makes it difficult to try new conservation methods.

He added, “If you're running tight — or even sometimes negative — margins on a crop, you're going to try to get more of that crop so you can have a little bit more room to market it.” This shows the risk farmers face when reducing inputs like fertilizers.

Support from organizations helps reduce these challenges. Programs have funded projects and connected farmers with each other. Amy Smith highlighted, “We're focusing on the farmer because we're focusing on people.” These efforts have improved thousands of acres and reached large communities.

The movement grows through events like field days, where farmers share their experiences. Smith said, “Creating this mind shift in one farmer can lead to the mind shift of 20.”

Thoren believes change begins with thinking. He said, "It's not the system. It's the mindset of the person to get the system activated, but you got to have the mindset of the person first.” This mindset is driving a sustainable future for agriculture.

Photo Credit: gettyimages-shotbydave