A Glimpse of Hope for Change in Agriculture Policy

As a farmer, I’ve spent countless hours away from my farm and family investing time in policy discussions inside the Indiana state capital complex.

I’ve testified in hearings, sat in on legislative voting sessions, and even presented a bill before our Indiana state senate committee. Heck, I’ve gone head-to-head against government officials and lawyers representing some of the largest egg corporations in the USA.

These aren't activities I dreampt I'd be partaking in as a teenage farmer, but it's where our path as regenerative farming pioneers began taking me.

If I'm being honest, it was kind of an adrenaline rush. But after a year or two, I came to a hard truth: progress through bureaucracy was generally a dishearteningly slow, frustrating, uphill battle.

This realization led me in a new direction...

Rather than fighting in the legislature, I could focus more of my time in areas I could directly influence for immediate and longer-term impact.

I decided to wholly commit my energy working alongside my brothers, our team, family farm partners, and our loyal customers to grow Seven Sons Farm to what it is today. Together, we’ve made remarkable progress, but there’s still much more work to be done.
 

The challenges family farms face are daunting. 

Our latest agricultural census reported a loss of 67,000 farmers as small farmers continue to be forced out of business. 67,000...that's a sobering number that had an impact on me as I typed it.

Decades of unrelenting conventional farming has depleted thousands of acres of farmland of its life-giving organic matter. At the same time, synthetic fertilizers and harmful insecticides and pesticides continue to be applied on farmland only to largely run off into nearby lakes and waterways, creating massive algae blooms that impact cities near us like Toledo, Ohio, and far beyond.

This soil and nutrient loss translates into nutrient-depleted foods hitting our shelves and ultimately affecting public health. Consider this data which Casey and Calley Means highlight in their best-selling book, Good Energy:

• Americans consume 700–3,000% more fructose than 100 years ago.
• Ultra-processed foods make up 70% of U.S. calories.
• 74% of adults are overweight or have obesity.
• 60% of adults live with chronic illness.
• 30% of teens are prediabetic.

Sadly, preventable lifestyle diseases now cause the overwhelming majority of modern deaths here in the USA - a country with one of the largest and fastest-growing healthcare systems in the world.

We need a MAJOR shift, and for the first time in a long time I’m cautiously optimistic.
 

Regenerative Farming in the Spotlight

For a period of months, I've seen more and more leaders than ever before openly support regenerative agriculture.

For instance, RFK, Jr. recently stated that he plans to “give farmers an off-ramp from the current system” that depletes soil, harms family farms, and deteriorates public health.

Within days of the recent election, renowned regenerative farmer Joel Salatin was asked to serve in an advisory role at the USDA. Joel is someone I’ve admired for years and even worked with on marketing strategy.

Congressman Thomas Massie, an advocate for farm freedom (and a farmer himself!!) and a proponent of regenerative practices, was linked to being nominated as the next Secretary of Agriculture. I met Congressman Massie years ago, and he’s even visited our Roanoke, Indiana farm. I can personally attest to his deep understanding of regenerative farming systems and the change they can bring.

Seeing people like Salatin and Massie in influential positions alongside the advocacy of the newly nominated Secretary of Health and Human Services, RFK Jr. is unprecedented, and it’s the reason I’m cautiously hopeful about the potential of positive changes in agriculture policy.

But no matter what happens in policy, my focus remains on what we can achieve here at Seven Sons Farms.

With your support, we aim to reach more consumers with nourishing, regenerative foods and partner with 150 farms to regenerate 20,000 acres of soil by 2033. You can count on my brothers and I to continue pushing forward while we hold the line for a food system rooted in integrity - regardless of policy shifts.

Regardless of who’s in office, I’ll continue supporting leaders—whether Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Massie, Salatin, or others—who truly understand regenerative agriculture and have the potential to steer our country in the right direction to more sustainability and improved public health.

Thank you for your support and for continuing to play such a key role in building a food system that values both the land and the people it nourishes.