Backed by Data, a Former USDA Scientist Makes the Case for Regenerative Agriculture

In June, agroecologist and South Dakota farmer Jonathan Lundgren had five minutes with President Donald Trump. “This is the answer that American farmers have been looking for,” he said, urging the president to sign an executive order advancing regenerative agriculture.

Lundgren’s trip to the White House was an apparent success, as President Trump did then sign an executive order instructing federal agencies to expand research and support for regenerative agriculture.

In a blog post, Lundgren recounted sharing “striking data” with Trump based on visits with 2,000 farms across the US over the last few years exploring the costs and benefits of an alternative to conventional industrial agriculture.

After leaving a career as a US Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientist in 2016 when he became disillusioned with the agency’s scientific integrity, Lundgren has emerged as a prominent advocate for regenerative farming, which he now practices and studies on a farm in South Dakota.

Last month, Lundgren published a study in Environmental Research: Food Systems based on data points collected from more than 2,000 farms ranging from highly conventional operations reliant on pesticides and frequent tilling to farms that practiced no-till, used cover crops and incorporated livestock, and eliminated synthetic inputs.