On a piece of Illinois farmland dominated by corn and soy for the past century, a different kind of agriculture is taking root. Zumwalt Acres is a regenerative agriculture community committed to developing a model of land stewardship that is ecologically sustainable and socially responsible, rooted in Jewish values.
From a silvopasture poultry operation, to strip-tilled vegetables grown in a multiyear crop rotation between rows of hybrid hazelnuts, to sustainable forest management, Climate Land Leader Jim Chamberlin shares about the integrated systems that increase climate resilience on his farm, anchored by his observation that “nature is abundant.”
On October 23, 2025, Ruth Rabinowitz received the Farmland Owner Legacy Award from Practical Farmers of Iowa. Reprinted below are her remarks from that ceremony. I want to take a moment to ground us and acknowledge we are in the unceded territory of Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, Citizen Potawatomi Nation, Osage Nation, Sac & Fox…
This fall, the Climate Land Leaders Initiative decided to have a Silent Auction, and Gail Hickenbottom promptly stepped up with a donation of a meat bundle from Joia Food Farm. That was Gail: Generous and reliable. Reliability is an under-rated trait, but really there is no greater gift. Gail showed up. You could count on…
People drawn to Climate Land Leaders ask how their land stewardship can be a climate solution, most often from a carbon perspective. To explore this question from another, complementary perspective, Sally Lasser and Chris Foster, two Illinois Climate Land Leaders, were joined by Dr. Katie Ross at Sally’s R Wildflower Farm & Fields this August to learn about regenerating local rain cycles which in turn cool local climates.
For Climate Land Leaders board member Rozina Kanchwala, “Hot (Farm) Girl Summer” means sweltering days in the field picking 200-foot rows of beans and a deepening understanding of how diversified organic farms support a more just and sustainable future. In her guest blog, Rozina connects the abundance she experiences on a small organic farm with the injustice of global food insecurity, and shares what this season is teaching her about climate change, resilience, and compassion.
A few years ago, I inherited farmland and – 133 years after my ancestor purchased it – I let it go. All that my ancestors taught me lives in me and not in that particular patch of the Earth.
I have always known that I wanted to continue our family farming legacy. Life on our diverse, intergenerational farm profoundly shaped who I am, my values, and my understanding of the interconnectedness of life.
I grew up on a farm in the prairie pothole region of Northwestern Iowa. Dad bought 240 acres in 1955 and by the time I left for college, he had close to 600 acres. The farm had heavier clay soils, two creeks, and railroad tracks running through it. When I was little, we had beef cattle, a dairy cow, pigs, and chickens. The farm had pastures, alfalfa that we baled for hay, corn, soybeans, and small grains. My dad loved wildlife and kept 100-foot buffers along the creek, woodland along the railroad tracks, and avoided chemicals until the 1980s when all the kids left the farm.
I don’t believe in farm dynasties. Perhaps there are instances where people of wealth who own land can enable farmers who use sustainable practices and don’t have as much wealth to stay on the land. And certainly, in a country that honors freedom and capitalism, anyone who has enough money and desire can buy land, when it is available.
