For generations, the American family farm has represented something deeper than a business. It represents independence. Hard work. Stewardship of the land. Communities built around neighbors helping neighbors. It represents the people who wake up before sunrise, work through droughts, floods, rising costs, and uncertain markets, all to make sure food reaches our tables. But today, the future of America’s family farms is facing growing challenges — and many Americans do not realize how urgent...

As communities across America grapple with the future of agriculture, one question deserves far more attention than it receives: Should environmental review focus only on whether an individual facility can meet its permit requirements, or should it also consider whether the watershed itself has the capacity to absorb additional impacts? This question has become especially relevant in west-central Minnesota, where Riverview LLP has proposed expanding its West River Dairy near Morris from...

Across the United States, agricultural environmental regulation is primarily built on a permit-based system. Individual facilities are evaluated for compliance with state and federal requirements related to air quality, water quality, manure management, and operational standards. This system has helped establish consistent baseline protections. However, as agricultural systems have scaled and concentrated in certain regions, a growing question has emerged: Does evaluating farms one permit at...