Farmers who have the courage to move away from conventional practices and to work actively in partnership with the soil to manage and enhance crop health often encounter steep and costly learning curves, and even the disapproval and skepticism of peers, employees, neighbors, and even family members.  There is no “plug and play” to guide them on their way.
 
It’s a special breed of farmer who is willing to persevere through those uncertainties, and who is prepared to be challenged by the sometimes conflicting needs to be economically viable and to be a good land steward. Here we tell the stories of New York commodity farmers who, as they form deeper collaborations with the soil, are reclaiming farming as not only a vocation but an art.