Megan Vollstedt Schilling

Greg Dahl has a passion for controlling weeds and a curiosity about how they work. Dahl grew up on his family’s small Minnesota grain and potato farm. His great-great-grandparents and great-grandparents were homesteaders. He spent a lot of time in the fields when he was young and eventually studied at North Dakota State University, earning his master’s degree in agronomy and weed science. Dahl has worked for Land O’Lakes for more than 20 years.

“Healthy products are made from healthy ingredients grown in healthy ecosystems,” says Jack Scott, vice president of sustainability and responsible sourcing for Purina. Partnerships and programs that put sustainability into action while supporting farmers financially continue to pop up in the industry. Purina, leading manufacturer of dog and cat food brands, is part of several initiatives doing just that, including the Soil Health and Habitat Program from Pheasants Forever.

Some of Amber Bristow’s earliest memories on her family’s cranberry marsh in Warrens, Wisconsin are the spring and summer midnight rides with her father. She’d wake up, watch cable TV, and then tag along in the truck with a cooler of snacks supplied to fuel their task of checking for frost on the vines. “Growing up, I was Dad’s little shadow. He always included me, but because I have an older brother, Dad didn’t expect I’d be the one to come back home to farm,” Bristow says.