July 2026 Issue

Contents

Jul 2026 • Issue #661

Photo: TOC photo (Courtesy of Gary Zimmer) — On Gary Zimmer’s farm — the dark green is clover, soon to be corn; the light green is rye planted after corn last fall, with clover frost-seeded this spring, in anticipation of becoming corn next year. The only input besides seed was 1 ton of compost with sulfur and boron on the clover last fall. Read more on page 12.

FEATURES 

Instinctive Migratory Grazing

Replicating, not “mimicking,” the grazing patterns of wild ruminants

BOB KINFORD

Stockpiling It On

Stockpiling creates fungal pathways, which lead to long-lived soil carbon

JAIME ELIZONDO

Virtual Fencing for Small-Scale Graziers?

A group of seven New England graziers tested virtual fencing — for now, at least, whether it’s a cheap investment or an expensive mistake depends on your circumstances

LINCOLN FISHMAN

The Bucks Stop Here

Virtual fencing offers a workable, affordable solution for livestock — even smelly male goats

CAROLINE ABBOTT

No Margin, No Mission

From grazing management to agritourism, regenerative farms thrive when ecology, efficiency and economics are intentionally aligned

ABEY SCAGLIONE

The Hoof, the Whole Hoof, and Nothing but the Hoof

Animals are not merely products or pests; they are essential pieces in cycling nutrients, shaping landscapes, and building resilient ecosystems

MARK SHEPARD

DEPARTMENTS

VIEW FROM THE COUNTRY
Monthly musings from Acres U.S.A.’s editor

OPINION
Iowa Lot to Taxpayers

Averting another farm crisis will require policy changes ag leaders are unwilling to even talk about

CHARLES BENBROOK

ECO-UPDATE
News in brief on developments in agronomic science

REGEN AGRONOMY
Why Not Compost?

Composting helps stabilize manure and minerals so nutrients are more available to crops — even on the commercial scale

GARY ZIMMER

INTERVIEW
Beefing Up Marketing

Idaho rancher Glenn Elzinga explains why certification, transparency, and customer trust still matter in a shifting marketplace — as well as how stockmanship practices have transformed his operation

REVIEWS

MARKETPLACE

CLASSIFIEDS

ECO-MEETINGS

ECO-GRAPHIC