Multiple generations.
Three farmers.
One story.
Rooted in Resilience.
A collaborative storytelling project between RIPE x NBGC.
Farming for the Future
From 1980-2024, there were 106 confirmed weather/climate disaster events with losses exceeding $1 billion each to affect Louisiana. To keep the soil fertile and the land prosperous for future generations, key conservation practices on working lands are no longer optional. Read the stories of three Louisiana farmers whose families have been working the lands for generations, and what they are doing to help their lands and their soil flourish.
MEET THE PRODUCERS
Nurturing the land and keeping it prosperous for years to come means thoughtfully managing it in the present. Denim uses crop rotation, reduced-tillage and no-tillage across his farm. His great-great-grandfather purchased the land where his shop now sits in the early 1900s.
Denim Hill, Hill’s Farm
5th Generation Producer
Along with his father James Davis, Justin farms a few thousand acres of cotton, soybeans, and corn on land that was once sharecropped by his great-grandfather. Caring for the land has been in the family for generations, with Justin’s grandfather starting the family farm in the 1970s. Following in the patriarch’s footsteps, Justin says his heart has always been in farming and nurturing the land.
Justin Hubbard, Bales & Bushels LLC
4th Generation Producer
Willis farms with his three brothers, and while the group considers themselves third-generation, one could argue that they are fourth-generation, being that their great-grandfather was a sharecropper. The Nelson family uses different conservation agriculture practices in their operations, and in fact their farm is certified regenerative. Some of the main conservation practices they employ include minimal tillage, cover crops, and nutrient management.
Willis Nelson, Nelson & Sons Farm
3rd Generation Producer
National Black Growers Council’s mission is to improve the efficiency, productivity, and sustainability of black row crop farmers. NBGC is a collective of multigenerational producers who advocate for the best interests of Black farmers locally, statewide, and nationally. They promote agriculture in the United States and abroad, and their Board of Directors consists of 12 farmers who operate farms in 11 southern states, from Virginia to Texas. Collectively, NBGC’s Board farms nearly 60,000 acres of row crops across the region.
The National Black Growers Council provides necessary resources to historically underserved producers across the American South and beyond.
ABOUT NATIONAL BLACK GROWERS COUNCIL
Every farm and ranch is different, which is why there is no one-size-fits-all solution to scaling conservation on working lands across the United States. Check out RIPE’s Producer Profiles and read about what conservation on working lands looks like from sea to shining sea.
conservation stories across rural america
The RIPE Coalition
Collaboration with producers is at the heart of RIPE’s work. Through our coalition, we partner directly with farmers, ranchers, trade associations, and rural leaders to ensure our efforts remain timely, relevant, and grounded in real-world experience. National Black Growers Council is a longstanding member of RIPE’s Steering Committee, and RIPE is grateful for their continued partnership. Click the buttons below to learn more about RIPE’s Coalition and how you can get involved.