Agriculture as a stable, prosperous way of life is practically extinct. It doesn’t need to be. We have the power within our consuming choices to make a remarkable difference. Although the small family farm is being squeezed out by massive consolidation in industry and by bloated and counterproductive bureaucracy, it is ultimately the consumer who chooses. While “Big” seems to define every aspect of our modern society, “Small” is still alive and well; it just needs our attention. I ask people to rediscover their agrarian roots, “find their land,” even if only in a windowbox tomato-plant. If millions of Americans do this, we can rebuild an agricultural root structure that will prevent the erosion of some of our most cherished American values.
ReGrowing Agrarian Roots
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PERC Reports Magazine, Summer 2026
A special issue exploring American conservation history as the nation turns 250.
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Thomas Jefferson: The Lost Founding Father of American Conservation
Two years before he authored the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson set out on the lifelong project of conserving Virginia’s Natural Bridge. Michaelle Browers has described the effort as “perhaps the first major act of nature preservation in the new republic.” The man who would be Governor of Virginia and President of the United StatesContinue reading "ReGrowing Agrarian Roots"
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How the Eagle Came Back
As we celebrate the nation’s 250th anniversary, it is heartening that America’s national symbol, the bald eagle, is no longer imperiled. Although once at risk of extinction throughout much of its historical range, this majestic species rebounded in the late 20th century, and populations are now in good health. At the time of the nation’sContinue reading "ReGrowing Agrarian Roots"