This month marked the passing of a great conservationist. On October 2nd, my dad, Ludwig Buman, yielded to colon cancer; dying at the age of 91. Dad’s name will never be etched among the likeness of Hugh Hammond Bennett, Theodore Roosevelt, Aldo Leopold, Rachel Carson, or "Ding" Darling, but his children will tell you his name belongs on that list. Dad was not a great orator. He did not lead a conservation agency. He never desired the power to create national parks. He did not publish scientific papers, nor did he incite public outcry against …
Serving Two Causes
Recently I have had conversations with representatives from two grain merchandisers. Both representatives indicated that grocers have been changing their sustainability focus from climate change to water quality, reasoning that improvements in water quality were more obvious to the consumer and easier to report. I agree. The ability to track and report agricultural improvements to water quality is far easier to track than climate change. But maybe there is even a better reason that a company should focus on water quality. If the farmer is one …
Have you ever entered Yellowstone National Park through the East Gate?
My first trip to Yellowstone National Park (YNP) was in 1965. Since then, I have returned on numerous occasions, each time deliberately entering by a different route. Yellowstone has five entrances (the South, East, Northeast, North, and West). Each entrance provides me with a unique perspective of the park. It is not the entrance, itself, that is so unique. Instead, it is the route I travel to reach each entrance that provides me the altered perspective. Each time, I see new things. I feel like the same type of experience has happened …
We are Misappropriating Our Limited Resources
The arguments to increase the number of publicly funded conservation employees has admittedly run its course. Therefore, the need to update technology in soil and water conservation is blatantly obvious. We know we all need to accomplish more with less. Let’s end the pretext for our lack of progress, and get on with improving technology. Before you respond and tell me why this is impossible, let me provide a response to the Top 5 arguments I hear for not improving technology. #1: Soil and water conservation budgets are limited. Resources are …
What did you accomplish with all that taxpayer money?
It seems like “dollars spent” has become the new metric for reporting improvements in soil and water conservation. I totally agree, we should know how much money is being spent on protecting our natural resources, but I think “dollars spent” is a misleading way to report progress. Taxpayers are entitled to information that contains more specificity, such as tons of soil or pounds of nitrogen kept from entering water bodies. Better yet, progress reporting should include efficiency information such as the cost of saving a ton of soil (cost/ton …
The End or the Start?
This week I find myself sorting through a mountain of turbulent emotions. After a wonderful ride of 22 years, I am no longer the CEO of Agren. Last week, we inked a deal with a major agribusiness whereby they acquired Agren and our software. As I said, this announcement comes with a range of emotions. The process of selling Agren has come with feelings of sorrow and loss. I would be lying if I said this process has been easy. It is difficult to walk away from a life-time spent pursuing a passion and realizing the rewards of relationships …