Livestock on the Land
ProgramsIn broad-brush, Livestock on the Land is a story about regenerative grazing and its promise for the Iowa landscape. Up close, however, it’s a story about people – the farmers driven by love of family, land and livestock to seek more resilient solutions, and the community that emerges when livestock are on the land.
The film goes beyond the science to show how livestock are central threads connecting people, diversifying farms, protecting soil and water, and anchoring rural communities.
When livestock leave, so do the people. Livestock on the Land shows the reverse: how livestock can re-people our rural communities by giving farmers a chance to get started, grow businesses, provide for their families, work together and bring back the next generation to sustain the cycle.
Watch the Full-Length Film on YouTube
“Livestock on the Land” is a story by Practical Farmers of Iowa about the ways that farmers are building a regenerative agriculture by centering their operations around the animals they care for.
Whether it’s through rotational grazing or cover crops or fertility for crop fields, livestock hold the key to protecting our soil, cleaning up our water and even providing habitat for wildlife. But most importantly, livestock give farmers a chance to get started, grow businesses, provide for their families, work together and ultimately, bring back the next generation to start it all over again.
Watch the Trailer
Introduce yourself to the topics and meet some of the farmers featured in the film.
Watch the TrailerAbout the Production
See a list of farmers and PFI staff who played a critical role in creating this film.
About the ProductionQ&A Session at the 2021 Virtual Annual Conference
Watch the Q&ATake Action
Buy Local Meat
Buying from local farms keeps money circulating in your community and builds a more resilient food system.
Find a Farmer Near YouStart a Grazing Connection
Find and connect with livestock and landowners across the Midwest. More grazing is a good thing!
Explore ListingsBecome a PFI member or donate to PFI
Join a community of innovative farmers, enlightened consumers and forward-thinking agricultural and environmental professionals.
Join PFILearn More About PFI's Livestock Programming
Through our livestock program, we work with farmers to conduct on-farm research, hold pasture walks and field days and host educational events based on priorities identified by our livestock farmer members.
Livestock on the Land Magazine Article
Practical Farmers of Iowa
In 2017, we started out on a journey to tell the story of regenerative grazing and its promise for the Iowa landscape. As we talked to more and more PFI farmers about the animals that made up the backbone of their farms, we realized we were onto something bigger – and more complex.
Linking Livestock to Land
Practical Farmers of Iowa
At one time, the vast majority of farms in Iowa included livestock. Today, however, livestock are an afterthought for many current non-operating landowners – those who don’t actively farm.
Graze More Instead of Owning More
Practical Farmers of Iowa
Odds are you’ve probably heard of or seen goats grazing in your local county park to eat down poison ivy and other unwanted plant species. This practice, referred to as prescribed grazing, is increasingly prevalent in Iowa and beyond – in both rural and urban areas.
Subscribe to our Monthly Livestock Email Newsletter
“The Monthly Feedstuff” is loaded with resources for every kind of livestock farmer. We’ll keep you in the know on upcoming livestock events across the Midwest, the latest grazing and livestock research from our Cooperators’ Program, our newest magazine articles and more! View our newsletter archives and subscribe on our website.
Contact
Are you interested in hosting a screening or having one of our featured farmers speak at your event? Please reach out to our staff!
