Skip to content
  • Happy Health
  • Happy Mindset
  • Animal Wonders
  • About Us
    • Team
  • Subscribe
Menu
  • Happy Health
  • Happy Mindset
  • Animal Wonders
  • About Us
    • Team
  • Subscribe
Happy News

How Nut Trees Are Saving Midwest Farms And The Environment

Every summer a pond at Rusted Plowshare farm in central Missouri used to fill with algae blooms as rows of corn and soybeans stretched across the landscape with native grasses and wildflowers, and there hadn’t been a quail sighting in 40 years. That changed dramatically when Josh Payne planted 20 acres of chestnut saplings in 2017, eventually expanding to 200 acres of chestnut trees with sheep grazing beneath them after stopping corn and soy production entirely, and now the pond stays clear year round. Payne says there’s just a lot more diverse life at the farm with many things that don’t have a place in the corn and soy scenario coming back to the land naturally.

The Savanna Institute explains that incorporating trees and shrubs into working agricultural landscapes helps farmland behave more like nature intended. Across the Midwest about 127 million acres is devoted to agriculture with three quarters of that in corn and soy, crops that financially squeeze farmers through low commodity prices. Tree roots make ground spongier and better able to hold water while minimizing erosion, with dense root systems reducing nutrient runoff and mixed vegetation supporting biodiversity, all while allowing farmers to continue harvesting crops unlike conservation practices requiring land removal from production. An acre of mature chestnuts can net $10,000 or more according to the University of Missouri’s Center for Agroforestry, providing nice lifestyle options for small farmers where alternatives are limited, and nut trees can generate income for decades offering multi generational resilience as 70 percent of U.S. farmland changes hands in coming decades. The transformation at Rusted Plowshare and farms across the Midwest proves that switching from commodity crops to nut trees creates a yes and situation where environmental health and farmer profits can thrive together.

PrevPreviousLeopards Return After Being Gone For 170 YEARS
NextThis Family Of ELEVEN Just Got The Surprise Of A LifetimeNext

Recent Articles

Happy News

This Award Show Is Finally Returning Soon

February 7, 2026

Billboard Women in Music is returning in 2026 to celebrate another year of women’s excellence in the music industry, with the annual awards show taking place at The Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles to recognize the bold vision, global influence and artistic excellence of women transforming music across all genres.

Read More
Happy News

McDonald’s Brings Back Most Requested Happy Meal Toy

February 7, 2026

McDonald’s announced it is bringing back the Changeables Happy Meal featuring nostalgic toys originally launched in 1987 that transform from McDonald’s menu items like French fries into robots and dinosaurs, marking the return of what the company calls “the most requested” Happy Meal toy from the past. The Changeables officially

Read More
Happy News

Fourth Graders Get Music Lesson From Rihanna’s Husband

February 7, 2026

A$AP Rocky headed back to a Harlem elementary school to teach kids a thing or two about rap for the Wednesday episode of Celebrity Substitute, where Mr. Mayers’ class was in session and fourth graders got a crash course in hip hop from one of the neighborhood’s most famous success

Read More
« Previous Next »
  • Privacy Notice
  • Accessibility Notice
  • Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information
  • Unsubscribe
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Privacy Notice
  • Accessibility Notice
  • Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information
  • Unsubscribe
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
Copyright © 2026 HappyNews.