Jennie Schmidt wears many hats within the agriculture industry as a farmer and volunteer with numerous organizations within her community. Schmidt holds numerous leadership roles in community organizations, proudly serving as the first female president of the Maryland Grain Producers Utilization Board, the National Barley Association, the Global Farmers Network, and is active in her local church, 4H, and local food pantry.

FT: How are you helping to build a better food system?

JS: We farm in one of the most sensitive watersheds in the country, the Chesapeake Bay. We practice synergistic farming, meaning we use best management practices from a variety of farming systems, combining conventional, biotech, and organic practices to build healthy soils and move our farm along the sustainability continuum. We implement precision technology as part of that equation, allowing us to use fewer natural resources, reduce our impact, and improve our soils for the next generation. There is no one cookie cutter model that defines sustainability.

FT: What’s the most pressing issue in food and agriculture that you’d like to see solved?

JS: Climate change will be the most pressing issue going forward in agriculture, and changing how and where food is grown will have large-scale effects. Climate change will also create a new need for technology to continue to produce sufficient, safe, and nutritious food.

Read the full article about sustainable farming by Izzy Baird at Food Tank.