<p>In the Upper Midwest, farming maintains a wholesome glow. Red barns, picket fences and photos of kittens weaving among jugs of frothy milk loom large in our collective psyche.</p><br/><p>But<a href="https://time.com/5736789/small-american-farmers-debt-crisis-extinction/"> reality is more stark</a>. Farm bankruptcies are up. Thousands of farms have simply closed. Farm debt is at an all-time high. Add in a trade war, severe weather and tanking crop prices, and it’s not hard to understand why health workers are<a href="https://www.mprnews.org/story/2019/12/10/farmer-suicides-are-on-the-rise-heres-how-to-help"> worried about a spike in suicide and depression</a>.</p><br/><p>At the same time, new farmers – usually young and passionate about regenerative practices and helping others – are entering the field.</p><br/><p>Thursday, for our Flyover 2020, we talk about the changing farming identity, and what it means to be a farmer today.</p><br/><p><strong>Guests</strong>:</p><br/><ul><li>Jenni Patnode, whose blog post<a href="https://faithfamilyfarmingblog.wordpress.com/2017/06/14/the-last-milking/"> “The Last Milking”</a> went viral after the sale of her and her husband’s fourth-generation Wisconsin dairy farm</li><li>Hannah Breckbill, co-owner of<a href="https://humblehandsharvest.com/"> the Humble Hands Harvest</a> farm outside Decorah, Iowa</li></ul>