Salmon, Idaho · Grass fed beef may appear hip today, given all the current public awareness and media attention on the livestock industry, heightened by Mad Cow disease scares. But garner an understanding of Glenn nand Caryl Elzinga's lifestyle and approach to ranching at Alderspring Ranch and one realizes this isn't a business based on a short-lived fad. "With care, livestock, wildlife and botanical diversity are compatible," explains Caryl.

Marionville, Missouri . In 1996, Rick Hopkins was just about at breaking point with his 100-acre Missouri beef farm on the flat foothills of the Ozark Mountains . He was raising 40 head of adult cattle on a small plot of unmanaged pasture, supplementing their diet with 300 bails of hay per year and weaning calves on grain. As per the advice of extension agents, he gave his animals antibiotics at the first sign of a runny nose, anti-worm medication twice a year, and three to four vaccinations at birth, followed by annual booster shots.

Roger and Michelle Benrud's 267-acre farm has been in the family since the 1940's. Through a careful system of rotational grazing the Benrud's have found a way to farm in balance with the land.

Home, Kansas · Organic farming is a way of life that dates back 150 years in Nancy Vogelsberg-Busch’s family. Her great-grandfather homesteaded on the north central farm where Nancy was born. When Nancy’s father inherited the farm from her grandfather in the 1950s, it was on the condition of a promise never to use chemicals on the land or livestock. Today, Nancy’s brother Joe farms the home place, still honoring that land ethic.

Crofton, Nebraska · Nestled in the rolling countryside of northeast Nebraska, farmer Curt Arens along with his wife, Donna, continue earning his livelihood from the family land first purchased by his great grandfather in 1914, sprinkling sunflower seeds, Christmas trees and other diversification into the growing mix. Even though his young daughters are just four and two years old, Curt's strategic plans for the farm are motivated by a desire to continue to keep Bow View Farm profitable, manageable as a family-run business and not needing to join the mega-farm trend of more acres, equipment, resources and employees. "My goal is to create income opportunities for our kids to remain on the farm," adds Curt.

Mary Doerr has found a balance between small-scale dairy production and a sustainable and healthy product. Dancing Winds Farm is a haven for Doerr and also for those who choose to visit her bed and breakfast during the year.

By seeing things in a different light, and by approaching farming as a whole system, rather than isolated boxes or sections, the Rabe's are succeeding in more areas than one.

On hilltops that were settled and farmed by ancestors four generations ago, the Rupprecht's are making an effort to take care of their land in new ways.

Mike Jacobs studied biochemistry in college and saw agriculture as something that could actually have a positive effect on the environment. He markets most of his vegetables to 109 CSA subscribers in western Minnesota and the Twin Cities.

Diversity is the key on the Ekola family farm where they raise a variety of crops and livestock, including chickens, pigs, and dairy cows.