Vision for Sustainable Prosperity in Production Agriculture
The concepts, products, services, and technologies of the past five decades have brought production agriculture to today’s landscape—2026. As we enter the latter half of this decade, a fresh and compelling vision is needed to guide the decades ahead. We need fundamental improvements in how we design production management plans, with a clear focus on environmental stewardship and the potential to slow global warming—while simultaneously boosting farm profitability. The opportunity is clear: advance sustainability without compromising bottom-line results.
Visionary Agronomics combines over 40 years of academic excellence and hands-on agricultural experience to shape a forward-looking perspective on the industry. Now is the moment to test, challenge, and adopt next-generation concepts. Change is inevitable in production agriculture; the question is whether we lead that change or are compelled to follow. By prioritizing minimal environmental impact alongside long-term profitability, we can effectively demonstrate to the urban public that responsible farming and strong returns are mutually compatible.
If you’re interested in exploring changes centered on M.O.M. (Minimize, Optimize, Maximize) or other effective frameworks, request a visit under the Consulting tab. I welcome your comments, concerns, and questions.
VISIONARY CONCEPTS
NUTRIENTS BY REMOVAL
Nutrients need to be applied according to site-specific removal. Nutrients removed from high-yielding areas must be replaced to maintain a high-yielding status. Without replacement, the drawdown will eventually sacrifice performance.
REINVENTING SOIL TESTS
It is time to move away from the acre furrow slice created by the moldboard plow and explore more of the upper profile supporting harvest yield. Here in East-Central Illinois, the upper two feet are where we need to focus on N and the upper foot for other essential nutrients. Track, and you will learn.
FARM-SPECIFIC NUTRIENT REMOVAL FACTORS
It is time to start building a database of nutrient removal by harvest yield from specific fields within a farming operation rather than a state-wide factor generated from multiple geographic areas using multiple practices.
TRACKING PLANT-AVAILABLE NUTRIENTS
It is time to inventory mobile nutrients after harvest to determine the potential for economic loss and environmental harm from leftover nutrients. It is time to use cover crops to capture unsed nutrients and minimize the environmental forces that cause soil erosion. It is time to use tissue analysis and soil tests to determine nutrient needs in-season and make necessary adjustments in nutrient management plans, optimizing input costs while, at the same time, minimizing any environmental impact (All about M.O.M.)
ON-FARM DISCOVERY
It is time to focus on farmer questions in farmer fields and utilize farmer data. Learning about crop response to products and practices under your specific management style is essential. Tillage, nutrient, weed, and crop management can all affect the outcome, so why not rely on a testing program built to accommodate your management style?
NITROGEN AS A MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
It is time to improve the management of the most significant cost input, nitrogen. It is time to focus on real-time management and creating a Nitrogen Management System that allows for changes in environmental conditions well into the growing season. It is time to inventory and track the most significant input cost and one of Illinois's top two pollutants to surface waters. It is time to track the dynamics of nitrate-N concentration in subsurface drainage tiles. It is time.
IT'S ALL ABOUT M.O.M.
Howard M. Brown, Visionary Agronomist and Owner
"My vision of the future farming enterprise is one that focuses on environmental and resource stewardship while in pursuit of improved farm profitability. It is a vision of agriculture that protects the environment while producing food, feed, fiber, and farm profitability.