Bear with me, I’m going to get frivolous about food, farms and the future:
 
The positive changes that have occurred at Ozark Akerz Regenerative Farm were impossible for Sue and I to imagine 10 years ago. In fact if we had been able to imagine them, we would have considered them utopian, unreachable. They were not. With our help, the farm is transforming into something altogether different from when we moved here. The aromas on the wind are richer, the shadows cast by trees are longer and the accumulation of birdsong and chorus of frogs is a calming symphony instead of an irregularity of a few fixed notes. 
 
Inspired by these changes, I have begun imagining the positive ecological and community changes we can achieve along the Mycorrhizal Byways in the next 10 years. We can’t do this alone, it will require collective action with our closest interconnections.

These interconnections increase the Mycorrhizal Byways and create a storied and shared culture. This is a culture defined by our profound care for Nature and a deep commitment to bringing the rewards of this care to our broader communities. Nature is deeply embedded in us as a species. That embeddedness is re-emerging along the Mycorrhizal Byways. 

My unwavering belief for what follows in my imagination is grounded in the symbiotic relationships my Native American friends have to plants, animals and fungi. This indigenous wisdom has cared for Nature for millennia. Their communities are the enduring sinew that shape the heart around which the Mycorrhizal Byways are woven. Their friendship with Sue and I and their kind advice and guidance over the years is inseparable from Ozark Akerz Regenerative Farm.
 
You might ask why this frivolous exercise of looking into the future? Keep reading and it’ll become clear and when it does i trust the surprising realization will be astonishing to some of you.

I’m standing on the road that runs past the Ozark Akerz Regenerative Farm farmhouse.  
 
This road has brought many visitors since our move here in 2014. Some are just passing through, some have stayed a night or two. Family, friends and what used to be strangers. Many have brought their appetites and their curiosity about what we are “regenerating”. Some have left knowledge and imparted ancient wisdom of their culture. That wisdom has made this farm more resilient, purposeful and helped reveal discoveries of the sacred.
 
What greets all visitors is a large, old pine tree by the road. A place of shady refuge for the few that walk this road in the height of summer. Its lower limbs are visible to the left of this picture.
 
What awaits visitors is an ecosystem of 775+ species of plants and animals. The endangered Pineywoods Cattle graze in forests they share with Bobcats, White-tailed deer, Beavers, Coyotes, Painted Turtles, Otters, Northern Cricket Frogs, Grey Foxes, Eastern Red Bats, Luna Moths, Monarch Butterflies, Lion’s Mane Mushrooms and Barred Owls to name a few.

The ecosystem is in constant change. An old hay field is now regenerating native species of trees and shrubs that hold food and medicine that was once frequented in this landscape. The 2.5 acre hay field held a dozen species of plants, now that same area holds 140 species.

Our Pineywoods Cattle have transformed impenetrable thorny land into a flourishing forest. Allowing our cattle to manage our forest has resulted in a drop in farm expenses. Through there appetite for invasive plant species we have seen an increase in biodiversity of plants and animals, discovered sacred indigenous sites and seen a significant benefit to the cattle's welfare. The forest clearings created by the Pineywoods have given us access to do our own foraging, for example of Turkey Tail (Trametes versicolor) mushrooms that have been scientifically shown to have anti-cancer properties. These dramatic and positive impacts been a blue print for some the regenerative practices we follow and hope to expand upon in 2025.

The Pineywoods Cattle surprising preference for walnut trees over lush grass prompted a shift from rotational grazing to pasture and forest grazing. The cows now graze on a diverse variety of forages, which has led to a healthier ecosystem This symbiotic relationship supports the well-being of the animals—and humans—who depend on them.