Across the nation, people are challenging the status quo on farming. And there's perhaps no better time than National Agriculture Day to celebrate it.
In Philadelphia, Metropolis Farms runs the nation's first hydroponic vertical farm that's also vegan-certified -- meaning that they use no pesticides, herbicides or animal byproducts of any kind.
In Wesley, California, the Bays family is growing almonds, apricots, melons and more with new irrigation systems that make their operation more drought-friendly, albeit not immediately more profitable.
And in Grafton, New York, Leah Penniman co-founded and helps operate Soul Fire Farm, a small initiative that uses the cultivation of one's own food as a way to heal from racial injustice and oppression. The farm offers a restorative justice program in which juvenile offenders learn skills that may help them upon their release.
Taken at face value, these efforts don't seem to align with how previous generations understood agriculture. But in fact, they couldn't be more emblematic of the way that farming connects us as people to the land and the nourishment we need to survive.
We know there are many more farmers out there who are pushing beyond conventional boundaries. And The Huffington Post wants to hear about them.
We're working on a new project about changes in American agriculture. We want to hear from farmers -- their hopes, their fears, their challenges and successes -- in order to tell a more complete story.
If you wish to be a part of this, please send us an email describing your work to joseph.erbentraut@huffingtonpost.com with the subject line "Farming In America."
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