At dusk in rural America, you can tell a lot by whether the barn lights are still on. That light means a farmer is still doing the work. It means a family is still on the land. Across the country, those lights are carrying more weight than ever, because each one that goes dark says something about whether a family farm can survive another season and whether a rural community can keep its economy moving. When I think about what is at stake across our food system and the broader economy, that is the image I come back to.
I grew up in the Driftless Region of Wisconsin—an area that is packed with small family farms. Many of my early memories come from time spent on the farm and around the supper table. After a long day helping on my grandparents’ farm, I could sit down to eat and see how their farm connected to the food supply and the community. That experience shaped my conviction that agriculture is not just an industry; it is vital infrastructure for our communities and for our country.
The ripple effect
Federal data shows the number of U.S. farms fell by 15,000 in 2025 alone, continuing the shift toward fewer operations and a declining rural economy. Dairy supports over 3 million American jobs and drives nearly $780 billion in economic impact across the U.S. economy. That is why every farm loss matters beyond one family or one balance sheet.
When a family farm shuts down, it is more than just one business closing because it is all interconnected. A dairy farm supports the local feed store, the hardware store, the repair shop, and the grocery store. Farm families buy what they need close to home, and they keep money moving through their communities. When the lights go out on that farm, that community support starts to disappear.
I have seen that decline in small towns across Wisconsin. But I also see what happens when you invest in Main Street. When you invest in buildings that would otherwise crumble. I live in La Farge, Wis., and work as the CEO of a cooperative that employs more people than the town has ever had as residents. What gives me hope is that reinvestment is still possible. Rural communities thrive when businesses show up, stay committed, and invest in the people and places they serve.
That is what Organic Valley was built to do. Our cooperative was founded in response to a farm crisis that was hollowing out rural communities. Seven founding farmers banded together to fight the devastating loss of family farms, high interest rates, and the corporate shift toward farm consolidation. The idea was simple: if farmers had more economic stability, more family farms could stay in business. That mission matters even more today.
Family farms are infrastructure
Organic farming is not a slogan. It is a business model that can create real opportunity and help keep a family on the farm while improving the very land that farm relies on. At Organic Valley, we have seen what happens when that opportunity exists: communities thrive.
More recently, we have even seen something I never want us to take for granted: barn lights turning back on.
Here is a lesson for business leaders far beyond agriculture. Too many organizations have stopped asking what positive change they are here to drive. At our cooperative, we think about the next generation, not just the next quarter. That changes how you lead and what success looks like. We believe business should be guided by purpose, and as leaders, we have a responsibility to think about what we are doing today to support the next generation.
Family farms are not relics. They are infrastructure. In addition to feeding people, they hold communities together, they create jobs, they support local businesses, and they give people a reason to stay connected to the place they call home.
When I see a barn with the lights on, I see the family first. I see a generational story between that family and that land. And I see a future worth fighting for, one we cannot afford to lose.
Bottom line
Keeping those lights on is not only a farmer’s job. It is a choice the rest of us make, too, in how we buy, how we lead, how we invest, and what we ask of the businesses we support.
Leaders must build companies that measure success in generations, not just quarters. Consumers can choose food that keeps family farms working and rural communities whole.
Every one of those choices helps decide how many barn lights stay on and how many communities thrive.
Shawna Nelson is the CEO of Organic Valley.
