Last month: a scene from a sunflower field in North Dakota that doesn’t inspire hope for the future of agriculture. This morning: sculpting a hopeful future with breeder Joseph Lofthouse in the foothills of the Wasatch Mountains. I watched Joseph select from dozens of varieties with a vast community of genetics—pest resistance, stalk sturdiness, enormous delicious seeds for snacking, and yes, genes for strong yield. All of these traits are in service to the small organic farmer, who doesn’t have the luxury of planting mega monocultures and spraying the problem away.