The Farmer Who Wouldn't Open His Hands

In 2019, a small-town farmer named Earl Hutchins sat on his porch in Decatur, Alabama, watching his soybean crop wither under a brutal August sun. His fields were cracking. His yields were plummeting. And three miles down the road, a brand-new irrigation system sat waiting — fully paid for by a USDA conservation grant his county extension agent had fought to secure specifically for farmers like Earl.…