Howard Buffett’s new book, “On The Edge: Balancing Earth’s Resources,” offers a unique perspective of the worldwide struggle between feeding a growing population and protecting the world’s biological and natural resources.

A long-time food industry executive, speaker, writer, photographer and no-tiller on several Illinois farms, Buffett believes no-till is unsurpassed in the opportunities it offers as part of a sustainable agricultural system.

Buffett says the idea for this book started in 1992 when the U.S. Senate was debating the ratification of the Biodiversity Treaty. That’s when he realized that U.S. farmers, U.S. farm policy and no-till, among other innovative ag practices, could make high yield agriculture the greatest contributor to saving the world’s most sensitive global ecosystems.

Featuring 340 pages of text and 400 beautiful color photographs, the book is an attempt to get farmers to view their contributions differently and to get environmentalists to frame the ag debate differently.

Abusing Nature’s Credit

“We pollute water that we cannot cleanse, plow soil that blows in the winds and strip forests we cannot replace,” he writes. “We have abused nature’s credit and we must clear our debt to avoid environmental bankruptcy.”

The key is how to preserve biological and natural resources, feed a growing population and incorporate new farming technology in a sustainable manner. To be successful, Buffett says we need to utilize the best suited acreage and the most efficient systems, such as no-till.

Later in this century, Buffett says there will be a balancing act between feeding billions of…