I never planned to be in a documentary film, but, as a farmer, I am not one to shy away from sharing my story. Not even when it comes to topics as complex, and, unfortunately, as divisive as climate change. I hesitated only a second when Dominic and Nadia Gill, the independent filmmakers behind Encompass Films, reached out to me looking for a farmer to participate in their documentary film, “The [Conserv]atives.”

We started with a phone call, and I shared with them my beliefs: It doesn’t matter to me what or who caused climate change. Finger pointing gets us nowhere. But, as people who live on the earth, I believe we have a responsibility to take care of the earth.

As I see it, farmers have always dealt with difficult weather. But today’s demands are different. We are expected to produce more using less in a competitive, ever-changing global market. We receive less consistent rains. There are more floods and more droughts. And I believe the researchers when they say to expect more frequent, severe storms, like winds, derechos and extreme temperatures. 

I have spent my farming career trying to help the land weather these storms, trying to keep the soil in place and productive. So that’s what the filmmakers showed. They came to our farm off and on over two years and filmed scenes that show what we do, what I think, and what some of my friends think about climate change (spoiler: we have different views, and that’s OK). They rode in the combine with us at harvest. They saw what it is like working with Mother Nature – like the time a tornado took out a grain bin, and we salvaged what electrical materials we could before the rest was hauled away. It was just another day on the farm lately, it seems. We’ve had derechos flatten corn at the end of the season, causing yield loss and difficult harvest.

The film, which debuts as part of the 2026 Environmental Film Festival in Washington, D.C., March 19-28, also follows three other conservatives: Benji Backer, a young grassroots organizer who founded the American Conservation Coalition; Francis Suarez, former Miami mayor; and Dr. Rev. Jessica Moerman, president and CEO of the Evangelical Environmental Network. Each one brings their own focus, and each has a worthy perspective.

I feel good about the way the film turned out. It captures my thoughts well, and it shows how climate change is a complex topic – and maybe a little of why it doesn’t need to be so polarizing. I believe we can, and must, find common ground around land stewardship.

I especially appreciate that this film is about action. It’s not about crisis. It’s not fear-based, like so many others. It’s about what we are already doing to protect the environment and what we can do to continue adapting with technology and practices that protect our soil, clean our water and feed everyone.

In our current era of complex challenges and uncertainty, the world is looking for solutions and agriculture can provide them. Agriculture already is at the center of solutions to challenges like food and nutrition security, renewable energy, jobs and economic growth, and, yes, climate change. We just need to continue building on what we have started.

In Iowa, and across the country, we are always looking for ways to expand our “circles of life,” as the Iowa Smart Agriculture Work Group calls them. Essentially, we proactively use and reuse our resources to build soil, reduce waste and add to the economy. What does this look like? On my family’s farm, we minimize disturbance with no-till. We keep living roots growing in the ground to feed the soil microbiome year-round with cover crops. We work with neighbors with cattle that graze those cover crops, naturally fertilizing the soil in the process. We also work with other local industries, supplying them with grains to make ethanol, biodiesel and whiskey, and, when we can, reusing their byproducts, like distiller’s grains.

I believe we are just beginning to see how agriculture can positively contribute to difficult conversations, like the one on climate change. I hope “The [Conserv]atives” will bring people together and remind us of our responsibility to care for, conserve and enhance our natural resources for the next generation. Let’s focus on what we share, including the environment, and work together to build a better future.

Ray and Elaine Gaesser began farming in Corning, Iowa, in 1977, where they turned a few hundred acres into as much as 6,000 acres of corn and soybeans. They were early adopters of no-till and cover crops and have focused on improving the land for the next generation, which includes son, Chris Gaesser, who, with his wife, Shannon, now manages most of the farm. Gaesser is a former president of the American Soybean Association. He currently serves as chair for the Iowa Conservative Energy Forum, co-chair for Iowa Smart Agriculture, and as a member of the Solutions from the Land Board of Directors.