News

It’s been a very busy year thus far, with our team adding many new bills and several pieces of reintroduced legislation from the previous Congress. This indicates not only continued support for soil health but a commitment to carry over and continue the groundwork laid in preparation for the overdue Farm Bill.

Explore the archive of our bill tracker alerts, which provide regular updates on soil health legislation in Congress.

Dear friends and colleagues,

Happy Spring!

Last month was a busy one. In addition to speaking engagements and conferences, Executive Director Aria Mclauchlan also traveled to Washington to meet with legislative offices, working to advance key Land Core priorities for the year. While news from DC can sometimes feel overwhelming, there are still consistent opportunities to champion soil health by highlighting the economic benefits for farmers, producers, and taxpayers alike.

As in-person and online activities ramp up for the year, we’re excited to be re-engaging with colleagues, policymakers, and coalitions to share the developments of our policy work as well as the Risk Model Project.

Co-founders Aria McLaughlin and Harley Cross sit down with Page Mitchum for “Regenerating America: How Policy Shapes Our Plates”.

The year is back in full swing here for the Land Core team as we set our sights on new opportunities within the current administration to advance soil health practices, programs, and policies. We’ve been closely following cabinet nomination hearings and recent confirmations, preparing outreach to new appointees and stakeholders who share our mission of creating value for farmers, businesses, and communities.

It’s with pride and gratitude that we look back and take stock on another momentous year for soil health. Although political deadlock in 2024 pushed the Farm Bill out another year, there is no denying that on the issue of soil health, we saw an exceptional year of growth, including unprecedented bipartisan support for federal policies, as well as increased adoption of soil health practices on farms and ranches across the country.

Connect with us at one of these upcoming events!

In 2025, with a new administration and Congress, Land Core remains focused on the unifying goal that soil is our common ground. We are looking forward to working with stakeholders across the country to unlock greater long term, systemic protections for farmers and ranchers against volatility and extreme weather events, ensuring the stability of American agriculture long into the future.

Although Land Core is focused specifically on the soil health and the importance of  supporting US agriculture in ensuring that we have the ability to independently grow the healthy foods, fibers, and fuels that we need to thrive as a nation, there is an undeniable correlation between the crops grown in healthy soils (vs degraded soils) and the health and well-being of those who consume them.

Land Core is pleased to provide input on NRCS’s commitment to improving Conservation Practice Standards (CPS). The comments address Soil Carbon Amendment; Herbaceous Weed Treatment; Nutrient Management; and Prescribed Burning. Detailed recommendations are also made regarding the need for increased technical assistance, and for innovative practices, such as incorporating data about the risk-reducing benefits of soil health practices into farm credit and crop insurance programs.

Here is a high-level list of policies that the incoming administration could implement at HHS to advance soil health as a foundational vehicle in the pursuit of human health. The policies are streamlined to highlight key initiatives and combined actions across agencies for maximum effectiveness. 

We are inspired everyday by the potential of healthy soils. From healthier food and cleaner water, to creating more resilient farms that can better weather floods or drought, soil is the key to a thriving future. At Land Core, we’re fueled by the conviction that rebuilding our nation’s soils will foster resilience and profitability of US agriculture and strengthen our communities more broadly.

Soil health is the foundation for national food security. It is the bedrock of American public health and the key to the integrity and reliability of our country’s food system. Healthy soils are a vital path to resilience and prosperity for American producers.  

The following recommendations have been designed to provide specific guidance to the incoming presidential administration and focuses on high-level, actionable priorities for key agencies across the federal government to advance soil health.

Many of you know that Harley and I co-founded Land Core in January of 2017, fueled by the conviction that building our nation’s soil health could help expand the resilience and profitability of US agriculture and strengthen our communities more broadly.

We hope you’re having an excellent end of summer, and are looking forward to the fall. Given the roller coaster of politics we are all on with this election season, some policy work is on pause, waiting to see how things shake out. That said, we are still tracking Farm Bill & Ag Appropriations news, submitting comments on agency actions like input on the 2027 Census of Agriculture to USDA NASS, and engaging in strategic planning to ensure soil health is recognized, valued and advanced across a wider breadth of agencies at USDA and beyond.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Services (NASS) recently requested information for content requests for the 2027 Census of Agriculture.

Land Core submitted comments and recommendations, building on the organization’s leadership around the importance of soil health practices and their ability to provide subsequent risk reduction, economic, and environmental benefits.

While there hasn’t been as much Farm Bill activity recently, the House and Senate Ag-FDA Appropriations bills both passed and await floor time — we’ve added these to our Federal Bill Tracker and outlined below. We’ve also continued to track Core Soil Health bills introduced since the beginning of the summer.

We hope you had a fun and safe Fourth of July holiday! Land Core was back in DC this month for a busy week of meetings on the Hill continuing to focus on soil health as a central need for US agriculture. We also hosted our first virtual informational session about the Soil Health Risk Model and accompanying online tool for policymakers! Additionally, Land Core recently submitted comments to USDA based on a Request for Information about biofuel feedstocks.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently sought public input on “Procedures for Quantification, Reporting, and Verification of Greenhouse Gas Emissions Associated With the Production of Domestic Agricultural Commodities Used as Biofuel Feedstocks.” Land Core submitted comments and recommendations, building on the organization’s leadership around the importance of consistent outcomes verification protocols in soil health (and related GHG) measurement, monitoring and reporting. The recommendations also weigh in on the diversity of crops that can be used for biofuels feedstocks while building soil health, and soil health practices that should be considered by USDA.