Land Core Newsletter - October 2021
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
The Build Back Better Act was reintroduced yesterday as a $1.75 trillion bill, down from its original $3.5 trillion. While there were cuts to many portions of the bill, we are very happy to share that the provisions for climate-smart agriculture were left nearly unchanged - delivering a historic $27.15 billion for USDA conservation programs. This is the largest investment in conservation since the dust bowl!
This reflects the hard work of so many (including many of you reading this) who have been advocating for soil health and regenerative agriculture as a natural climate solution.
We’re not at the finish line yet, but we can see it from here. As negotiations continue, we urge you to call/email/tweet your representatives and political leaders to hold strong on the $27 billion for conservation. Your unique voice and perspective is critical in this all-hands-on-deck moment. Read more on our blog and find resources you can share here.
Similarly, with COP26 kicking off next week, we expect to see agriculture addressed in official negotiations during the “Nature & Land Use” section. This marks progress from when our founders met at COP21 and agriculture wasn’t even on the official agenda! Now we need not only an understanding of agriculture's role in fueling climate change (up to ⅓ of GHGs), but also swift action to support farmers and ranchers on every continent in regenerating our world’s soils and helping us to meet global climate and development goals. We’re also hearing on the ground that as the White House puts together its total numbers and commitments for reaching 50% emissions reductions by 2030, it will include agriculture and forestry as a part of its climate strategy (through the Build Back Better Act), setting a strong example on the global stage. We’ll be watching closely, and invite you to also join in the public events, as well as side events like the 4p1000 Initiative Day (for soils) and Food Tank’s agriculture series.
Now is the time to double down on our commitments. We’re taking inspiration from Dr. Tim Lasalle, Co-Founder of the Center for Regenerative Agriculture & Resilient Systems at Chico State University, who said this week in a Regenerative Ag Expert Briefing: “regenerative agriculture is one of the most exciting things I could dedicate my life to. I know it’s going to affect issues of hunger around the world, impact the climate in a positive way, help farmers improve their profits, and improve the health of our waterways and the food we eat.”
With hope,
The Land Core team
Policy Updates
Last month, USDA announced a new “Climate-Smart Agriculture and Forestry Partnership Program” as part of its climate-smart ag and forestry strategy, which emerged from the President’s Executive Order on Climate Change earlier this year (find our previous comments on that here). The initiative will support pilots that create new market opportunities for “climate-smart commodities”. USDA is seeking public comments to help structure the new program, including on monitoring and verification standards and protocols, market access for small producers, and potential impacts on ecosystem services markets. For background reading, find USDA’s 2021 Climate Adaptation Plan (released Oct 7) here.
Submit your comments here by Monday, November 1st! We look forward to sharing our own comments, jointly prepared with OpenTEAM, during next month’s newsletter.
Upcoming hearing: The House Ag Committee will hold a hearing next Wednesday, November 3rd at 10am ET on “The Immediate Challenges to our Nation’s Food Supply System”. We hope to hear calls for building resilience, starting on the farm and beyond. Details here.
Upcoming Events
Models to Fund Regenerative Transition
By: Green America Soil & Climate Alliance | November 11, 2021, 1:15pm ET
Join us for a roundtable discussion of innovative financial models that can support farmers in shifting towards regenerative practices. This is a fantastic opportunity to grab a front row seat and learn about some of the most promising initiatives in the soil health movement. Land Core’s co-founders will share our risk modeling work to transform lending, along with solutions from Continuum Ag, Chappel Brothers Farm, Steward, Biome Capital Partners, and others.
Tickets are also available for other roundtables held that day, including Maximizing Row Crop Farm Profitability and Connecting Regen. Practices to Nutrient Density.
In Case You Missed It
We made the top 25 Emerging Leaders in Food & Ag!
A big thank you to all the friends, colleagues and soil enthusiasts who voted! Our founders, Aria & Harley, are finalists in the 2021 Emerging Leaders in Food & Ag Awards! We're grateful to be included in this fantastic group of leaders in our food & ag sector. Stay tuned for the announcement of this year’s winners during a virtual awards event on December 15.
Regenerative Agriculture + Soil Health Part 2
Aria joins Carrie again on the O44 Podcast for Part 2 of “Regenerative Agriculture + Soil Health” (find Part 1 - an introduction to regenerative ag here). In this episode, our founder speaks with fitness entrepreneur Carrie Dorr about the why behind Land Core, soil as a solution, food brands getting involved, and how we’re working on accelerating the shift to regenerative ag, including by working with lenders and insurers.
SustainChain™ Day at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA)
Land Core is highlighted as a contributor on SustainChain™’s Regenerative Agriculture action track during the initiative’s Sept. 30th “Road to 2030” side event at the UNGA. SustainChain™ is a platform connecting innovations across seven cross-cutting “action tracks” that will help to achieve the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Find Land Core’s Risk Model in the Soil Health track.
Funding for Farmers & Ranchers
As we approach planning season, now is a great time for producers to consider innovative funding opportunities for their operation, whether they’re just starting the transition to soil health practices or are well on their way. Here we are highlighting a few opportunities and financing solutions, and encourage you to share with the farmers in your network!
🌾 Zero Foodprint Restore California - Grants of up to $25K annually are now available for projects that implement regenerative practices. Learn more and apply by December 10th. (Restaurants can also become ZFP members, thereby allowing their customers to help fund healthy soil practices with every meal!)
🌾 Mad Agriculture’s Perennial Fund - This pioneering org offers an operating loan for farmers transitioning acreage to organic using regenerative practices. Mad Ag also helps farmers develop a "carbon farm" (or management) plan, and makes a plan for monitoring and verification of ecological, economic and social outcomes.
🌾 Steward’s Crowd Farming - The platform offers simple, flexible business loans to support the growth of regenerative farms and sustainable producers. Loans are crowdfunded, which means even non-accredited investors can contribute capital and earn a return. Steward just raised over $3 million and is aiming for $6 million by spring 2022.
🌾 FarmRaise - This farm funding platform helps producers apply to USDA cost-share programs - simplifying an often laborious process. FarmRaise also hosts a funding library of public and private grants and cost-share programs, emergency and disaster relief, state specific opportunities, easements, loans, and other funds aligned with farmer profitability and soil health.
Check out other resources, including the Economics of Soil Health, on our newly-refreshed Resource Page!
What We're Reading (& Watching)
Democrats' $1.75T Build Back Better deal funds climate-smart ag, creates clean fuel subsidy
October 28, 2021 | By: Philip Brasher, Agri-Pulse
Soil Health: A Security Threat Profile
October 20, 2021 | Food & Global Security Network, Farmwel & FAI Farms
Webinar: Banking on Soil Health: Farmer Interest in Transition Loan Products
October 12, 2021 | Environmental Defense Fund & Midwest Row Crop Collaborative
rePlant Fuels Food System’s Shift To Regenerative Agriculture With $2 Billion For Farmers To Build Soil Health
October 5, 2021 | By: Christopher Marquis, Forbes
Cargill to Pay U.S. Growers for Carbon-Friendly Farming Methods
September 16, 2021 | By: Michael Hirtzer, Bloomberg