Land Core Newsletter - Late Summer 2021
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
We hope you had a restful long weekend, and took the opportunity to reflect on the immense work done by our collective movement this summer to raise awareness about the need to build a resilient, soil health-focused US agriculture.
We now need to take this growing awareness and turn it into action!
In addition to the specific policy priorities taken on by Land Core, many other organizations have published recent recommendations to do just that. We’ve been tracking these federal policy resources (as part of our bill tracker) and hope you can make use of this list to inform, strengthen and expand partnerships in your own work.
Meanwhile in Congress, work continues on drafting the specific language that will determine how the Democrat-led $3.5 trillion reconciliation package will be structured and executed. We, along with many of you, are continuing to ask policymakers to use this opportunity to make significant investments in agriculture and help producers restore soil health and rebuild resilience in our environment and economy. Read more below.
Take care,
The Land Core team
Policy Updates
Soil Health and the Reconciliation Bill: As Members of Congress draft the legislation for the $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation package (which passed the House August 24th), Land Core, along with a growing chorus of other organizations, is urging Congress to maintain the $135 billion in new spending allocated to agriculture, and to use these funds to:
Double the investment in USDA conservation programs (focusing specifically on soil health practices), and
Double funding for USDA conservation technical assistance.
This would represent a meaningful investment that recognizes the importance of soil health-focused agriculture for building the economic prosperity of our communities, securing our nation’s food supply, and significantly increasing our resilience in the face of climate change. Read our blog and join us →
New Legislation: Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA-17) reintroduced the Farm System Reform Act, which seeks to place a moratorium on the expansion of large concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs), which would encourage more grazing and pasture-based systems, as well as reform country-of-origin labeling and other issues. In addition, Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) introduced the REVIVE the CCC Act - one of several bills expanding on the Civilian Conservation Corps concept as called for in Biden’s Executive Order on climate change. However, this bill has a greater direct impact on soil health and on-farm conservation than many of the others. Refer to our Soil Health Bill Tracker for other updates (such as the Agriculture Resilience Act continuing to gain new cosponsors). Visit bill tracker →
Federal Crop Insurance Updates: Last Wednesday, USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) announced flexibility improvements to its Whole-Farm Revenue Protection (WFRP) plan, which can support diversified operations. The agency also announced Thursday that it will offer a Post Application Coverage Endorsement (PACE) in certain states for corn farmers who “split apply” nitrogen for non-irrigated corn. Both offerings will be available to producers beginning in crop year 2022. Policy changes to federal crop insurance can be a powerful tool to support producers in implementing conservation practices and building resilience. We look forward to working with USDA-RMA to continue advancing soil health risk assessment and risk mitigation through crop insurance.
Mighty Arrow Family Foundation Grant Announcement!
We’re absolutely thrilled to announce that Land Core has been awarded a generous grant from the Mighty Arrow Family Foundation. This 3-year operating grant from the Colorado-based Foundation will support our federal policy and advocacy work to advance soil health for a resilient food system that delivers healthy food to all. We’re incredibly grateful to the Mighty Arrow team for their leadership in supporting this kind of federal policy engagement (when so many others have been hesitant to do so) and the generosity of spirit that we have felt through every step of the process. We are looking forward to working together toward our common goals and using this opportunity to catalyze real systemic change.
Upcoming Events
Tri-Service Microbiome Consortium (TSMC) 5th Annual Meeting
September 13-15, 2021 | Virtual
Our Executive Director Aria McLauchlan will be speaking on September 15th at 12:25pm EST during the Tri-Service Microbiome Consortium (TSMC) 5th annual meeting. This is a forum for Department of Defense (DoD) microbiome researchers to communicate ongoing research within the DoD and to coordinate research while leveraging capabilities and resources (see conference agenda). The meeting is also designed to enable information sharing between academic leaders, DoD partners and DoD scientists in the field of microbiome science, facilitating the development of new collaborative research opportunities. Aria will speak about federal policy opportunities and legislation in the soil health sector.
What We're Reading
'We really could change the world': Oklahoma producers explore new approach to farming, ranching
August 5, 2021 | By: Evan Onstot, Koco News
First-of-its-kind study shows that diverse landscapes could boost US crop yields by 20%
August 27, 2021 | By: Emma Bryce, Anthropocene Magazine
How Soil Health Practices Boost the Bottom Line
August 11, 2021 | By: Dan Looker, Successful Farming
Climate Change Is Hitting Farmers Hard
August 6, 2021 | By: Avery Ellfeldt, Scientific American
Scientific Societies release "Advancing Resilient Agriculture" statement
August 12, 2021 | By: Susan Fisk, American Society of Agronomy
Take Action
Join Kiss The Ground’s Soil Advocate Training, the org’s flagship stewardship course, designed to equip people with in-depth knowledge about the key solutions available through soil regeneration and how to use these concepts as an advocate. The live cohort runs from Sept. 29 - Nov. 4 and includes lectures, interviews with industry leaders and experts, readings and resources, a monthly webinar for graduates, and more.
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