Land Core Newsletter - February 2023
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
February was a big month for Land Core, with new team members, new updates to the Land Core Bill Tracker, and some wonderful new funding partners! Read on for details.
Warmly,
The Land Core Team
Risk Model Updates
We hinted at big news in our 2022 Year In Review… and while we are still limited on the details we can share, what we can say is that the Land Core Risk Model project has been “recommended for funding” for two major grants that will support a significant expansion of our academic research and tool development! Stay tuned!
Team Retreat
Some of our team members (pictured left to right): Aria McLauchlan, Yvonne Socolar, Gina Pizzo, Katie Fettes, Ben Goldstein, Frederi Viens, Kangogo Sogomo, Sarah Manski, Harley Cross
Land Core’s risk model team convened in February for our first-ever in person meeting! Team members from UC Berkeley, Rice University, Michigan State University, University of Arkansas, and Land Core came together to reflect on our progress to date and work on publishing our preliminary results. We also undertook a significant project planning process, laying the groundwork to expand our team, academic research, tool development and regional pilots, and explore new opportunities and partnerships. Big thanks to Tim Bowles and the Eric and Wendy Schmidt Center for Data Science and the Environment (DSE) at UC Berkeley for hosting us for our two-day retreat. Learn more about our risk model project and team here.
Pictured clockwise from near right corner (red jacket): Sarah Manski, Perry de Valpine, Gina Pizzo, Frederi Viens, Maoya Bassiouni, Harley Cross, Kangogo Sogomo, Aria McLauchlan, Yvonne Socolar, Ben Goldstein, Tim Bowles
Hiring Three Postdoc Positions
Interested in working with our stellar multidisciplinary modeling team? Ready to put your skills to work in agro-ecology, ag economics, financial risk analytics, and farm operations? Three full-time postdoctoral positions to advance research related to the risk-reducing benefits of soil health practices will soon be posted:
Postdoc in Environmental Statistics, two-year position, with renewal for up to three years total, at UC Berkeley. (Remote work will be considered for exceptional circumstances). Work will be in coordination with the Land Core Risk Model team.
Statistician (Postdoc Associate), two-year position, for statistical modeling and analysis. Land Core is the employer; the position will be closely supervised by the Professor of Statistics at Rice University. Remote work can be negotiated.
Agricultural Economist (Postdoc Associate), two-year position, Land Core is the employer; the position will be closely supervised by the Professor of Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness, University of Arkansas.
If interested, please send a note to katie@landcore.org, who will coordinate to get you a full description of the position(s) and put you in touch with the appropriate supervising professor.
Bill Tracker "Legislator" Feature is Live!
We’re really excited to share that the “Legislators” feature in our redesigned Federal Soil Health Bill Tracker is live!
Now, when you select “Legislators” at the top of the page, you will see which soil health-related bills each member of Congress is (co)sponsoring. You can do things like:
Search for your representative, or search for members by state
Find potential champions by seeing which member has the most soil health legislation
Discover which legislators have bipartisan soil health-related bills in Congress
Learn more about a particular bill by expanding directly from under the legislator’s name
And much more!
This updated, interactive tool is available for use on desktop and mobile. Please check it out and give us your feedback!
Policy News
Farm Bill priorities/FSA loan deferment:
One of Land Core’s top policy priorities going into the upcoming Farm Bill is a program we developed that would allow all Farm Service Agency (FSA) loan holders to defer 50% of their annual payments when they invest in soil health management systems. Even with minimal participation, this bill would contribute hundreds of millions of dollars in private capital into US soil conservation. (Farmer loans would be paid back in full, just over a longer timeline, making this a strong, low-cost proposal). See a summary here.
In partnership with the Regenerate America™ coalition, we are working with members of the Senate to introduce this as a marker bill and have been in talks directly with FSA Administrator, Zach Ducheneaux (whose use of his discretionary authority to defer loan payments for producers who have invested in their soil health inspired this legislation), to ensure that it has been fully vetted by the agency.
Congressional Hearings:
The House Agriculture Committee held a hearing on “Uncertainty, Inflation, Regulations: Challenges for American Agriculture” on February 28. Upcoming hearings include “A Review of Title VIII: Forestry Stakeholder Perspectives” this Wednesday, March 8, and “Rising Risks: Managing Volatility in Global Commodity Derivatives Markets” this Thursday, March 9. Details here.
The Senate Agriculture Committee held several Farm Bill hearings this month and last, including on Trade and Horticulture; Commodity Programs, Crop Insurance, and Credit; Nutrition Programs; and Conservation and Forestry Programs. Details here.
Have your say in the 2023 Farm Bill:
As both the House and Senate Agriculture Committees begin drafting their respective versions of the 2023 Farm Bill, both committees have an open form to collect public input. Add your voice to the House Agriculture Committee form and Senate Agriculture Committee form.
Land Core urges Congress to preserve Inflation Reduction Act funding to help farmers build resilience:
Land Core joined a diverse coalition of 643 organizations in submitting a letter urging Senate and House Agriculture Committees to protect the historic $20 billion investment in Farm Bill conservation programs to help farmers and ranchers build soil health, and meet huge demand for the programs, which are consistently oversubscribed by up to 3 to 1.
New Team Members
Land Core is growing, and we’re thrilled to introduce you to the newest members of our team:
Jill Parsh, Operations Manager: Jill is an experienced and empathetic leader in non-profit finance, operations, and human resources. Before joining Land Core, Jill was the Director of Finance at Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture in Tarrytown, NY. She holds a B.A. in business administration with a focus in accounting from Grand Valley State University. Jill’s passion for the environment, sustainable agriculture, and growing food led her to pursue her M.S. in health education and become a master gardener. She resides in the south bay of Los Angeles and enjoys growing food, composting, traveling, hiking, cooking, and spending time with her husband and their dog, Jewel.
Kangogo Sogomo, Lead Geospatial Data Scientist - Cover Crop Data Development: Kangogo is a Geospatial Data Scientist whose passion lies in sustainable agriculture that is in harmony with the soil, people, and the environment. Kangogo has led various ag-tech projects, including developing several machine learning models to predict land cover types in the US for grasslands and ranches, and providing innovative livestock monitoring and precision farming tools in rural Kenya through Tungana, a company she co-founded. Kangogo holds a Masters of Development Engineering from UC Berkeley and a BSc in Telecommunication Engineering from Strathmore University, Kenya. As someone who grew up helping out on her family farm in Kenya, she has a deep connection to the land and a desire to protect it.
Announcing New Funding Partners!
We want to take a moment to share our deepest thanks for the generosity of our newest funders: the TomKat Ranch Educational Foundation, and Conscience Bay Research. Their donations will support our risk model program, and would not have been possible without the incredible advocacy of our existing funders. We are so grateful to those supporters who have gone above and beyond to ensure the success of our collective goal to make soil health possible for all Americans.
Upcoming Speaking Events
Catch the Land Core team in person at one of the following upcoming speaking events:
March 7, 2023 - Climate Day 2023 at the Natural Products Expo West - Aria McLauchlan will be speaking at the “Transforming Agriculture and Advancing Climate Solutions Through the Farm Bill” session between 10:15-11:15 AM, March 7-11, 2023. Anaheim, CA.
March 28, 2023 - 2023 Extension Risk Management Education (ERME) National Conference - Harley Cross will host a session on March 28 at 2:00 PM titled “Quantifying and Reducing Production Risk in Agriculture: Key Takeaways from a New Soil Health Risk Model.” March 27-29, 2023. Chicago, IL.
What We're Reading
Cover Crops & No-till Reduce Crop Insurance Claims According to New Study
New AGree Coalition report demonstrates positive impact of cover crops and tillage practices for reducing crop production risk across 6 Midwestern states. Through a cooperative agreement with USDA, the Meridian Institute and researchers at the University of Illinois began a first-of-its-kind research pilot project in 2020 to evaluate the impacts of conservation practices on prevent-plant crop insurance claims.
March 6, 2023 | By: Cover Crop Strategies
Despite Improvements, Three in Four Farmers Turned Away from Federal Conservation Programs
New IATP report, examining EQIP and CSP application rates, arrives in the aftermath of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) funding for these programs.
March 1, 2023 | By: Institute for Agriculture & Trade Policy
High input costs might turn more farmers to regenerative practices
Experts at a recent industry conference say high input costs are at least one factor driving some farmers to look more at no-till systems and cover crops as a way to reduce nutrient and chemical needs.
February 2, 2023 | By: Chris Clayton, DTN/The Progressive Farmer / Investigate Midwest
Regenerative agriculture’s growing benefits
As in many states, farmers in Arkansas are turning to soil health practices to cut inputs and costs while maintaining or even increasing yields. This article captures the bipartisan issue of soil health: “this is one of those rare issues on which Democrats and Republicans agree.”
February 12, 2023 | By: Todd Watson, Arkansas Democrat Gazette
Could This Mobile, Solar-Powered Livestock Barn Reshape the Corn Belt?
The ‘stock cropper’ method—raising chickens, hogs, and sheep between rows of grains—promotes soil health and is “on the verge of scaling up”.
February 13, 2023 | By: Twilight Greenaway, By: Civil Eats
A View of the 2023 Farm Bill at the Starting Line in the House (and Senate)
Analysis on the House and Ag Committees that are responsible for drafting the upcoming Farm Bill.
February 9 and 16, 2023 | By: Jonathan Coppess, farmdoc daily
Soil restoration may be the key to better health and well-being in urban areas
Scientists around the world are calling for grassroots action to raise awareness about the role of soil biodiversity to promote better human health and well-being.
February 15, 2023 | By: Flinders University, Phys.org
Get Involved
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