Land Core Presents Iowa Learning Farms Webinar: New Models to Quantify Value Gained from Soil Health Practices

 

Presentation by Land Core offers a foundation for monetizing soil health practices through insurance and lending (via Iowa State University Extension and Outreach).

Ames, Iowa – The Iowa Learning Farms (ILF) conservation webinar on April 27 at noon CDT featured Aria McLauchlan, co-founder and executive director, and Harley Cross, co-founder and director of strategy at Land Core, a nonprofit organization advancing soil health policies and programs that create value for farmers, businesses and communities. McLauchlan’s expertise in soil health and federal soil health policy aids Land Core in forming strong partnerships and coalitions with agricultural stakeholders, while Cross brings a substantial history of success and unique perspective to developing new financial infrastructure and incentives for soil health in the U.S.

Iowa Learning Farms is an Iowa State University Extension and Outreach conservation and water quality education program.

In the webinar, “Valuing Soil Health to De-risk Adoption and Develop Incentives for Producers through Lending and Insurance,” McLauchlan and Cross discussed emerging developments in the areas of risk analysis, financing and insurance that take into account the risk reduction value of implementing conservation practices such as cover crops, no-till and crop rotation which typically improve soil health, increase resilience to climatic events and contribute to higher yields and reduced input costs. In particular, they highlighted the statistical model Land Core is developing to quantify that reduced risk, and their work with lenders and insurers in the Midwest to create products for farm operators to benefit financially through new lending and insurance incentives based on soil health.

“We hope that participants left with a better understanding of the cutting-edge work underway to quantify the impacts and benefits of soil health practices, and the critical role the private sector—including agricultural lenders, insurers and investors—can play as partners in financing the transition to a soil-health focused ecosystem while providing upfront incentives to producers,” said McLauchlan.

About Iowa Learning Farms:

Established in 2004, Iowa Learning Farms is building a Culture of Conservation by encouraging adoption of conservation practices. Farmers, researchers and ILF team members are working together to identify and implement the best management practices that improve water quality and soil health while remaining profitable. Partners of Iowa Learning Farms include the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land StewardshipIowa State University Extension and Outreach, Leopold Center for Sustainable AgricultureUSDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, and Iowa Department of Natural ResourcesEPA Section 319 Grant Program and GROWMARK, Inc. Find archived webinars here.

Those who participate in the live webinar were eligible for a Certified Crop Adviser board-approved continuing education unit (CEU).