Dear Friends and Colleagues,

We’ve had a busy and very successful spring so far, and it’s only just getting started! We are happy to report that several of the policies that we’ve helped shape over the last year have been included as priorities for the 2023 Farm Bill by members of the Senate Ag committee.

This includes the DEFER Act (which we had previously referred to as our FSA Loan Deferment Program), a bill that would allow all FSA loan holders to defer half their annual payments when they invest in approved soil conservation practices!

Now we want to invite organizations and companies to sign on to our letter of support by May 15th, to help us bring on more champions in Congress.

Sign (or share) the letter of support →

Read on for updates on additional policies, job opportunities, and more.

Warmly,
The Land Core Team

Reminder: We’re Hiring

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? Land Core is seeking to fill two full-time postdoctoral positions to advance research related to the risk-reducing benefits of soil health practices:

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.

Senior Policy Position: Remote, Washington D.C. area preferred.

Land Core is seeking an experienced, pragmatic professional with a solid understanding of U.S. federal agriculture policy, both at the agency level (USDA) and in Congress. This person would help us advance our development of policy principles and socialization through education and outreach to congressional members, the USDA, and private sector partners, around solving the problems related to scaling the adoption of soil health focused agriculture in the US.

Programs Manager: Full-time, remote.

We’ll soon have a position listed to support the day-to-day management and execution of our soil health Policy, Risk Model & Education programs. We’re seeking candidates with strong project management and communications skills, ability to work effectively with a wide range of partners, and demonstrable passion for our mission. An understanding of soil health systems is a very strong plus.

Interested candidates, please inquire or find more details & apply: landcore.org/hiring

Policy News

New Memo:
Land Core recently published a memo on precision agriculture technologies. As precision agriculture grows as an area of policy interest, it is crucial to address a concern regarding the potential conflation of "economic efficiency" and "conservation efficiency". Understanding this distinction is vital as we think about the funding sources for different precision agriculture technologies. Read the memo and let us know your thoughts!

FY 2024 Appropriations:
Land Core Submits FY24 Agriculture Appropriations Request: We asked for funding to reduce risk for producers who are adopting, or who are looking to adopt, soil health practices and increase resilience on their operations. See our submission here.

Bill Tracker:
We recently added over 40 bills introduced into the 118th Congress to our recently redesigned federal soil health bill tracker, with many more bills expected to be introduced or reintroduced in preparation for the Farm Bill. The updated web-based, interactive tracker makes it easy for anyone to stay informed about the latest policy developments in soil health and agriculture, including seeing what their representative is supporting at a glance. Learn more in our recent press release.

Input Opportunity:
Provide Input on Future of Public Lands Management: On April 4, 2023, the Department of Interior (DOI) published a proposed Public Lands Rule to direct the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to “protect intact landscapes, restore degraded habitat, and make wise management decisions based on science and data.” This proposal creates a potential opportunity to restore and protect soil health on the vast acreage managed by BLM. Learn more here and here, and join nearly 10,000 others in providing comments in the Federal Register by June 20th!

Have Your Voice Heard: Consider Writing a Farm Bill Op-Ed

Op-Eds Make a Difference! Recently, a constituent in Oregon published an op-ed that gained the attention of his Representative. We were grateful to then join a productive meeting with the constituent and the Representative to discuss soil health and Farm Bill priorities.

Inspired by this example, we encourage you to participate in the Farm Bill process by writing your own op-ed for your local paper to get the attention of your Senators or Representative. Here's a template with talking points you can use and customize.

You can also submit Farm Bill input directly into the Senate Agriculture Committee portal or House Agriculture Committee portal!

Your voice matters.

Educational Events

Aria McLauchlan speaks at Harvard Kennedy School
On April 17, 2023, our ED, Aria McLauchlan, had the pleasure of speaking to a group of students at the Harvard Kennedy School - Belfer Center for Science & International Affairs about advancing U.S. agriculture policy in the 2023 Farm Bill and beyond. Aria spoke alongside USDA-Farm Service Agency Administrator Zach Ducheneaux and Arohi Sharma, Deputy Director of Regenerative Agriculture at NRDC. Many thanks to Dr. Ashlie Burkart, Associate at the Environment and Natural Resources Program for the opportunity to engage with these future leaders!

Woody Harrelson joins Regenerate America™ in DC
On April 20, 2023, our ED, Aria McLauchlan, met with legislators and staff at a bipartisan Regenerative Agriculture Policy Briefing, hosted by Representatives Angie Craig (D-MN-02) and Dean Phillips (D-MN-03) in the Capitol Visitor Center. The briefing featured opening remarks by Representative Jim Baird (R-IN-04), and speeches by actor and activist Woody Harrelson, farmer Rick Clark of Indiana, farmer Matt O’Hayer of Vital Farms, and Kiss the Ground staff. The briefing called on Congress to support policies that promote soil health and regenerative practices. Learn more in the press release and top policy proposals from Regenerate America™.

Upcoming Speaking Events

Catch the Land Core team at one of the following upcoming speaking events:

May 4, 2023 - OpenTEAM In-Depth Learning Series: Soil Health in the 2023 Farm Bill - Join Aria McLauchlan and Katie Fettes from Land Core for a presentation on their revamped Federal Soil Health Bill Tracker; an overview of the current policy landscape and opportunities to advance soil health and resilient agricultural systems in the upcoming Farm Bill; ways for organizations/companies to get more involved in policy; and a discussion about top priorities and bills with potential and momentum. OpenTEAM brings together public and private partners to achieve better outcomes, address common barriers, and accelerate innovation by sharing across boundaries. Join on May 4, 11am-12pm ET, using this Zoom link, and add the event to your calendar using this link.

May 24-29, 2023 - Regeneration Conversation: How the Farm Bill Impacts all Americans and How We Can Rebuild Our Nation’s Soil Health - Our co-founders, Aria McLauchlan and Harley Cross, join actress, soil health advocate, and activist, Nat Kelley, onstage for an interview during a session at the Lightning in a Bottle Festival, to discuss opportunities to regenerate our lands and communities. Buena Vista Lake, CA.

ICYMI (In Case You Missed It!)

Soil health and the Farm Bill: How Aria McLauchlan & Land Core are working toward sustainable food systems
March 8, 2023 | By: Jordana Barrack, Mighty Arrow Family Foundation

This article discusses the importance of soil health and its impact on resilient food systems. It features the work of our co-founder, Aria McLauchlan and Land Core, in promoting healthy soils and advocating for regenerative farming practices. The article also highlights the role of the Farm Bill in shaping agricultural policies and its potential to support soil health practices. How food connects us all. Check out the full article at the link below, and thanks to the Mighty Arrow Family Foundation for their support. Full article →

What We're Reading

Regenerative Industry Landscape
Landscape map of entities using regenerative agriculture in their communications updates by HowGood and Kiss the Ground, focus turns from “more” to “better”.
March 28, 2023 | By: Leah Wolfe, How Good

New Report: How Conservation Practices Influence Agricultural Economic Returns: Implications for the Farm Finance Community
This paper is intended to help agricultural lenders and other members of the farm finance community better understand how soil health conservation practices, particularly conservation tillage and cover crops, affect both on-farm profitability and off-farm economics.
March 2023 | By: AGree Economic and Environmental Risk Coalition

Opinion: Can conservation practices reduce crop insurance claims and premiums? Let the data tell us
Overview of recent research pilot conducted by USDA, the University of Missouri, the University of Illinois, and the Meridian Institute, to identify the impacts of conservation practices - specifically cover crops and no-till - on crop risk, yield variability, and farm resilience to help farmers and ranchers improve their productivity, profitability, and sustainability.
March 3, 2023 | By: Lynn Tjeerdsma, Agri-Pulse

Ag Secretary Signs Climate-Smart MOUs at Commodity Classic
Secretary Vilsack used the Commodity Classic show to sign a pair of agreements with farm groups receiving grants under USDA's Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities program.
March 10, 2023 | By: Chris Clayton, DTN Progressive Farmer

Promoting Sustainable Agricultural Production in the Next Farm Bill: Is There Any Common Ground?
Results from Gardner Food and Agricultural Policy Survey, which suggest some common ground and bipartisan support going into Farm Bill negotiations. Survey finds the majority of the public is worried about climate change and its potential impacts on agriculture – and in particular, food prices – and that the public is broadly supportive of the government incentivizing sustainable food production.
March 10, 2023 | By: Maria Kalaitzandonakes and Jonathan Coppess, Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics, University of Illinois, farmdoc daily

Future of farming and Farm Bill coverage from The Hill
A special set of articles on the top issues coming up in 2023 Farm Bill negotiations, including opinion pieces by and interviews with legislators.
March 2023 | By: The Hill, presented by American Farmland Trust and NeonicFacts.org

Agricultural banks expect climate change to pose financial risks. Here are five strategies to help them adapt.
EDF presents five strategies to integrate climate into ag finance institutions’ existing risk frameworks in order to take a proactive approach to helping farmers and ranchers adapt to climate change.
March 21, 2023 | By: Vince Gauthier, Environmental Defense Fund

Study: Cover Crops Help Mitigate Farmer Losses
A North Carolina State University study suggests that cover crops – or crops grown in between cash-crop seasons – can help keep Midwestern soil drier and healthier, thereby preventing losses incurred when farmers can’t plant cash crops because of flooding or excessive soil moisture.
March 21, 2023 | By: Mick Kulikowski

What Will Be the Future of Food?
New series by DTN will look at food insecurity as well as future trends, crops farmers plan to grow, technology they'll use and even new ways to grow their crops and process their animals more efficiently.
April 6, 2023 | By: Elaine Shein, DTN Progressive Farmer

Get Involved

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🌾 Sign the petition to Regenerate America to voice your support for soil health.

Land Core Newsletter - Spring 2023