Land Core Newsletter - May 2022
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
After nearly a year in the making, and with the support of many of you in this community, we were proud to announce the launch of Regenerate America™ campaign last week.
Land Core came on board at the very beginning of the campaign to help create the policy platform and help build the coalition that underpins this ambitious effort to ensure that the 2023 Farm Bill amplifies the voices of farmers and ranchers and shifts resources and support towards regenerative agriculture.
Learn more about why we’re supporting Regenerate America™.
We’ve been encouraged to see many of you supporting the launch over the past week & to see some great coverage including in Fast Company and The Hill. For those of you only just hearing about the campaign now, we’d love to see you join us!
Whether you’re an individual, a farmer, or representing a company or NGO, there is a place for you in the RA. Learn how you can become a coalition member or sign on as an individual here:
Now is the time, and this is our opportunity!
In solidarity,
The Land Core team
Advocate for Ag Conservation Funding
Right now, a slimmed down climate package (from what had been the Build Back Better Act) is being considered in Congress either as a reconciliation package (only Democrats) or as a bipartisan bill (that Sen. Joe Manchin has championed). While we hear much of the original package has been cut, we are told that the $27 billion for resilient, climate-smart agriculture still remains intact in the reconciliation version.
If this holds true, it would be a historic increase in conservation funding and a once in a generation opportunity to advance soil health and regenerative agriculture.
The funding would set a new baseline for conservation programs going into 2023 Farm Bill negotiations, nearly doubling available dollars, and providing vital support to our producers to increase resilience to extreme weather and secure our nation’s food supply.
Write to your legislator/Congressional leaders to ask them to support the full $27 billion in conservation funding in any package. Here is a sample letter that you can modify, or create your own.
Businesses and orgs can also consider signing on to this letter (drafted by a coalition of business groups) advocating for a climate package more broadly before May 31st.
Land Core Lead Analyst Wins Award for Risk Model Presentation
This month, Sarah Manski, PhD Candidate in Statistics and Probability and Lead Analyst for the Land Core Risk Model, presented at the Conference on Applied Statistics in Agriculture and Natural Resources at Utah State University in Logan, Utah. She won first place for her oral presentation on “Bayesian Analysis of Agricultural Risk Mitigation via Adoption of Regenerative Soil Health Practices”.
What We're Reading
Regenerate America™ in Fast Company! How family farmers are working to get federal support for regenerative agriculture
“Every five years, Congress’s $1 trillion Farm Bill funds the agricultural industry. A coalition of farmers and companies are campaigning to get the bill to support regenerative farming—and prioritize family farmers over large-scale agribusiness.”
May 17, 2022 | By: Talib Visram, Fast Company
Coalition lobbies Congress to spur regenerative agriculture
A newly formed coalition of farmers, orgs and companies is pushing Congress to ensure that the 2023 farm bill focuses on regenerative agriculture and helps farmers transition to practices that restore the nation’s rapidly eroding soil.
May 17, 2022 | By: Karl Evers-Hillstrom, The Hill
Public policies supporting regenerative agriculture will be good for business
Opinion piece by David Levine, co-founder & president of the American Sustainable Business Network (ASBN), touts the economic benefits of improving soil health. Land Core is a member of ASBN’s regenerative ag & justice working group.
May 12, 2022 | By: David Levine, The Hill
When wheat never dies
“Could commercially viable and tasty perennial crops like Kernza be regenerative agriculture's holy grail?”
May 18, 2022 | By: Marc Fawcett-Atkinson, Grist
Are Sheep a Crucial Ingredient for Vineyards and Ecosystems?
“A California site takes the next step in regenerative viticulture, demonstrating the value of animals in the vines, even during the growing season.”
May 12, 2022 | By: Eric Asimov, The New York Times
Will public policy help catalyze regenerative grazing?
The opportunities and role for federal support to advance regenerative agriculture.
May 16, 2022 | By: Kevin Silverman, The Regeneration Weekly
New legislation helps farmers reduce risk and increase profitability
Senators’ bipartisan legislation would improve USDA data collection and research of conservation practices, informing producers’ understanding of which practices help reduce risk and increase profitability
May 18, 2022 | By: Dakota News Now
New report: The Politics of Knowledge: Understanding the Evidence for Agroecology, Regenerative Agriculture, and Indigenous Foodways
The Global Alliance for the Future of Food recently issued a report on the rationale and potential for transforming the global food system.
Dec 2021 | By: Global Alliance for the Future of Food
Launch of the new Soil Life website
As part of a UC Davis/USDA-NRCS collaborative project, Land Core advisor Jessica Chiartas recently published an interactive platform providing an introduction to soil science, a media hub of soils-related content, and actionable ways for people to 'get involved' in protecting and promoting soils in their everyday lives.
May 2022 | By: Jessica Chiartas, UC Davis
First Round of Proposals for Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities Shows Strong Interest
The first round of funding through the new Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities program received over 450 proposals ranging from $5 million to $100 million each.
May 10, 2022 | By: USDA Press
New report: State of the Science: Cropland Soil Carbon Sequestration
A new report assesses the current state of cropland soil carbon sequestration and the areas of broad scientific agreement and dissent.
May 12, 2022 | By: Environmental Defense Fund
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