Land Core Newsletter - October 2023
Image Credit: Marius Ciocirlan (Unsplash)
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
Fall may be winding down but there’s been no shortage of activity here at Land Core. This past month has been full of policy and educational work, including a trip to DC to meet with policymakers to discuss ways to support the expansion of soil health in the upcoming farm bill, and to share, for the first time, our promising, preliminary findings from the risk model!
Read on for more details, Farm Bill updates, and some of the recent press surrounding the risk model project and the related tool development.
Warmly,
The Land Core team
Policy Updates
Land Core in DC:
Earlier this month our Executive Director, Aria McLauchlan had a significant trip to DC, including meetings with 25 Congressional offices and many partner organizations.
One area we highlighted is a soil health and crop insurance research proposal, based on what had been the second half of the broadly supported, bipartisan Cover Crop Flexibility Act (CCFA). This proposal directs the USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) to research the potential risk reduction associated with the introduction of cover crops, crop rotations, and reduced tillage, and to recommend a benefit or discount to producers who adopt practices shown to reduce risk. We noted when the first half of the original CCFA bill was addressed via USDA agency action earlier this year, the second half of the bill got lost in the shuffle, and we have been working with partners to ensure it is still included.
We also continued our support for other priorities, and made additional progress on the DEFER Act.
Initial Risk Model Findings:
We were also very happy to share an overview of the USDA and FFAR-funded Land Core Risk Model project outcomes with policymakers, including preliminary findings (which show that, across the state of Illinois, diverse crop rotations protect against yield losses in dry years), and a sneak-peek of our online, interactive tool, built in collaboration with our partners at Schmidt DSE, which will provide policymakers, financial institutions and other stakeholders with insight on the risk-related impacts of soil health practices at the state, county and field levels!
Find the full Project Overview & Preliminary Findings here.
Farm Bill Timing:
As the year draws to a close, the likelihood of a one-year extension to the Farm Bill is increasing. In the House, the release of the Farm Bill draft is pending the Speaker's scheduling of legislative discussions, which was delayed during the process of selecting the new Speaker, Mike Johnson (R-LA). Speaker Johnson hopes to allocate floor time for the Farm Bill in December, contingent on Congress's ability to pass a stop-gap measure for FY24 spending bills. Meanwhile, in the Senate, partisan divisions on key issues persist, delaying the release of the Farm Bill draft.
One of the most significant points of contention between Democrats and Republicans is the allocation of funds designated for climate-smart agriculture and climate change mitigation from the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act. Democrats advocate for keeping these funds within the Conservation title, earmarked for climate mitigation, while others propose using a portion of the funds more broadly within the conservation title or for other priorities, such as commodity support, research, or risk management.
Bill Tracker:
August and September saw little slow down of new marker bills focused on soil health, resilience and related agricultural issues. This week we shared a selection of both core and secondary soil health bills to our latest Soil Health Federal Bill Tracker Update. You can sign up to get Bill Tracker updates directly to your inbox here.
Risk Model News
Land Core Risk Model team member Kangogo Sogomo to present at AGU23
Our Lead Geospatial Data Scientist Kangogo Sogomo recently had her abstract, titled “Developing a Remote Sensed Cover Crop Dataset for the U.S. Midwest using Harmonized Landsat Sentinel (HLS)” accepted for a poster presentation at the 2023 American Geophysical Union Conference. The conference will take place December 11-15 in San Francisco, CA, and virtually.
In the Press
AgWeb: Financial Discounts for Regenerative Ag
“Land Core’s goal is to provide data to help direct specific offers to expand regenerative agriculture in geographies with lower adoption or greater opportunity. Its database is layered with satellite imagery, soil maps, weather data, etc., to inform offers on a county-by-county level.” Check out this article discussing how soil health practices and data can be used to promote resiliency on farms here.
Rice helping study how soil health improvement can boost crops
Risk Model project co-PI Dr. Frederi Viens, Statistics Professor at Rice University, was featured in a campus news article highlighting the risk model work and potential impacts of improving soil health. Read more here.
Upcoming Events
Conference season is upon us! Below you will find a selection of upcoming gatherings related to agriculture and soil health on our radar.
November 1-3, 2023 - Regenerate Conference - Santa Fe, NM & Virtual
Each year, the Quivira Coalition, Holistic Management International, and the American Grassfed Association collaborate to convene ranchers, farmers, conservationists, land managers, scientists, and thought leaders to share knowledge, build community, and create a culture of resilience and regeneration. More information can be found here.
November 13, 2023 - Agricultural Outlook and Policy Conference - Columbus, OH
The Agricultural Outlook and Policy Conference is the premier annual forum related to Ohio’s agricultural and food industry, covering issues important to producers, agribusinesses, and elected officials. More information can be found here.
November 15, 2023 - Soil & Climate Alliance Fall Meeting - Virtual
This virtual event will dive into topics such as regenerative cropping systems, healthier soils for more nutrient dense foods, and creating value for farmers and brands. More information and registration details can be found here.
November 16, 2023 - USDA NRCS Cover Crop, Soil Health, and Water Quality Field Day - Gilmore City, IA
Iowa Learning Farms, Iowa Nutrient Research Center, and Iowa Corn will host a cover crop, soil health and water quality field day Tuesday, November 16 from 12:00-2:00 p.m. ET. Details can be found here.
What We're Reading
What the Expiration, and Likely Extension, of the 2018 Farm Bill Means for Food and Agriculture
A deep dive into the current and potential future impacts of the expired 2018 Farm Bill by examining which programs are stranded, and what it means for food and agriculture.
October 25, 2023 | By: National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition
General Mills, Walmart to accelerate regenerative agriculture
General Mills, Inc. is collaborating with Walmart Inc. and Sam’s Club to advance the adoption of regenerative agriculture on 600,000 acres in the United States by 2030.
October 17, 2023 | By: Zachary Sosland, Food Business News
‘Nothing’s predictable’: Extreme weather is ruining farmers’ crops, and their finances
Natural disasters hit farmers with a $22 billion bill last year. Only half of that was covered by insurance.
October 13, 2023 | By: Lois Parshley, Grist
Building a soil health community
Farmers give advice on implementing soil health-building practices.
October 10, 2023 | By: Janelle Atyeo, AgUpdate
Nestlé, Danone and other major food companies commit to framework for regenerative agriculture
A group of more than 170 businesses are coalescing around a definition of the term to spur action on the farm level.
September 28, 2023 | By: Sarah Zimmerman, Agriculture Dive
Get Involved
🌾 Donate to Land Core! Support our programs to advance soil health in 2022 and beyond.
🌾 Sign up for our monthly newsletter.
🌾 Explore our Federal Soil Health Bill Tracker and sign up for monthly soil health legislation updates delivered to your inbox.