Land Core Newsletter - March 2024
Image Credit: Aria McLauchlan
Dear friends and colleagues,
Happy Spring! Land Core recently spent National Agriculture Week (March 17-23) in DC discussing soil health legislation and ag-appropriations priorities. How did you celebrate National Agriculture Week? Send us an email or tag us in your posts to let us know!
Read on for a more in-depth look at Farm Bill timing, ag-appropriations funding insights, recent hearings, and a look at what we're reading.
Warmly,
The Land Core Team
Policy Updates
Land Core in DC
Land Core’s Executive Director, Aria McLauchlan, and Senior Policy Advisor, Dr. Rachel Owen, were on the Hill for this important week! They met with agriculture and conservation stakeholders, and over 20 congressional offices to discuss bipartisan support for top legislative priorities like the SOIL HEALTH Practices Act and DEFER Act. We also held joint meetings with ag-appropriations subcommittee members with the Soil and Water Conservation Society’s CEO, Clare Lindahl. The funding meetings focused on the importance of conservation technical assistance and agricultural research.
Pictured: Rachel Owen, Aria McLauchlan, and Clare Lindahl outside the Cannon House Building in Washington D.C.
Farm Bill and Ag-Appropriations
In the past month, little movement has occurred on the Farm Bill. In the meantime, Land Core is working to finalize a request to Congress to invest in soil health and resilient agriculture through the FY 2025 appropriations process, in which Congress annually approves billions in discretionary funding for farm and food programs. Our funding priorities will help to expand soil health practices across US farmland and create value for farmers, businesses, and communities. We believe these investments are vital to help reach the full potential of these programs in supporting more producers in building on-farm profitability and resilience.
Read our mini-blog here for brief updates on Farm Bill timing, FY24 Appropriations (including how funding compared to our requests last year), and the work underway for FY25!
Bill Tracker
We are continuing to track new legislation that would impact soil health, and are in the process of adding five bills that were introduced in February to our Tracker. Some of these bills, like the Securing and Understanding Our National Renewable Agriculture Yields (SUNRAY) for Energy Act and the Watershed Protection and Forest Recovery Act of 2024, would help support research gaps and improve natural resource programs.
You can view all soil health bills on our Tracker, and sign up to get Bill Tracker updates directly to your inbox here.
Risk Model News
Seeking Statistician Postdoctoral Research Associate to join our Risk Model team!
Our full-time statistician position is now posted on the Science Societies Career Network job board. Please take a look and help us share this unique opportunity with your networks!
More info: Land Core and the Department of Statistics at Rice University are seeking to fill a two-year Postdoctoral Research Associate position. The Postdoctoral Research Associate will conduct statistical modeling and lead analyses assessing impacts of extreme weather events on diversified cropping systems and the resulting effects on crop production, including crop yields, remotely sensed data on crop rotation and cover cropping, and environmental variables. The postdoc will then develop statistical models of crop yield risks in a Bayesian framework which can include causal inference components. The chosen candidate will have the opportunity to collaborate with a cross-disciplinary team, publish their work and influence public- and private decision making.
This position will remain open until filled. Email questions to Land Core (operations@landcore.org).
Upcoming Events
Conference season is in full swing! Below you will find a selection of upcoming gatherings related to agriculture and soil health on our radar.
April 9-11, 2024 - Extension Risk Management Education National Conference - Salt Lake City, UT
This annual convening brings together educators, crop insurance agents, lenders, and many other agricultural professionals to learn how to help farmers effectively manage the financial, production, marketing, legal and human risks associated with agribusiness. More information can be found here.
What We're Reading
Mighty microbes: Soil microorganisms are combating desertification
Insight on how soil microbes can play a vital role in impacting soil ecosystems functions and land management in arid and dry regions of the world.
March 27, 2024 | By: Hannah Bird, Phys.org
Leading Investors Back New Regenerative Organic Agriculture Fund
Perennial Fund II has been launched by the Colorado-based finance firm Mad Capital and will provide regenerative organic farmers with tailored loans to cover the full array of capital needs so they can transition to organic, invest in soil health, develop new markets, and diversify their enterprise.
March 20, 2024 | By: Jamie Hailstone, Forbes
Manure boosts hidden ecosystem beneath our feet
A discussion on the importance of soil health to yield, the ways that manure can influence this and how the Nutrient Management Spear Program (NMSP) is investigating the relationship between microbial health, yield and climate resilience.
March 18, 2024 | By: Madeline Hanscom, Cornell College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
The NRCS announced it will invest about $138 million of financial assistance from the Inflation Reduction Act in 138 new climate-smart conservation easements, through which farmers and ranchers are conserving wetlands, grasslands and prime farmlands.
March 13, 2024 | By: USDA NRCS
New Reports Examine Opportunity in Regenerative Agriculture
The Yale Center for Business and Environment released two new reports examining options to improve and advance regenerative agriculture practices, Bridging the Regenerative Agriculture Financing Gap and Surf to Turf: Linking Regenerative Agriculture and Restorative Aquaculture in Coastal Foodscapes.
March 12, 2024 | By: NCAT
A white paper examining how companies with existing regenerative agriculture projects and goals can engage consumers on the benefits for nutrition in products from regenerative agriculture practices.
March 6, 2024 | By: Nutrient Density Alliance
Get Involved
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