Land Core Newsletter - May 2025
Photo by Dmytro Korobka on Unsplash
Dear friends and colleagues,
The team at Land Core has been actively monitoring legislative developments from the 119th Congress, with reconciliation and its impact on critical agricultural programs at the forefront. While a variety of proposals have emerged, the path forward still remains complex. Nevertheless, we remain hopeful that some progress will be made to support soil health priorities.
Internally, we are continuing our outreach to congressional members interested in advancing soil health practices to help farmers build farm resilience and access greater economic opportunities in the process.
Additionally, with Secretary Kennedy’s expressed interest in regenerative agriculture, Land Core has more specifically been focusing on the Department of Health & Human Services than we have in the past. With the upcoming MAHA Commission Report, we’ve written a short but important piece on the soil and human health connection (see the memo below).
As we navigate this rapidly shifting policy landscape, we continue to believe that direct engagement and strong partnerships, with producers, their advocates, and political decision-makers, will yield a more resilient future for us all.
Warmly,
The Land Core Team
Getty Images for Unsplash+
Policy Updates
Reconciliation, Farm Bill & Updates From Congress
Reconciliation has dominated the conversation, and availability, of policymakers and agriculture leaders in Congress all month. The mega-bill markup was pushed back several times as Members scrambled to agree on cuts.
On Monday evening, House Ag released its plan, proposing $290B in cuts from nutrition assistance spending, while funding agricultural programs typically authorized through the Farm Bill. (See draft text or the section-by-section overview here). Notably, the bill would:
Make significant cuts to nutrition assistance programs including SNAP, and expand work and eligibility requirements, and transfer responsibility of payment to the states. Specifically, this proposal would force states with payment error rates of 10 percent or more to pay for 25% of SNAP benefits.
As of Wednesday morning, all centrist and GOP Agriculture committee members have aligned behind the bill putting aside any previous concerns about SNAP cuts to move the bill forward.
Despite the forward progress on the bill, political challenges remain, including demands from GOP hardliners (especially in regards to Medicaid and other provisions outside of agriculture). Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin also expressed doubt that the mega-bill would pass through the Senate in its current form due to persistent economic uncertainty.
The House is also currently working to incorporate approximately $60 billion from the Farm Bill into the reconciliation package. As part of this effort, lawmakers are proposing to shift conservation funding from the Inflation Reduction Act into the Farm Bill baseline, while simultaneously removing the original requirements that directed those funds specifically toward “climate-smart” agricultural practices. Additionally, they aim to increase funding for commodity payment programs, which provide financial assistance to farmers based on crop yields or prices. These proposed changes are contributing to further legislative delays and deepening gridlock may make it more difficult to advance a comprehensive Farm Bill this year.
In other news:
The U.S. and China agreed to temporary tariff cuts on Monday evening, providing another 90 days for discussions
Secretary Rollins told lawmakers that USDA is now actively recruiting for key positions at NRCS and other agencies; this comes shortly after news that over 15,000 employees accepted the Trump administration’s offer to resign.
House Agriculture Committee Ranking Member Angie Craig announced her bid to run for U.S. Senate in Minnesota, to replace retiring Senator Smith, leaving the Ranking Member position to be filled by another Democrat on the committee.
Land Core Policy Activities
Rooted In Health:
Healthy soil is more than an agricultural asset—it’s also a public health imperative. Land Core recently published a memo entitled “Rooted in Health: The Soil and Human Health Connection” to address the upcoming MAHA Commission Report (due late May 2025). With influential policies like the U.S. Dietary Guidelines, HHS has the opportunity to help re-establish healthy soil as the foundation of our health.
Read the full memo here and let us know what you think!
Bill Tracker Updates
We were excited to post our first New Bill Tracker Alert for 2025 last week highlighting a flurry of activity from the first quarter of the 119th Congress. If you missed it, you can revisit it here.
April Bill Spotlight: H.R.2858 - Winter Canola Study Act of 2025
Sponsored by: Rep. David Kustoff (R-TN-8)
Co-sponsors: Rep. Dale W. Strong (R-AL-5), Rep. Tracey Mann (R-KS-1)
Summary: This Republican-led bill would promote research into the inclusion of winter canola in double and rotational cropping systems, which could have implications for soil health. By supporting studies that evaluate risk management benefits such as soil conservation, fertility, and biodiversity, the bill would encourage a deeper understanding of how winter canola cultivation affects soil conditions.
Analysis: While the bill’s title is unassuming, if winter canola were more widely adopted through expanded crop insurance coverage, it could contribute to maintaining soil cover during winter months and enhancing crop rotation practices that influence long-term soil quality.
See the full summary and analysis on our tracker.
Stay up to date with our Bill Tracker Alerts, that you can sign up for here.
Attention Farmers: Drop Us A Line!
As we speak with congressional leaders about the importance of soil health policies, we’d love to hear directly from you, our farmers and ranchers. Whether it’s issues related to crop insurance, managed grazing, sustainable biofuels or the need for more technical assistance, or just a “bug in your ear”, we’d love to hear from you. Drop us a line, or schedule a quick call, by writing to Meg at staff@landcore.org.
Announcement
We’re excited to welcome Kate Singer to the Land Core Team as Policy Intern!
Kate Singer is a student at UC Berkeley majoring in Environmental Economics & Policy (Bachelor of Science). Kate’s main interest lies in regenerative business, from founding a sustainable clothing company, to campaigning and testifying for a supply chain accountability bill in California. Kate has been passionate about preserving natural resources since she was a child, and is excited to be working with the Land Core team.
Watch At Home
Soil health documentaries “Kiss the Ground” and “Common Ground” are now available to watch at home. The films began streaming on Prime Video on April 22, 2025. Watch, learn more and take action here.
Upcoming Events
2025 Agri-Pulse West: Food & Ag Issues Summit
Agri-Pulse and Agri-Pulse West are your comprehensive sources of the latest in agricultural information. We take a holistic approach to covering current ag, food and energy policy news and we never miss a beat. We make it our duty to inform you of the most up-to-date agricultural and food policy decisions being made from Washington, D.C. to the west coast and examine how they will affect you: the farmer, the lobbyist, the government employee, the educator, the consultant, and the concerned citizen. June 10, 2025 | Sacramento, CA
On-Farm Summer Network Meeting
Land Core’s co-founders will be joining the Soil & Climate Alliance for their annual, in-person, summer meet up, including an exclusive field day at the famed White Oak Pastures, followed by a two-day network meeting in Atlanta. While invite only, interested parties should reach out to Jessica Hulse Dillon, the network’s Senior Director, for more info. June 17-19, 2025 | Atlanta, GA & White Oak Pastures
Photo courtesy of APD Farms
What We're Reading
After an early boom, organic farming is falling: ‘We can’t find anybody as willing to work’
With the financial investment, waning markets, and other regulatory barriers with the adoption of organic certification, some farmers question whether it's worth the extra effort and investment. This article weighs both sides of the argument, ultimately pointing to “doing the right thing” as the driving force behind sticking to organic farming. By Caitlin Deboza, Patrick Whittle, & Associated Press, Fortune | May 7, 2025
May 2025 Cornell Conservation Agriculture Scoopit Research Update
A curation of recently-published academic papers on “conservation agriculture”, soil health, and related topics, from the US and around the globe. Curated by Cornell Conservation Agriculture Group (soilhealth.org) | May 2025
A new report from Friends of the Earth, based on analysis of USDA data, finds that “conventional no-till”, a commonly used soil health management practice, depends heavily on pesticides and synthetic fertilizers, with severe impacts on soil health and human health. By Sarah Starman and Dr. Kendra Klein | April 2025, Friends of the Earth
In this podcast episode, the executive director of Mighty Arrow, one Land Core’s funding partners, offers a compelling perspective on how funders can rethink philanthropy by centering empathy, trust, and long-term relationships in their work. Pair this with the Mighty Arrow Partner Project 2025, which shares findings from their outreach to 65 leaders from 54 grantee organizations. By Do One Better with Alberto Lidji podcast | April 20, 2025
The Soil Health Cycle with Dr. Bijesh Maharjan
Researchers, advisers, and farmers alike know that soil health is important, but taking steps forward in the knowledge of which practices to use and their impacts can be difficult. Enter the soil health cycle, an iterative approach to help track how practices and their implementation take soil health forward. In this episode, Bijesh joins me to discuss his work on the soil health cycle. By Field, Lab, Earth Podcast - The American Society of Agronomy | April 18, 2025
Bayer CEO Warns that Company May Stop Making Roundup
Bayer Chief Executive Bill Anderson reports that the company could stop making Round-Up in a matter of months. Since taking over the company in 2023, Anderson reports that the cost of litigation has exceeded the research and development arm and that the company barely breaks even on the sale of Roundup in the current market. By Ryan Hanrahan - Farm Policy News (Wall Street Journal) | April 18, 2025
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