Land Core Newsletter - June 2026
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Dear friends & colleagues,
Summer is here, and so is a packed policy calendar. Senate Agriculture Committee Chair John Boozman (R-AR) has signaled that Farm Bill markup is expected between July 13 and August 7, meaning the next few weeks are critical for shaping what ends up in the bill. We're keeping a close eye on soil health provisions and working to ensure the momentum from the House side carries through. We're also continuing to push for inclusion of report language mirroring the SOIL HEALTH Practices Act in the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Bill, following its recent and exciting inclusion in the House Ag-Approps Committee Report for FY27.
One way you can help right now: take two minutes to contact your senators in support of mandatory Farm Bill funding for the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR). FFAR has directly supported Land Core's soil health risk modeling research, and robust funding for the foundation means more of this work gets done. Details and a link to the campaign are below.
Read on for Farm Bill and USDA policy updates, funding opportunities, upcoming events through the fall, and what we're reading this month.
With gratitude,
The Land Core Team
Federal Policy Updates
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Senate Farm Bill Updates
Senate Agriculture Committee Chair John Boozman (R-AR) has indicated that the Committee’s Farm Bill consideration will take place between the July 4th and August recesses, with a markup expected to occur between July 13 and August 7, a shift from its earlier end-of-June goal. Bill text should be released within a couple of weeks. In terms of the content of the bill, Boozman doesn’t expect the inclusion of year-round E15 language, citing jurisdictional limits and the House’s struggles with its own ethanol bill. On shifting SNAP costs to states, Boozman cited limited authority but talks continue as Ranking Member Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and other Senate Agriculture Democrats press to postpone the cost-share.
USDA Comment Opportunity
The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has proposed revisions to select Conservation Practice Standards (CPSs) in the National Handbook of Conservation Practices (NHCP) and is accepting public comments through July 6, 2026. Several of the proposed changes could have implications for soil health, including CPSs for alley cropping, annual forages for grazing systems, and silvopasture. Comments can be submitted here under Docket No. NRCS-2026-0034.
Support for Federal Research
Contact your Senators to support critical research funding in the Senate Farm Bill! The American Society of Agronomy (ASA), Crop Science Society of America (CSSA), and Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) are urging Senators to support dedicated Farm Bill funding for the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR). FFAR operates on a matching model that has historically returned $1.40 in private investment for every federal dollar, making it a highly-efficient research funding vehicle. The campaign is asking supporters to push for at least $200 million in mandatory additional funding in the Senate Farm Bill. If you work in agriculture or food systems, or just want to add your voice, you can send a message to your senators directly through this campaign page.
Groundbreaking research like Land Core's Risk Model Project is supported by the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR), and we encourage you to take 2 minutes to sign on to this proposal. We're immensely grateful for FFAR’s support.
Coalition Letter re: Agency Reorganization
Additionally, a broad coalition of 50 agricultural organizations signed a letter this month urging House and Senate Agriculture Committee leaders to address ongoing disruptions to USDA's research infrastructure, including staff losses, proposed ARS lab closures, and stalled distribution of congressionally appropriated funds. The letter calls on Congress to require transparency and accountability from USDA and to hold hearings before any facility closures are finalized. Learn more and read their letter to the House and Senate Ag Committee Leaders here.
🌾 Donate to Land Core! Support our programs to advance soil health in 2026 and beyond.
Watch New Regen Ag Movie, “Groundswell” on Amazon Prime
Narrated by Demi Moore and Woody Harrelson, the film travels across five continents to follow the farmers, scientists, and Indigenous leaders driving the regenerative agriculture movement. It's the third installment from Kiss the Ground filmmakers Josh and Rebecca Tickell; if you haven't seen their first two films, Kiss the Ground (2020) introduced mainstream audiences to the science of soil health and regenerative agriculture, while Common Ground (2023) dug deeper into the political and economic forces shaping our food system and the farmers fighting to change it. Watch the trailer here and stream the Golden-Globe winning film on Prime Video here.
Funding Opportunities
The USDA Agricultural Marketing Service is offering bison producers up to $80,000 in grant funding through the National Bison Production & Marketing Grant, administered on the production side by Mad Agriculture. Awards support grazing systems, herd and land management, handling equipment, and business planning, and come paired with technical assistance. Letters of Interest are due June 29. If you work with bison producers or know operations that could benefit, this is worth passing along. Learn more and apply here.
After a three-year hiatus, USDA's Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) program is back. NRCS posted new funding announcements on May 27 for both CIG Classic ($15M) and CIG On-Farm Trials ($50M), with applications due July 27. The structure is largely unchanged from 2023: CIG Classic supports early-stage tools and market-based solutions, while CIG On-Farm Trials funds field-based adoption work with producer incentive payments. Soil health is a priority area in both tracks. If your work touches conservation innovation, these opportunities are worth a close look. Learn more about the program and apply via Grants.gov here or here.
Upcoming Events
June 27, 2026 - Farm Weird (Gaston, IN - 9a-4p ET): Acres U.S.A. brings together large-scale row crop farmers at Jason Mauck's farm for a day of hands-on demos and field tours focused on relay cropping, livestock integration, nitrogen strategies, and building diversified income streams. Get tickets here.
June 30, 2026 - Resolving Conflicts in Conservation (Virtual - 1p-2p CT): SWCS's Conservation Voices webinar series tackles conflict navigation and difficult conversations in conservation and leadership contexts, with practical tools and real-world examples from two SWCS board directors. Register here.
July 17-21, 2026 - NACD Summer Conservation Forum & Tours (Grand Rapids, MI): The National Association of Conservation Districts' annual summer gathering brings together conservation district officials and partners for sessions, tours, and networking focused on soil, water, forestry, and federal policy. Early bird registration is open through June 29. Register here.
July 26-29, 2026 - 81st SWCS International Annual Conference (St. Louis, MO): The Soil and Water Conservation Society's annual gathering brings together researchers, practitioners, farmers, and industry leaders for four days of sessions, workshops, and field tours spanning soil health, water quality, and conservation policy. Land Core’s Executive Director and Co-Founder, Aria McLauchlan, will be presenting on recent revenue risk findings from our soil health risk modeling research! Register here.
September 25-27, 2026 - Prairie Festival 2026 (Salina, KS): The Land Institute's 50th anniversary celebration brings together speakers, farmers, artists, and researchers for a weekend of keynotes, field tours, workshops, and demonstrations centered on perennial agriculture and the future of food systems. Register here.
What We're Reading
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Mad Agriculture's new white paper makes the ecological and economic case for integrating native perennial habitat into working agricultural landscapes at scale, targeting 65 million acres of connected habitat across U.S. farmland over fifty years. A pilot in Wisconsin's Driftless Area is already underway, backed by 21 food companies including Whole Foods Market and Campbell’s.
By Mad Agriculture, 2026
Piedmont Area Farmers Partner with NRCS to Advance Regenerative Agriculture in South Dakota
Riley and Jimmie Kammerer of Piedmont, South Dakota, are working with NRCS to convert 212 acres to season-long cover crops and deploy virtual fencing across 5,800 acres as part of a broader regenerative transition focused on soil health, grazing efficiency, and long-term resilience, making them the first producers in the Black Hills area to sign an early adopter's contract.
By DRG Media Group, May 30, 2026
As Nebraska undergoes a generational shift in farm ownership, conservation advocates are raising concerns that land auctions favoring large operators could crowd out the smaller producers more likely to adopt soil health practices like cover cropping and reduced tillage.
By Grant Winterer, Nebraska Public Media, June 1, 2026
Regenerative Agriculture Dataset Shows 3x Less Yield Loss in Droughts
Soil Capital has published preliminary findings from a dataset covering 1,262 farms in France showing that during the 2023 droughts, farms with the highest adoption of regenerative practices saw roughly one-third the yield loss of conventional counterparts, 8% versus 22%. The findings are drawing attention from academic researchers and supply chain actors alike as evidence that regenerative agriculture's resilience benefits can be quantified as a financial variable, not just a sustainability talking point.
By Soil Capital, June 2, 2026
Compeer Financial Collaborates with PepsiCo to Provide Strip-Till Equipment Financing
Compeer Financial and PepsiCo have launched RegenLend, a pilot leasing program that offsets the upfront equipment costs of strip-till farming by having PepsiCo cover two annual lease payments on behalf of farmers. The program, developed with EDF and operated by the Soil and Water Outcomes Fund, is available to farmers implementing soil conservation practices on at least 600 acres and represents a notable example of supply chain actors stepping in to bridge the financial gap for conservation adoption.
By PepsiCo, Inc., PR Newswire, June 11, 2026
New World Screwworm in the U.S.: From Eradication to Resurgence
This piece traces the history of the New World Screwworm, a livestock parasite that the U.S. eradicated in 1966, which has now been detected domestically for the first time in 60 years, with the first case confirmed on June 3 in South Texas. It details USDA’s current response to the pest, including a $750 million sterile-fly facility. It closes with reminders to producers that the parasite is treatable, preventable, and not a food safety concern. For further information on the pest, see the USDA New World Screwworm Confirmed Detections dashboard and a policy briefing from Farm Action on USDA’s use of funds to address the issue.
By Angie Stump Denton, Drovers, June 16, 2026