Policy
Making our public infrastructure work for us
Land Core believes soil is our common ground. This informs our pragmatic, non-partisan approach to soil health policy, elevating the voices of farmers, and building broad coalitions of support to put soil health at the center of a resilient food and agriculture system.
Much like a think tank, we listen deeply and distill issues to develop actionable solutions, and serve as on-the-ground advocates and educators.
By selecting our moments carefully, Land Core has been able to have an outsized impact on the national soil health conversation. From the annual Appropriations cycle to the every five-year Farm Bill, we work closely with Congress and USDA to develop and implement sound policies that help our producers stay profitable, productive and resilient.
We also advise coalitions and other organizations on how to engage effectively in federal soil health policy.
Policy Wins
FY20 Appropriations
Built a broad coalition and passed report language in the House & Senate to establish national protocols for soil health verification at USDA-NRCS. Learn more →
Soil Health Demo Trials
Helped pass the Soil Heath Demonstration Trials in the 2018 Farm Bill and secured $50M in funding for the program. Learn more →
Rulemaking Success
Delivered thorough recommendations and additional support to ensure NRCS-CIG developed a robust process for measuring soil health results. Learn more →
Mobilizing Coalitions
Helped engage hundreds of farmers, farming orgs, national brands and businesses, NGOs and academics to sign on and actively support resilient soil health legislation last year. Learn more →
Support the DEFER Act!
Join other organizations in supporting access to flexible funding for soil health!
The DEFER Act would allow all current and future FSA direct loan holders to defer half their annual payments when they invest in approved soil conservation practices, and could contribute hundreds of millions of dollars to US soil conservation at no additional cost to taxpayers.
This proposal has attracted the support of 175 organizations, businesses and farms across the country. See the full supporter list here.
Learn more in the one-page overview and FAQ. Request a copy of the draft legislative text here.
We are calling on organizations, farmers and businesses to sign on to this letter of support calling on Congress to support the DEFER Act.
Policy Recommendations for Biden-Harris Administration
Soil Health is a non-partisan, keystone issue that provides the common ground to move America forward.
These executive, legislative, and agency recommendations are designed to ensure the incoming administration has clear guidance on how to take bold action in advancing soil health to build a more resilient and profitable US agricultural system.
Soil Health Federal Bill Tracker
This tracker highlights bills introduced into U.S. Congress that would impact soil health and resilience. This expanded version now features analysis and talking points, and is intended to be a robust source of information and potential engagement for the soil health community. To receive periodic updates when new bills are added or major action is taken in Congress, join the bill tracker alerts list.
Memos, Comments & Hearings
Here, a selection of memos and comments submitted during Congressional hearings, rulemaking and other opportunities for public comment.
Risk Modeling
Building a Predictive Model of Risk
Land Core is proud to share our project to build an actuarially-sound, predictive model of the risk-mitigating benefits of soil health practices, designed as a tool to inform lenders and insurers.
Although there is a general understanding that healthy soils can mitigate risk in agriculture (by increasing resilience to flooding and drought, etc.), institutions that price risk, such as banks and insurers, do not yet have a clear and effective way to incorporate these benefits into their risk pricing today.
We have convened a remarkable, cross-sector working group, to build a model that can generate a risk score for individual farms or ranches, such that actuarially-appropriate pricing can be developed. With that information, farmers and ranchers with a plan to implement soil health practices can receive meaningful economic benefits, such as discounted insurance premiums or lower rate loans.
The Land Core Risk Model will be:
A pragmatic decision-making tool to inform agricultural finance and insurance
Actuarially sound
Able to assign a risk score based on an individual producer’s soil health management plan
Piloted at regional-scale in the U.S. midwest in 2023-2024
Beta Tool Now Available
The first version of the interactive, online Soil Health Risk Model tool, developed in partnership with the Schmidt Center for Data Science & Environment, is now publicly available!
In the News
AgFunder News: Should ag lenders and crop insurers offer ‘good soil discounts’ to farmers? Land Core develops ‘actuarially sound model’ to make it possible
August 4, 2023
“Insurers offer discounts for avoiding smoking and good driving because these practices are proven to mitigate risk and save them money. So should insurers and agricultural lenders offer farmers that look after their soil a ‘good soil discount’?
While it’s generally understood that cover cropping, reduced tillage, and crop rotations benefit soil, these practices are by no means ubiquitous, not least because there are high upfront costs, the benefits don’t come overnight, and there are no immediate financial incentives, says soil health nonprofit Land Core.
Insurers and lenders, meanwhile, do not currently offer discounts for farmers engaging in such practices because their specific impacts at the field level, especially on crop yields, have not been quantified, it says. Until now.”
Announcements
Join Us
We’re seeking partners representing lending, investment and insurance to help inform model development. Partners also have the opportunity to develop and pilot incentives for producers.
Land Leases
Outcomes-Integrated Land Lease Program
Land Core is creating the first scalable, outcomes-verified land lease platform, to bring together landowners, producers and funding partners, to radically advance soil health adoption in America.
This early-stage initiative welcomes partners and funders to pilot the lease and build out the web platform.
Land Core is honored to participate in The Terraton Challenge and be selected by Indigo Ag as the top-ranking finalist in their “Reward” track.
Education
Building Common Ground
Land Core educates key stakeholders about the importance of soil health and amplifies the most opportune calls to action. Some of our work has included:
Advising Congress, USDA, and state officials on the potential of sound soil health policy
Educating businesses, NGO’s, funders, and educators on the importance of soil health as a path to greater resilience and profitability but also the role our government is playing in shaping agriculture
Hosting educational meetings and webinars with local farmer and rancher groups to share federal programs, technical resources, grants, and policy opportunities
Ag Insights
Read and share written pieces from the Land Core team designed to offer a new perspective on hot issues in soil health, agriculture and resilience.
Soil Health Resources
Dig into handy resources we’ve compiled, covering a range of important research, case studies and funding sources, on topics including the economics of soil health, and the case for soil health as a risk mitigation tool.
Other News
Catch up on Land Core’s monthly newsletters, federal bill tracker alerts, recent speaking events and other updates.