Conservation

EPA Opens Public Comment Period On Draft Fungicide Strategy

Mon, 04 May 2026 22:17:01 GMT

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is offering the U.S. public an opportunity to help shape the future of agricultural safety, unveiling a draft Fungicide Strategy designed to balance the needs of American farmers with the protection of the nation’s most vulnerable wildlife.

The proposal marks a significant step in the agency’s effort to meet its dual mandates under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). By creating a more efficient and transparent framework for pesticide registration, the EPA says it aims to “safeguard more than 1,000 federally endangered and threatened species” while ensuring growers maintain the tools necessary to protect the nation’s food supply.

A New Framework for Modern Farming

The draft strategy focuses on conventional agricultural fungicides across the lower 48 states — an area covering approximately 41 million treated acres annually. Rather than a one-size-fits-all mandate, the proposal introduces a three-step framework:

Identify Impacts: Assessing potential population-level effects on listed species.
Mitigation Planning: Pinpointing specific measures to reduce those risks.
Targeted Application: Determining exactly where these protections are most needed based on where endangered and threatened species live and how fungicides move through the environment.

The agency emphasizes that while this strategy guides future regulatory actions, it does not impose immediate requirements. Instead, the strategy serves as a roadmap for upcoming registration reviews, with the EPA promising public input on every specific action before it is finalized.

Balancing Innovation and Conservation

Saying that it recognizes farmers are the backbone of the U.S. economy, the EPA’s draft includes several updates to provide greater flexibility. Notably, the plan expands options for reducing spray drift buffer distances and introduces new mitigation tools, such as the use of “guar gum” as a spray adjuvant.

"[American farmers] need a diverse toolbox of innovative agricultural technologies to manage crop disease, prevent resistance, and produce the affordable, nutritious food that feeds our country,” the EPA says, in a press release. “The draft Fungicide Strategy is designed to ensure those innovative tools remain available and that they are used in ways that protect the environment and endangered species.

How to Get Involved

In a push for transparency, the EPA has opened a 60-day public comment period to gather feedback from scientists, conservationists, Tribal partners and the agricultural community.

Public Comment: Stakeholders can review the strategy and submit formal feedback via (Docket: EPA-HQ-OPP-2026-2973) through June 29, 2026.
Informational Webinar: The agency will host a public webinar on May 20, 2026, at 2 p.m. ET to walk through the proposal and answer questions. Register here .

The EPA expects to review all public input and finalize the Fungicide Strategy by November 2026.

Why One California Farmer is Betting Big on Algae for Fertility

Mon, 09 Mar 2026 14:44:35 GMT

Rows of citrus trees stretch across the landscape under the California sun, their canopies forming neat green corridors between irrigation lines and tractor paths. Some trees are newly trimmed, others older and thicker from years of growth. It’s the kind of orchard scene that has long defined agriculture in this part of the state, where permanent crops dominate the landscape and generations of farmers have worked to coax productivity from difficult soils and an increasingly unpredictable water supply.

For fifth-generation farmer Justin Wylie , these groves are more than just another orchard to manage. They represent an opportunity to rethink how soil works on his farm and whether biology — specifically algae — can play a larger role in the future of California agriculture.

Wylie and his family farm roughly 4,000 acres across California’s Central Valley. Some of that land has been in the family for generations, while other acres are leased. Like many farms in the region, the operation produces permanent crops such as pistachios and citrus, commodities that require long-term planning and careful soil management.

“This is a long-term lease with an investment company partner,” Wylie says. “And we just entered into that lease last year. It’s a 15-year lease with a five-year extension.”

One of the ranches he’s currently working to improve came through a recent leasing agreement that gives the family time to invest in the land and experiment with new approaches. That time horizon matters. With permanent crops like oranges, orchard decisions can affect productivity for decades. The trees must be pruned, fertilized and irrigated carefully year after year, and the soil beneath them has to remain functional through increasingly hot and dry growing seasons.

When Wylie’s team first took over the ranch, some improvements were necessary before any new ideas could be tested.

“We were really lucky on this ranch,” Wylie says. “The previous guys, they did let some of the trees get overgrown, so we did have to come in and push a hedge and top and resize those trees.”

While the orchard needed structural work above ground, Wylie says the bigger opportunity lies beneath the surface. The ranch is now part of a broader effort on the farm to transition a portion of the acres toward organic and regenerative systems.

“For the majority of the ranch, as far as fertility, the soils, the condition of the ranch,” he says, “I think the big thing with this ranch is transitioning from a conventional model to an organic regenerative, which is part of our commitment in the lease. It’s part of the model of the lease here — that we transition the ranch from conventional to certified organic and regenerative.”

The transition is happening gradually. Wylie says roughly 25% of the farm’s acres are currently part of that shift, allowing the family to experiment with new soil-building practices without risking the entire operation.

But the push to explore regenerative systems didn’t begin with markets or policy. It started with a deeply personal experience.

A Personal Connection to Soil Health

Wylie says his interest in soil biology and regenerative farming took shape nearly a decade ago, around 2015 or 2016. At the time, his family was dealing with a serious health challenge involving his young son.

The experience pushed him to start researching nutrition, gut health and the human microbiome — topics that would eventually reshape how he thought about farming.

“[My son] was sick as a kid, and so we were doing everything we could to heal him,” Wylie says. “His gut ended up in the hospital a few times with an autism diagnosis.”

Doctors and therapists offered guidance, but the recommendations didn’t sit well with Wylie.

“And then at the time, the doctors and the therapist told us basically, ‘Practice acceptance,’” he says.

Instead, Wylie started searching for more information about gut health and what researchers were learning about the microbiome. Over time, he began seeing parallels between the human digestive system and the biological activity that happens in healthy soils.

“They started figuring out that autistic kids had very weak gut microbiomes,” Wylie says. “And so when you make that connection as a farmer and you start saying, ‘What are all the things I can do at home to not stress that?’”

That question eventually carried over into his work in the field. The farm’s first experiment with regenerative practices was modest.

“We started on 40 acres of pistachios, playing around with it,” he says. “What can we do here growing in a different system?”

At the same time, the regenerative agriculture movement was gaining momentum online, making it easier for farmers to explore new ideas.

“At the time, there were quite a few regenerative agronomists out there releasing podcasts and YouTube videos,” Wylie says. “So the information was there. It was never on my radar before. But once you join that community and industry, it’s pretty interesting.”

Building on What Came Before

Even as Wylie explores new biological tools, he says the farm’s current practices still build heavily on the work done by previous generations.

His father’s generation invested heavily in agronomy research and orchard management strategies, developing systems that helped the farm stay productive in California’s demanding growing environment. From pruning methods to fertilizer programs, many of those lessons still guide how the farm operates today.

Rather than abandoning those systems, Wylie says his goal is to refine them.

“It’s really a tweak,” he says. “In my mind it’s a slight change in the method, not a complete start over.”

The farm continues to rely on the knowledge accumulated through decades of conventional farming, while gradually introducing new practices aimed at improving soil biology.

“We’re just trying to make tweaks to the system that we’re already operating in on the other ranches to see if we can do this a different way,” Wylie says.

One of the biggest challenges in that transition is managing fertility.

California orchards have historically relied on precise fertilizer programs to keep trees productive. But moving toward organic or regenerative inputs can create a different nutrient dynamic, especially during the early years of transition.

Wylie says growers sometimes underestimate how sensitive orchards can be during that shift.

Managing the Transition Carefully

According to Wylie, one of the most common mistakes farmers make when transitioning to regenerative systems is reducing fertilizer too quickly.

He says orchards that have spent decades under conventional management are accustomed to intensive nutrient programs, and abruptly changing that system can cause yields to fall sharply.

On some ranches where regenerative practices have been in place for several years, Wylie says the difference in soil structure is already noticeable.

“There’s other ranches we’ve been farming regenerative for five years,” he says. “You can stick your hand in the soil and get your fingers down right there on the berms next to the trees — it’s chocolate cake.”

But he warns farmers shouldn’t assume that kind of soil health will appear immediately after switching systems.

“Until that day, do not pull back,” Wylie says.

He says the biggest mistake happens when growers assume they can immediately match their old fertility programs using organic inputs.

“That’s the mistake that growers make,” he says. “They think I’m going organic regenerative, I can match dollar for dollar, I can do the same thing I was doing conventionally.”

Instead, Wylie says the transition often produces what he calls a “J-curve.”

“You’re going to see that J-curve,” he says. “I mean, it’s going to tank.”

To avoid that, his farm relies heavily on testing.

“We pull a lot of sap samples, multiple tissues and soils per year,” Wylie says. “Kind of watching our fertility and making sure these trees are fed.”

He says growers must remember trees grown in conventional systems are used to consistent nutrient availability.

“The soil has been farmed a certain way,” he says. “These trees are used to being fed intensively in that conventional system.”

And organic fertilizers don’t always behave the same way.

“The organic fertilizers just don’t work as well,” Wylie says. “So you have to be careful.”

Introducing Algae Into the System

As Wylie searched for ways to accelerate soil improvement, one newer tool caught his attention: microalgae.

The technology comes from soil health company MyLand, which produces living algae on farms and distributes it through irrigation systems.

“We’re probably in our fourth or fifth season,” Wylie says.

The idea behind the system is relatively simple. Rather than applying microbes directly to the soil, the system produces algae that help stimulate microbial activity already present in the soil ecosystem.

Jeff Tuel says the technology centers around specialized tanks designed to grow algae on the farm itself.

“We call these APVs, algae producing vessels,” Tuel says. “And essentially, the sole purpose is to grow algae here.”

Water from the farm is stored inside the vessels, where conditions are controlled to encourage rapid algae growth.

“So for all intents and purposes, this is kind of like the algae producing container,” Tuel says.

From there, the algae are delivered through irrigation systems already used on the farm.

“And we try to keep that holding tank to a level where if the irrigator is irrigating a 12-hour set, 24, 36,” Tuel says. “Our main objective is for them to never run dry of algae.”

Production is adjusted to match the grower’s irrigation schedule.

“We harvest according to the grower’s irrigation schedule,” he says.

Another important step happens before the system is even installed. MyLand scientists collect algae samples from the farm itself, identifying native strains that are already adapted to the environment.

“The reason native is important is because it’s used to the pH, it’s used to the droughts, the floods, everything Mother Nature’s thrown at it,” Tuel says.

Because those organisms already exist in the local ecosystem, they are more likely to survive once applied to the soil.

“Its odds of surviving and actually making an impact in that ecosystem are far greater,” he says.

Microalgae also sits at the base of the soil’s microbial food web.

“Microalgae is actually the base of the microbial food chain,” Tuel says. “All the bugs and beneficials in the soil are feeding off of it.”

Rather than introducing microbes, the strategy is to stimulate the microbes already present.

“I like to say instead of a bug-and-a-jug approach, we are ringing the dinner bell for the microbes,” Tuel says. “It’s kind of an all-you-can-eat buffet for microbes to get them moving and active.”

Tackling Difficult Soils

For Wylie, improving soil biology could help solve one of the Central Valley’s most persistent challenges: poor soil structure.

Many orchard soils in the region contain very low levels of organic matter, which limits their ability to hold water and maintain structure through the growing season.

“We have about 0.5% soil organic matter,” Wylie says. “Our water holding capacity is very low.”

That lack of organic matter can cause irrigation problems later in the summer.

“A lot of times these soils as we’re irrigating during the season will lock up,” he says.

Early in the season, irrigation water infiltrates the soil fairly easily.

“You start with very good water infiltration in April, May, June,” Wylie says.

But conditions change as the summer progresses.

“By the time you get to July, August, when you really need it, it’s very difficult to push water down in the soil,” he says.

For farmers trying to manage water carefully in California’s dry climate, that creates a major challenge.

“These soils are not very functional for us as farmers,” Wylie says.

Tuel says stimulating microbial activity can gradually improve those conditions.

“When you get those microbes to start moving and firing, you’re going to start to build soil aggregate,” he says.

Better aggregation can help water move through the soil while also improving nutrient availability.

“If it’s a high-salt ground, we can start to leach out some of those salts,” Tuel says.

Algae may also influence soil chemistry.

“Algae is also going to help regulate the pH in the soil so we can start to free up some locked-up nutrients,” he says.

Thinking Long-Term

While installing an on-farm algae system requires investment, Wylie says he sees it as part of a long-term strategy for improving soil performance.

“In a biological system like MyLand, it’s about the same cost as a soil amendment program out here, depending on how much acreage you’re using,” Wylie says.

The difference is the system focuses on building biological activity rather than simply adding nutrients.

“But it’s a long-term solution,” he says. “It’s not going to work overnight.”

Instead, the goal is to strengthen the soil’s microbiome so it can better buffer environmental stresses.

“It’s actually creating a buffer by just supercharging the microbiome that’s in the soil,” Wylie says.

That biological activity may help address several common soil issues in California orchards.

“Everything feeds on it,” he says. “It’s overcoming high salt, high chlorides.”

Even trace mineral challenges may improve over time.

“In some cases in California, we have very high boron in some areas,” Wylie says.

He believes increased biological activity may help mitigate those problems faster than traditional soil-building methods alone.

“Microalgae being put into the system can actually overcome those salts that might take 10 or 15 years of compost and cover crops,” he says. “You can accomplish in a few years by using MyLand.”

The Pressure on California Farmers

The search for new tools is happening at a time when farming in California is becoming increasingly expensive.

Data from USDA shows the state continues to rank as the most expensive place in the country to grow crops, driven by high labor, energy and input costs.

Those economic pressures are compounded by growing regulatory expectations.

Wylie believes California farmers are already facing some of the strictest scrutiny in global agriculture.

“I think the state’s already looking at it very closely,” he says. “I think they’re going to put more pressure on farmers in California.”

Compared with other agricultural regions, he says California producers are operating under unique constraints.

“Other than the European Union, there is no one in the world that’s under as much pressure as a California farmer to change the way we do things,” Wylie says.

Because of that, he believes farmers must take the lead in finding workable solutions.

“We need to figure this out,” he says. “And I want to figure it out before the government gets involved and tries to tell me how to do it.”

Government incentive programs exist, but Wylie believes the real challenge is making soil health practices economically viable.

“They can offer me some incentives,” he says. “We have healthy soils out here. They give you a little compost and cover crop seed.”

Ultimately, though, growers need systems that work on their own.

“We need to figure this out and we need to make it economical and profitable before the state comes in,” Wylie says.

Because once regulations remove certain tools, farmers may have little room to adapt.

“Now you’re forced to figure it out with your back against the wall,” he says. “We don’t want that.”

For Wylie, the answer may lie beneath the soil surface where billions of microbes, fueled by algae, could quietly reshape how California farms grow their crops. And by doing so now, Wylie hopes he’s able to find ways to continue to grow productive crops in California, despite increased regulations.

USDA Launches New $700 Million Regenerative Ag Pilot Program

Wed, 10 Dec 2025 22:49:51 GMT

USDA wants farmers to focus on soil health and producing more nutritious food. To that end, Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins, along with Robert “F” Kennedy Jr., Health Secretary, and Doctor Mehmet Oz, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator, announced a $700 million pilot program aimed at supporting regenerative farming. USDA says the Regenerative Pilot Program’s goal is to help American farmers adopt practices focused on improving soil health, water quality and boost long-term productivity.

“We are committed to restoring America’s natural strength by empowering producers with simple outcome-based tools,” Rollins says. “Producers at every stage, from beginners just starting with cover crops to advanced operators with years of conservation experience, many of those are represented by our farmers today, will find a pathway through this pilot.”

Rollins says the program will be funded through existing programs at USDA and allow farmers to pursue “whole-farm planning” instead of a piecemeal approach. The pilot will be administered through the agency’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).

“Each producer’s results will be measured and credited back to the farmer through an outcomes report, recognizing and rewarding improvements they achieve on their own land,” Rollins says. “This initiative puts American farmers first as part of the solution to make America healthy again.”

Building Off MAHA

The announcement follows the Make Our Children Healthy Again Strategy released in September.

Kennedy said the initiative promises farmers an “off-ramp” to transition away from chemical fertilizer inputs, “to a model that emphasizes soil health, and with soil health comes nutrient density through voluntary action.”

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is also investing in research on the connection between regenerative agriculture and public health, as well as developing public health messaging explaining this connection.

“We cannot truly be a wealthy nation if we are not also a healthy nation. Access to wholesome, nutritious and affordable foods is a key tenet of the Make America Healthy Again agenda, which President Trump has directed this administration to execute across all government agencies,” Oz says. “I commend Secretary Rollins and Secretary Kennedy for today’s efforts to strengthen our nation’s food supply.”

“This is another initiative driven by President Trump’s mission to Make America Healthy Again,” Rollins adds. “Alongside Secretary Kennedy, we have made great strides to ensure the safe, nutritious, and affordable food our great farmers produce make it to dinner tables across this great country.”

How Does it Work?

USDA released details about the program in a release. It says the program will be administered by NRCS, allowing producers to bundle multiple regenerative practices into a single application, saying it will both streamline the process and allow for operator flexibility.

In FY2026, USDA is dedicating $400 million through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and $300 million through the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) to fund the first year of regenerative agriculture projects.

USDA says farmers and ranchers interested in regenerative agriculture are encouraged to apply through their local NRCS Service Center by their state’s ranking dates for consideration in FY2026 funding. Applications for both EQIP and CSP can now be submitted under the new single regenerative application process.

Regenerative Reaction

Farm groups and outside influencers are weighing in on the new pilot program announcement. Farm Bureau and President Zippy Duvall welcomed the approach while pointing out its still light on details.

“We value USDA’s acknowledgement that farmers have long practiced regenerative agriculture on their farms, both through federal conservation programs and on their own,” Duvall says. “Building on these efforts by leveraging existing voluntary and incentive-based programs to advance additional regenerative goals sounds like smart government to me, especially when farmers remain in the driver’s seat.”

Hurricane Helene: One Year Later

Thu, 30 Oct 2025 21:41:24 GMT

Chris White is 46 years old. For more than half of that time, he’s been a blueberry farmer in his hometown of Baxley, Ga. He’s seen a lot, both as a farmer and also as a resident in southeast Georgia, an area of the country that’s not quite hurricane ground zero but that can certainly find itself adjacent to the many tropical storms and hurricanes that make landfall each year.

But he’d never seen anything like what happened to his community the night of Sept. 26, 2024.

Located in the southeastern part of the state, Baxley was one of the many towns that took a direct hit from Hurricane Helene. Overnight, the hurricane pummeled the area with 100-plus mph wind gusts and rainfall that triggered flooding, resulting in 37 deaths in the state.

When White and his fellow farmers awoke the next morning, they were unprepared for what they saw.

One of the farms that makes up Appling Blueberry Farms had sat ripe with mature blueberry bushes just the day before. Now, it was decimated – the entire blueberry canopy flattened to the ground. Surrounded by debris, he recalls having to walk 3 miles on foot to get to his equipment shed.

“I drove the tractor back here to the field and when I pulled to the road and saw it, I just turned around and didn’t come back for six days,” White says.

“Just imagine the entire thing on the ground. “It was devastating,” he adds.

Down the road in the neighboring city of Alma, Randy Miller spent the morning with the same ache in his gut. Looking out on his family’s timber operation, Miller saw his 1,400 acres of timberland in shambles.

“We lost 300 acres of timber in the 30 to 40-year range,” he says.

Miller thought of his timber acres largely as his 401k — a savings he could grow to maturity and then harvest as a security blanket for retirement.

“I’m 64 years old, and that was basically my lifetime’s marketable timber that was gone,” he says.

Randy Miller had invested time and energy in growing a pinewood plantation that he hoped to market at maturity. Hurricane Helene’s 100-plus mph winds decimated 300 acres of his trees.

(Randy Miller)

The Clean-Up

While White remained in denial about his crop’s demise, Miller didn’t have the time. Even felled timber has a window where harvest remains possible, but time is critical. He started calling his timber cutting contacts, but he was already behind. Other landowners had called before him.

“It took months before they could get to us,” Miller says.

“Before the Hurricane, we sold 60 acres of timber worth roughly $4,000 per acre,” he says. “After it, we picked up 150 acres and got a check for $47,000.

“Some people got nothing, so we were lucky that we’d gotten $4 a ton for ours, which is basically nothing,” he adds.

In Baxley, White finally started ripping out his destroyed blueberry bushes. In order to plant more, he had to start from scratch and rebuild the field infrastructure, such as bark mounds and drip lines.

But then he couldn’t find plants.

“We called all over the U.S. to find plants,” he recalls. “We had plants come from Oregon and Florida. We really had to struggle to get them.”

Appling Blueberry Farms planted the last of its replacement bushes in February, which means that the new crop could not yield fruit this year. Grower Chris White will be able to harvest berries from the farm in the 2026 growing year.

(America’s Conservation Ag Movement)

White’s last new plant went into the ground in February. He says he’s not sure that any of that quick rebuild would have been possible without emergency assistance from USDA.

“The FSA Tree Assistance Program (TAP) was a very big blessing to put them back,” he says. “They paid an amount for the soil preparation and then so much per plant for the replant.

“It definitely wasn’t something that would bring you debt-free on it, but it was something that wouldn’t put you in a real financial bind,” he adds.

Planning for the Future

The devastation left in Helene’s wake wasn’t just plant loss for many farmers. The rushing water from torrential rain combined with the hurricane-force winds blew critical topsoil, sending it into nearby fields, ditches and roadways.

Part of the recovery for growers like White was moving and replacing dirt.

“We hauled in about 60 dump truck loads of dirt and put the soil back where it had eroded,” he recalls.

He wasn’t the only one. Neal Boatright, a fourth-generation farmer who grows more than 6,000 acres of cotton, peanuts and blueberries at scale, also had to get to work relocating soil on his farm. He noticed a difference in erosion in his no-till acreage and the areas where he harvest-tills crops such as peanuts.

“We brought it back from the lower side of the fields and put back and leveled and tried to fix it,” he says. “We have conventional tillage areas that wash worse.”

Growers such as White, Miller and Boatright have seen the weather changing around them. While they say they’d never seen a hurricane or tropical storm hit their region with such devastation as Helene did, they aren’t sure it is going to be the last one.

Their rebuilding plans are a combination of put-back and pre-planning for mitigation of future potential weather catastrophes.

In his rebuild, White worked to secure grants that would allow him to experiment with cover crops in between his blueberry rows. The farm that was lost totally last year now has a diverse cover crop mixture locking his soil in place.

Appling Blueberry Farms uses a diverse mixture of cover crops in between blueberry rows to protect soil from erosion. After the first year, grower Chris White says he sees a reduction in nematode and weed pressure due to the cover crop.

(America’s Conservation Ag Movement)

At one point in the growing season, his cover crop mixture stood 6 feet tall, towering above his blueberry bushes. In addition to protecting the soil, White says the cover crop is yielding other benefits as well.

“It dries the middle out a lot quicker because you have so much sucking the rain and that helps a bunch,” he says. “Because we planted several different plants, our nematode pressure has been way down and the weed pressure too.

“We’ll keep a cover crop here twice a year now, one in the summer and one in the winter,” he adds.

Boatright has been cover cropping his land and sees the benefits in preventing erosion as well as building organic matter in the soil.

“It not only saves erosion by that cover crop growing, it helps retain some nutrients for the next year, builds up organic matter and helps with suppressing weed pressure,” he says. “All that added together makes a good cover crop worthwhile.”

Lasting Impact

While growers and landowners have spent this past year cleaning up and putting their land and assets back together, many worry that the devastation of Hurricane Helen may have generational impact.

Kevin Eason didn’t have to destroy many of his blueberry plants, but even though they survived, the yields this year seem to be suffering.

“What we’ve come to realize is some fields that we didn’t think were damaged, production was down significantly,” he says. “What’s going to happen a year from now, two years from now, three years from now?

“What are going to be the lingering effects of what happened with the Hurricane?”

As he drives down the road on his land and in his community, Boatright can still see areas that harken back to the immediate aftermath of the storm a year ago.

“There was probably more wind damage from that one storm than all the wind damage I’ve ever seen in my whole life added together in this area,” he says. “This was devastating to the timber industry and will have years of effects.”

Miller is keenly aware of the generational impact that his timber losses will have for his family.

“It’s just a sickening feeling because you have totally lost your hearts, not just in the pocketbook,” he says. “I have a kid, and he has two kids that are coming up, and we want to turn it over to them in good shape.

“It’s not a one-year quick fix.

“This is going to take years,” he says. “Probably five years from now, we’ll still be able to ride through and see where this Hurricane hit us.”

4 Strategies One Oklahoma Family Farm Uses to Thrive

Thu, 15 Aug 2024 20:36:54 GMT

With the average age of U.S. farmers clocking in at over 58 years old, successful multigenerational farms led by fresh, young talent turn heads. While there’s not one silver bullet approach to encouraging new leaders and passing a farm business to the next generation, Crows Vegetable Farm has recently shared four strategies that work on their small, diversified specialty crop operation in Shawnee, Okla.

This spring, America’s Conservation Ag Movement visited to learn more about how Crows Vegetable Farm sustains both ecological and economic resilience and is now passing the torch to the next generation.

Small but Mighty Family Farms

“Farms like Crows Family Farms are very small but are very important to American agriculture,” said Jimmy Emmons, senior vice president of conservation programs at Farm Journal and Oklahoma rancher. “I hear this all the time, that ‘my children can’t come back to the farm because there’s not enough profitability,’ and yet you see that here [at Crows Vegetable Farm]. The children have been able to come back and be very successful here on just a few acres.”

Claudia and Ricky Crow purchased 40 acres of land from Ricky’s grandparents in 1897, which they grew into Crows Vegetable Farm. Today, Claudia and Ricky work with their son Brandon and are mapping out a transition for him to run the farm operation when they retire.

“It has been a journey filled with a lot of happy moments and a lot of hard work,” Claudia Crow told America’s Conservation Ag Movement.

4 Keys to Running a Thriving Small Farm

What is this 40 acre family farm doing that has helped their business succeed and grow? For the Crow Family, the secret to running a successful, small scale farm boils down to four key ingredients: diversification, labor, partnerships and succession planning.

Build in Diversity
While Crows Vegetable Farm is about 40 acres, it boasts a wide variety of crops as well as a wide variety of distribution channels. Investing in crop and revenue stream diversity are intentional, according to the Crow family. What’s more, diversity has been the cornerstone and driver of economic resilience over the past several decades.

“The key for us to be able to stay in business is diversification,” Crow said . “You cannot put all your eggs in one basket.”

Operationally, in addition to direct sales and farmers markets, a commercial kitchen and two Shawnee-area storefronts have been essential to marketing Crows Vegetable Farm vegetables and driving revenue.

“Approximately 85% of what we raise we sell retail or direct to our customers,” Crow said.

Running a commercial kitchen that produces value-added goods not only stocks shelves in their two busy storefronts, but the kitchen also has an added benefit of creatively using everything the farm grows. Any surplus or blemished produce from the farm can be used in baked goods and premade meals that are popular with busy, Shawnee-area customers looking for wholesome, grab-and-go food products.

In addition to direct sales and farmers markets, a commercial kitchen and two Shawnee-area storefronts have been essential to marketing Crows Vegetable Farm vegetables and driving revenue.

(Jon Reynolds)

The benefits of building in diversity are not limited to the revenue streams — cultivating a wide variety of crops supports both economic and environmental sustainability.

Growing a variety of specialty crops has helped Crows Vegetable Farm’s bottom line economically, offering unique seasonal offerings while also providing fresh produce mainstays. Additionally, this approach to growing food fosters genetic diversity as well as resilience against pest, diseases and extreme weather.

Leverage Strategic Partnerships for Growth
Razor thin margins, long-term planning and labor intensive production are challenges that require the business savvy of skilled entrepreneurs to grow food profitably. In order to grow, expand and improve — both economically and ecologically — Crows Vegetable Farm has leveraged strategic partnerships to gain access to critical financial and technical support from government programs and services.

In recent years, the farm has installed high tunnels with technical and financial support from Natural Resource Conservation Services (NRCS) grants.

“NRCS has provided us a tremendous boost here at the farm,” Brandon Crow said. “It has really helped us grow over the years. We’ve been able to put in high tunnels and really expand our growing season.”

Mary Fisher, NRCS Urban Conservationist who has worked with Oklahoma urban farms like Crows Vegetable Farms echoed Brandon, noting that financial investments from NRCS conservation programs can free up capital to invest in other areas of the farm business.

“Our cost-share agreements really help [growers] offset a lot of their production costs,” Fisher said. “Instead of them spending $10,000 on a high tunnel structure, they’re able to take that money and put it elsewhere in their operation.”

Similarly, NRCS’s conservation stewardship contracts available to small farms like Crows Vegetable Farm, allow growers to receive financial support in the form of an annual payment “that allows them to improve in other parts of their operation, which really helps their bottom line and profitability,” Fisher added.

Investing in Your Team is Critical
At the heart of a profitable family farm are human hands. Getting labor right is critical for any grower who is looking to build a sustainable business in the long run.

Crows Family Farm employs H-2A farmworkers, investing in seasonal employees who return to their farm year after year. The H-2A visa program allows U.S. employers to hire foreign nationals to work in temporary or seasonal agricultural jobs.

“This year we have 6 guys, they’re all related,” Claudia Crow said. “They make huge sacrifices to work on this farm — they don’t get to bring their children or their wives. We would not exist without them.”

Grow the Next Generation
Through strategic planning and a lot of hard work, commitment and passion, Claudia and Ricky Crow have worked hard to build a flourishing farm business in Shawnee, Okla., and have begun the multiyear process of passing on Crows Vegetable Farm to their son.

“To me, it’s really important that we, the older farmers, encourage and help these kids because we need them,” Crow said. “We don’t need to just grow crops; we need to grow a new generation of farmers.”

Thoughtful succession planning is not lost on Brandon, and he sees his leadership as the extension of his parents’ legacy.

“Taking over here at the farm means a great deal to me,” Brandon said. “To take that torch that was passed to me and honor their legacy. I’m most excited going forward to see where this next generation can take things, how far they can grow it.”

“I’m hoping that my children will see the value in what we do here and will want to grow this,” he added, smiling.

Boots on the ground: How conservation steward Javier Zamora supports new farmers

Fri, 19 Jan 2024 13:37:23 GMT

What looks good on paper doesn’t always translate on farm. That is why agricultural innovation and improvement conversations often pack the most punch when they’re led by someone who has road-tested big ideas and has the most at stake: the farmers and ranchers themselves.

To foster these producer-led conversations, America’s Conservation Ag Movement brought together California farmers, ACAM partner Valent U.S.A. and Salinas-based non-profit, ALBA , for a bilingual field day at JSM Organics farm led by ACAM Conservation Steward, Javier Zamora.

Standing under the shade of a Zamora’s powerful solar array and observing first-hand the season-extending warmth of a grant-funded hoop house, the promise of NRCS programs came to life for attendees that included beginning growers, ag advocates and industry partners.

What’s more, the payoff for investing sweat equity—working with a government agency, filling out paperwork, installing new equipment and infrastructure and adopting new growing practices—became tangible for attendees who toured Zamora’s 100 acres on the cloudy and cool September morning.

“Don’t go it alone”

As field day participants trekked across JSM Organics Farm, which has grown cane berries, strawberries vegetables and flowers organically in Aromas Calif. for over a decade, Zamora and other area ag and conservation leaders shared their experiences, insights and practical advice on how to build a specialty crop business from the ground up.

“I’m not a beginning farmer, but I’m not an old farmer either. Estoy en medio,” Zamora said to field day attendees.

The bottom line? Don’t go it alone, says Zamora. What becomes possible when farmers and conservation advocates comes together can be greater than the sum of its parts.

“This teamwork, it’s paying off,” he said. “This is the whole point to having these gatherings. We actually get something out of it, and it can help us do what we do.”

Learn more about America’s Conservation Ag Movement Conservation Steward, Javier Zamora:

New app helps growers avoid leaving climate-smart funding on the table

Fri, 29 Dec 2023 16:24:34 GMT

USDA’s Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities turned on the spigot to fund 141 projects, totaling $3 billion in 2023, a historic investment in agriculture. Understanding the projects — each run by a different organization with its own unique offerings and structure — begs the question: Is it possible to have too much of a good thing?

To cut out the tedious task of wading through the climate-smart projects, a new app pilot, the Climate-Smart Opportunity Navigator , seeks to remove the paperwork clutter and match farms and ranches with the right Climate-Smart Commodity grant project in minutes.

“Quicker and more efficient means to evaluate opportunities will increase participation, offer simple communication avenues, and, ultimately, get funding into the hands of growers so they can quickly turn those dollars into applied practices,” says Joelle Mosso, Western Growers Association associate vice president of science.

Using the Climate-Smart Opportunity Navigator app

The app pilot, created by Farm Journal’s Trust In Food and AgWeb, is powered by USDA data on the 141 projects, most of which are focused on major commodities such as corn, soybeans and livestock. Harnessing this data, producers can input their operation basics — such as location, commodities produced, and production practices and interests — and be matched with one or more of the Climate-Smart Commodities projects that fit their individual specs.

The app provides a basic description of each program match along with contact information so that it’s easy to compare options and take the next step to participate.

For example, a Maryland specialty crop grower interested in adopting cover crop and mulching practices would input this data to the Climate-Smart Commodities Opportunity Navigator. In 4 questions, the tool matches the farm’s profile and interests with 5 grant programs that includes A Greener World’s “Increasing Accessibility to Regenerative Farming Practices and Markets” and Prince George’s County Maryland’s “Prince George’s County Climate-Smart Local Producers.”

Zoom out: The right program isn’t one-size-fits-all

“It’s great that there’s lots of opportunity for producers with USDA’s Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities, but with so much opportunity it can be very overwhelming,” says Andrew Lyon, Trust In Food’s director of technical assistance and Kansas rancher. “By putting in specific information about your operation, the Navigator tool allows you to whittle down grant opportunities to the handful that are most applicable to you and provides you contact information so that you could follow up with those few opportunities that best suit you.”

While Farm Journal is excited about its own $40 million Climate-Smart Commodity grant, The Connected Ag Project , it wants producers to get in touch with the opportunity that best suits them, Lyon adds.

The ability to drill down through a series of questions is novel, says Jesse Roseman, the Almond Board of California’s principal regulatory and environmental affairs analyst.

Try the tool

Trust In Food and AgWeb look forward to hearing from producers about their experience. Share feedback on the beta version: take the Climate-Smart Opportunity Navigator for a test run and let us know what worked and what didn’t.

Geospatial mapping to help identify threats to South Carolina farmland

Wed, 21 Jun 2023 18:27:57 GMT

Modeling software has become sophisticated enough that when you plug in specific variables, it can simulate possible outcomes with unnerving accuracy. When layered with GIS mapping software that can pinpoint land-based data as broadly or precisely as the user requests, it’s possible to build a sophisticated tool that can predict the future with variables grounded in both space and time.

American Farmland Trust, in partnership with several South Carolina governmental and advocacy groups, is launching a tool that does precisely this to preserve vital farmland at risk of development. Palmetto 2040: Visioning Alternative Futures, Launching Solutions is a geospatial modeling and policy analysis tool designed to identify and model future outcomes, areas at highest risk of development and threats to South Carolina’s farmland, jobs and quality of life, according to a news release.

Ultimately, Palmetto 2040 seeks to identify how the state’s agriculture, business, quality of life, and environment would fare under specific scenarios, as well as spark discussion on tradeoffs and identify consensus and potential policy solutions.

“Together, our coalition will highlight the opportunities to improve state and local farmland protection policies, increase state and local funding and take advantage of federal matching funds,” Ryan Murphy, American Farmland Trust’s GIS manager, said in the release.

Combining geospatial analysis and policy insights will help local and state policymakers be better informed and motivated to act, Murphy said.

Using Lexington County as a pilot, the mapping tool will project what land is at highest risk of development by 2040. The analysis will take into account both rapid population growth and climate change impact on settlement patterns and agriculture, according to the release.

Balancing farmland conservation with development

“When it comes to balancing the need for development with protecting farmland and resources, none of these conversations are easy,” South Carolina Agriculture Commissioner Hugh Weathers said in the release. “We look forward to working together to identify the best paths forward for South Carolina.”

American Farmland Trust’s “ Farms Under Threat: The State of the States ” report asserts that South Carolina is at high risk for future farmland loss, giving the state the eighth-highest “threat score” in the nation, with over 280,000 acres of farmland converted between 2001 and 2016.

What’s more, Lexington County led the state in farmland conversion from 2001 to 2016, with over 29,000 acres of farmland paved, fragmented or compromised by commercial, industrial and residential development, according to the release.

“Lexington County has long been a top producer of agricultural commodities in South Carolina, and now we are losing farmland at one of the highest rates in the state,” Lexington County Farm Bureau President Brandon Myers said in the release. “This project will help us make a plan to grow our county and state responsibly, while continuing to be stewards of our most important resource: land.”

Related news: Sweet potatoes lead the 2022 list of top-value crops in the Carolinas

The Palmetto 2040 project will first convene a group in Lexington County that includes key public and private conservation organizations, land trusts, farm groups and governmental officials working on farmland protection. After project kickoff, American Farmland Trust plans to draft maps of the threats that Lexington County’s agricultural land will face in the next dozen years.

From this data, stakeholders and citizen groups will use the maps to discuss and envision agriculture, business and conservation in Lexington County. American Farmland Trust envisions building a broad coalition around the policy solutions identified and targeting public and private conservation organizations, land trusts, farm groups, state agencies, local planners and interested citizen groups to enact necessary changes, according to the release.

The South Carolina Department of Agriculture, Lexington County Farm Bureau, American Farmland Trust and the Winthrop Family Fund are providing support for the project, with SustainSC as the convening partner, the release said.

Fair World Project merges with legal nonprofit

Thu, 26 Jan 2023 14:25:13 GMT

Portland, Ore.-based fair trade watchdog Fair World Project has been acquired by the Corporate Accountability Lab, a legal nonprofit based in Chicago and focused on environmental and human rights advocacy within commercial supply chains.

The move brings Fair World Project’s fair trade advocacy work in-house and, according to a news release, will strengthen the work of both organizations to stymie exploitation in global supply chains and combat false claims made by certifications and brands.

“Fair World Project has brought credible information on corporate accountability to a broad audience throughout its history. I am a huge fan of the work Fair World Project does and am thrilled to bring this work under the Corporate Accountability Lab umbrella and to engage more with the community Fair World Project has brought together through their important work,” Charity Ryerson, executive director of Corporate Accountability Lab, said in the release.

Related news: Tip of the Iceberg Podcast — The farmworkers under those NatureSweet tomato labels

Created in 2010 to shed light on fair trade labels and certification claims, Fair World Project advocacy is rooted in “the belief that a truly just economy must work in the interest of all people, especially those who are historically the most marginalized,” according to the release.

“After over 10 years leading Fair World Project, I have decided to move on to other projects. I am honored that Corporate Accountability Lab has agreed to steward Fair World Project into the future. They are the ideal home for Fair World Project and our mission,” Dana Geffner, co-founder and executive director of Fair World Project, said in the release. “This partnership is an extension of our previous collaborations together. Corporate Accountability Lab and Fair World Project have worked together to expose sham certification schemes and corporate greenwashing and its detrimental effects in global supply chains.”

Notable campaigns by the fair trade organization showcased farmer- and worker-led democratic systems, promoted alternative growing and trade models and called out what the group perceived as misleading “corporate solutions” touted by brands and certifications.

Like the Fair World Project, the Corporate Accountability Lab was founded to shed light on human rights and environmental abuses and to promote resources and legal accountability tools. Established in 2017, the legal nonprofit looks forward the Fair World Project team contributing to its larger mission to advance “a just economy for all,” according to the release.

“We are excited and honored to protect and advance Fair World Project’s mission. The organization has provided actionable analysis so consumers can align their purchases with their values while holding companies and certification schemes accountable to high bar principles,” Corporate Accountability Lab’s staff attorney Tatiana Devia said in the release.

Will leaving farmland fallow save water in the long run? New Mexico researchers given $2M to find out

Thu, 05 Jan 2023 21:29:45 GMT

As drought risks continue to challenge farmers in the Southwest — where surface water supplies are at their lowest level in at least the past 1,200 years, exacerbating rapid decline in groundwater reserves — researchers are digging for new and better water conservation solutions.

The latest strategy being examined is the potential of fallowing — leaving cultivated land unused for a set period — to save water in agricultural operations. To advance this research, the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research awarded a $970,931 grant to New Mexico State University to work with farmers and water managers to evaluate where and when leaving cultivated land unused is an effective water-saving practice, according to a news release.

The Elephant Butte Irrigation District, NMSU, the New Mexico Water Resources Research Institute and the Thornburg Foundation matched research funding, bringing the total to $1,941,862, according to the release.

“Capitalizing on the technical expertise of farmers and water district managers is essential to driving applied research and credibly informing field operations,” Kathy Boomer, Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research scientific program director, said in the release.

Related news: Senators urge USDA to improve drought support for Western growers

Growers have used fallowing for millennia to manage crops and soils; however, it can also damage agricultural systems if implemented without thoughtful planning. Successful fallowing strategies rely on understanding how crop systems respond to field management and natural changes in soil water content.

Leveraging the experience and knowledge of growers, water managers and hydrologists could improve the understanding of these connections and create a more holistic approach to managing agricultural land management in arid climates.

“While this interdisciplinary research will support water resource management in southern New Mexico, the collaboration process they develop will provide a vital example of how to advance more effective stakeholder-engaged management plans in agricultural watersheds worldwide,” Boomer said in the release.

NMSU researchers are working to develop a hydrologic-agricultural-economic model that evaluates alternative fallowing strategies. The researchers will integrate the hydrologic modeling with remote sensing data, field measurements and socioeconomic information. This integrated data will inform where fallowing can optimize targeted benefits and estimate the cumulative benefits of fallowed fields within the project area.

The researchers will focus on the Mesilla-Rincon Valley in southern New Mexico, where the New Mexico Interstate Stream Commission is currently implementing a pilot program to reduce groundwater pumping through fallowing, according to the release.

Results from this research will inform how much and where fallowing can mitigate water shortage concerns in arid regions. The research team plans to make this project scalable and replicable to other regions by developing best practices for future collaborations, according to the release.

In extreme weather, organic farming produces higher yields, report says

Wed, 21 Dec 2022 19:57:48 GMT

After 40 years of farm-level testing and analysis, Kutztown, Pa.-based Rodale Institute has shared results of its Farming System Trial , revealing its conclusion that organic agriculture management matches — or in some cases, outperforms — conventional outcomes.

“The Farming Systems Trial is one of our most significant research projects,” Rodale Institute CEO Jeff Moyer said in a news release. “In fact, with FST’s now 40 years of accumulated data and findings, it is fair to say that it is the most consequential study of organic agriculture anywhere.”

What’s more, the FST research by the organic advocacy nonprofit outlines how regenerative organic agriculture is an effective and resilient farming model in an era of extreme weather. This is a significant finding as farmers around the world contend with the devastating effects of crop losses stemming from droughts and floods, according to the release.

“Regenerative organic farming builds healthy soil through enhancing soil organic carbon,” Reza Afshar, Rodale Institute chief scientist, said in the release. “This allows the soil to absorb more rainfall during periods of flooding and retain moisture for longer periods during droughts.”

The FST research compares three core farming systems: a chemical input-based conventional system, a legume-based organic system and a manure-based organic system. Corn and soybean production is the focus of each system because 70% of U.S. acreage is devoted to growing grain.

In 2008, each core system was further divided to compare standard full-tillage and emerging reduced-tillage cultivation practices. At that time, genetically modified corn and soybeans were introduced to the FST’s conventional system to evaluate common practices.

Farm System Trial takeaways:

Organic systems produce yields of cash crops equal to conventional systems.
In extreme weather conditions, such as drought, the organic plots sustained their yields while the conventional plots declined.
Organic corn yielded 31% higher than conventional production in drought years.
Organic systems typically saw more diverse carbon inputs going into the soil, resulting in microbial biomass that was significantly higher than in conventional systems. Higher biomass led to higher soil organic matter over time.
Water infiltration was significantly faster under long-term organic management compared to conventional practices.
Soil health in the organic systems continued to increase over time, while the soil in the conventional systems remained essentially unchanged.

Chefs champion soil health in new regenerative ag education program

Mon, 05 Dec 2022 18:43:22 GMT

Who better to make the case for the importance of soil health and sustainable agriculture than the professionals crafting outstanding meals from healthy ingredients?

That’s the bet that the Natural Resources Defense Council is making. The Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit is featuring 30 diverse chefs from across the U.S. as regenerative agriculture advocates in its Chefs for Healthy Soils program, according to a news release.

“Food is inextricably connected to soil health, water quality and climate change,” Lara Bryant, deputy director of water and agriculture at NRDC, said in the release. “As Congress considers the upcoming Farm Bill, it’s critical to educate decision-makers about the value of healthy soil and regenerative agriculture and the chefs on our roster have a unique voice and story about the importance of transforming our agricultural and food systems for the better.”

The new program is based on the concept of soil as the foundation for a healthy food system. More than just growing food for consumption, healthy soil offers ecosystem services such as filtering and replenishing water systems, storing and cycling carbon, and feeding fungi and microbes that make produce flavorful and nutritious, according to the release.

“Collectively, we have the power to transform our food systems to be more equitable, healthy, and climate-friendly,” Adrian Lipscombe, chef and founder of the 40 Acres Project, said in the release. “Being a part of the Chefs for Healthy Soils program is an opportunity to connect with like-minded chefs who want to celebrate and protect our communities and local ecosystems.”

By volunteering to be a part of the program, chefs can support policies and speak directly to lawmakers and customers about the importance of healthy soil for growing food, the release said. Partnering chefs include Lipscombe, Abra Berens, Nick Wallace and others.

The Chefs for Healthy Soils program underscores the importance of protecting soil to support food systems and builds public awareness around regenerative agriculture, which is a holistic approach to land management that has the potential to restore soil and ecosystem health, address inequity, and improve the land, water and climate, according to the release.

The launch of the Chefs for Healthy Soils program follows the publication of NRDC’s Regenerative Agriculture: Farm Policy for the 21st Century report, which includes insights from years of research and testimonies from more than a hundred farmers and ranchers building healthy soils and fostering climate-resilient farming communities across the country. The report also details policy recommendations to inform the upcoming farm bill discussion.

Zespri tackles how to future-proof kiwis for a changing climate

Thu, 01 Dec 2022 19:36:15 GMT

Zespri has released its first-ever climate change adaptation plan outlining how the kiwifruit industry intends to adjust to a changing climate in New Zealand and offshore growing locations.

Developed in consultation with growers and the wider kiwifruit industry, the plan document — Adapting to Thrive in a Changing Climate — establishes a framework for the industry’s long-term strategy. The plan is a follow-up to Zespri’s Climate Change Risks and Opportunities Report, published in 2021, according to a news release.

“We know the climate is changing which brings challenges and opportunities for our industry and its important that we look at how we can ensure the kiwifruit industry remains climate resilient,” Zespri Chief Grower, Industry and Sustainability Officer Carol Ward said in the release.

Further, she said the plan reflects Zespri’s ongoing commitment toward transitioning to a low-carbon, climate-resilient future.

“Adaptation will be critical to our ability to provide our customers and consumers with great fruit from both our New Zealand and Northern Hemisphere supply in the years ahead, and to protect and enhance the value we’re returning to our growers and communities,” Ward said in the release.

In the plan, Zespri commits to acting not only to reduce the affect the kiwifruit industry has on the climate, but also to prepare for the effects climate change will inevitably have on growing kiwifruit, according to the release.

“Our industry is already experiencing and responding to climate change, with growers adjusting their growing practices in order to maintain and increase yields in light of the changing climate,” Ward said in the release. “This can be seen in the installation by growers of hail netting, the development and maintenance of shelter belts to help protect orchards from severe wind events and the use of irrigation to prevent vines from experiencing water stress or frost, with post-harvest facilities also adjusting the packing of fruit in light of warmer temperatures.”

The road map identifies the physical climate change risks the kiwifruit industry is likely to experience from orchards through the supply chain and across the packing, transportation and distribution of fruit. Additionally, Zespri’s plan considers transitional risks such as market and regulatory changes, which include factors such as emissions pricing, environmental labeling and changing consumer preferences.

“There’s a lot of work to undertake, but by coordinating our efforts as an industry we’ll be more effective and efficient, putting us in the best position to thrive as the climate continues to change,” Ward said in the release.

Water Problems Creep Across the U.S.

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 05:31:41 GMT

More than ever, water is the tension bar between agriculture and society. Urban centers desperately need more of it to satisfy an increasing population. Farmers require it to produce the food for all those people.

With the Earth’s water supply finite but demands for it ever escalating, conflicts about water are becoming commonplace. Farm Journal is committed to covering agriculture’s role in this clash. The story below about water problems on farms in eastern Colorado is the first in what will be an ongoing series that promises to touch every corner of the nation.

Caught in a devastating three-year drought, state and federal water agencies in California say they will cut deliveries to farmers in much of the San Joaquin Valley by at least 85% this year. That will idle land and result in 40,000 lost jobs and $1.5 billion in income, says Richard Howitt, chair of the Agriculture and Resource Economics Department at University of California–Davis. In addition, the nation’s food security could be compromised because that region produces half our fruits, nuts and vegetables, along with other crops, such as cotton, wheat and potatoes.

(Farm Journal)

The Ogallala Aquifer, which supports millions of acres of crops in eight Plains states, continues to decline. From the late 1940s, when farmers began irrigating in the Texas Panhandle, until 1980, portions of the aquifer dropped 100' and will fall another 100' by 2020, says Jim Goeke, University of Nebraska hydrogeologist. In Nebraska, the Department of Natural Resources recently issued a preliminary ruling that the Lower Platte River Basin appears “fully appropriated.” That could lead to a moratorium on new irrigation wells.

Texas, now in the midst of a long-term drought killing both crops and cattle, faces big problems. Nearly the entire state is in some stage of drought, according to the most recent U.S. Drought Monitor maps. A new report by Susan Combs, Texas state comptroller, projects the state’s popu-lation will double to more than 46 million by 2060, boosting water demand by about 27%. The water shortage could cost Texans about $9 billion next year and more than $98 billion by 2060, the report says. Combs calls for new water management strategies to deal with the crisis.

The Southeast, after several dry years, is no longer assured of consistent rainfall. That puts the city of Atlanta and its fast-growing suburbs in conflict with farmers as well as surrounding states. Even oystermen on Florida’s Gulf Coast complained as fresh water supply dwindled in Apalachicola Bay, which produces 90% of the state’s renowned oysters. In February, Georgia’s Gov. Sonny Perdue appointed 300 people, including farmers, to 10 regional water planning boards to monitor the situation.

Shortage of water isn’t the only difficulty facing agriculture. Quality is an issue in many watersheds and streams across the country. North Carolinians, among others, deal with ongoing battles regarding hog lagoons. Farmers in the Chesapeake Bay watershed have had to change management practices to rehabilitate its water, long important for fishing and recreation. Florida’s farmers and ranchers are dealing with stringent environmental regulations designed to protect sensitive wildlife habitat. In many other areas, farmers and ranchers are devising ways to protect watersheds and lakes with innovative fencing for livestock and conservation tillage for crops.

With our new series, we at Farm Journal will not only outline the problems but pledge to also look for answers that can help farmers and ranchers overcome this threat to their livelihoods and legacies. Technology already offers some possibilities: irrigation refinements that reduce water usage and drought-tolerant hybrids, to name just two.

Water is the overriding concern for farmers, ranchers and society as a whole. Without workable solutions, everyone loses. Share your thoughts and let us know about water
issues in your area. We want to hear from you.

Colorado’s Water War

For Darrell and Cindy Johnston, 2002 was the turning point. The worst drought in memory shattered hopes of a profit on their farm in Erie, Colo.

“We didn’t get any moisture. Snowpack was way down. We planted bone-dry. Crops sat waiting for rain. Water was allo-cated, and we had to decide which crops to irrigate. We burned our water up getting the crop up, then we were out of water. So we didn’t have a crop,” Darrell says.

The future didn’t look much better, either. Located on the Front Range just north of the Denver metropolitan area near I-25, with water supply both short and at a premium due to booming development, the Johnstons decided moving was their best option.

“When the drought hit, farms went from irrigated to dryland overnight. The problem in Erie is that the cities have control of the water and dictate how much we get. It’s been going on for 10 years now,” Darrell says.

(Farm Journal)

Though they had both grown up in the area, the Johnstons sold some of their more valuable land near the interstate. They bought land with a more assured water supply 70 miles away in Fort Morgan, Colo., using an Internal Revenue Service Section 1031 Exchange to postpone capital gains taxes. They grow corn and sugar beets on the 700 acres in Fort Morgan and wheat, barley and hay crops requiring less water on the original 2,700-acre farm, which is now managed by their 23-year-old son, Brandon.

“Buying land in Fort Morgan is the hardest decision we ever made. But if we’re going to farm, we have to have water. When the 2002 drought hit, it was eye-opening to know we did not have water to irrigate,” Cindy says.

Lots of other Colorado farmers are seeing their worlds rocked in much the same fashion. In addition to the competition for water with cities on the Front Range, eastern Colorado farmers in the Republican River Basin and the South Platte River Basin have their own serious problems.

Four hundred irrigation wells in the Republican River Basin were recently shut down to comply with a settlement involving a Kansas lawsuit that requires certain flow levels. In the South Platte River Basin, pumping from as many as 4,000 wells has been limited or curtailed due to a plan to recharge the river’s water and comply with the Endangered Species Act, says James Pritchett, a Colorado State University ag economist working on water issues.

“Crop acreage has gone from 3 million to 2½ million. We’re likely to lose 250,000 acres in the South Platte, where we’re at 1 million acres now,” Pritchett says. “We’ve been depleting the aquifer at an unsustainable rate. Within one generation, we’ll have to find a way to continue agriculture in that area with less water.”

So far, farmers losing wells have gotten little compensation. “On the South Platte, they are not compensated. They are literally high and dry. On the Republican, these are voluntary measures through CREP [Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program] and EQIP [Environmental Quality Incentives Program], a token compensation nowhere close to what they could make from full production,” says Mark Sponsler, executive director of the Colorado Corn Growers Association.

Those economics won’t pencil out long-term for farmers caught in the 21st century water wars. The Johnstons enjoy farming their new Fort Morgan land but warily eye what’s happening to other producers.

“I just cannot comprehend that government can say, ‘Sorry, you’re done, too bad.’ A judge held the fate of all those people’s lives,” Cindy says.

You can e-mail Charles Johnson at cjohnson@farmjournal.com .

Q&A: Regenerative Ag Trends With Dirt To Dinner’s Lucy Stitzer

Thu, 04 Mar 2021 00:21:03 GMT

This article was written by Nate Birt, Vice President of Trust In Food, a Farm Journal initiative. Learn more at www.trustinfood.com

Regenerative agriculture is quickly moving from small and fringe to mainstream, says Lucy Stitzer, founder of the food and agriculture news website Dirt to Dinner.

“It’s pretty exciting. Walmart, for instance—they’ve committed to having zero emissions by 2040,” Stitzer tells Nate Birt, vice president of Trust In Food, a Farm Journal initiative supporting farmers on their journey of conservation agriculture adoption. “That’s a pretty audacious goal. As a result of that, they’re restoring 50 million acres of land.”

Other examples of the regenerative agriculture trend include Danone, which is helping dairy farmers in its supply chain make the shift and lock in margins. That’s encouraging, Stitzer shares, because the economic impact of practice adoption on farmers and ranchers is often overlooked.

Meanwhile, Land O’Lakes has partnered with Microsoft to improve farmers’ access to broadband in rural communities, ensuring they can better utilize precision agriculture tools and capture data from the field.

The participation of both public agencies and the private sector in supporting farmers’ stewardship efforts suggests food can be a unifying factor in an often polarized operating environment. Agriculture – especially big ag - is being thrown under the bus as degrading the environment when the reality is that farmers are generally more environmentally conscious than most of us.

“Companies, the government and the entire ecosystem recognize there’s not just one answer to growing our food,” Stitzer says. “At Dirt to Dinner, we know that people and consumers and us as well are tired of polarization. Our country is so divided, there’s a tendency for everyone to take sides. … Bringing food to your dinner table doesn’t have to have the same divide. I am idealistic enough to think that … we can use food to bring people together.”

To learn more about Dirt To Dinner and to subscribe to its emails, visit www.DirtToDinner.com.

White House Will Recruit Rural Land For New Clean Energy Projects, Could it Create Too Much Competition for Land?

Fri, 14 Jan 2022 21:26:41 GMT

The Biden Administration is ramping up its efforts to deploy clean energy infrastructure across the country . The White House announced this week plans to utilize public lands and rural America for wind, solar and other clean energy projects , but admits it will be a balance to ensure the efforts don’t create too much competition for land.

The Biden Administration says the plan is designed to create jobs across rural America, while lowering the cost of energy. President Biden’s National Climate Advisor Gina McCarthy did a one-on-one interview with AgWeb. She says by advancing wind, solar , transmission and other clean energy projects, America is one step closer to cleaner and cheaper energy. And they are doing so by utilizing help from multiple federal agencies, including the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Interior, Energy, as well as EPA.

“There were a lot of efforts announced, but most importantly, that seven federal agencies are working together to make sure that we’re advancing clean energy across the country, not just in our public lands, not just on our coasts, but also in rural communities across the U.S.,” says McCarthy. “Because these issues are important, we’ve made a lot of progress in the first year. But we’re not going to stop there, we have to do so much more.”

Prioritize clean energy deployment in rural communities
Provide financing for agricultural producers and small businesses to install solar arrays and other clean energy infrastructure
Create new Rural Energy Pilot Program with $10 million in grants
Build clean transmission lines
Help local governments speed up approvals for rooftop solar in order to unlock economic and health benefits for their communities

Tapping into Federal Lands

The White House also announced plans to increase the use of solar, onshore wind, and geothermal energy on public lands by 2025. Officials say by realigning the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and its resources, the administration will be able to tap into public lands for renewable energy project permitting.

Biden’s 30x30 plan also will rely on federal lands to conserve land and water. When asked if this would impede federal grazing permits, McCarthy said it’s not an either/or, vowing to work together.

“We have to be creative in that,” says McCarthy. “President Biden is sure if we work across the federal agencies, as we’re doing on permitting and other things so we aren’t as slow as the federal government is known to be as we start making these smart investments, and we think about people first, then we’ll be able to get over the problems of the past and really start grabbing that future.

“These challenges are big for our ag community. I know that, and we shouldn’t shy away from that recognition,” McCarthy says. “But we do have creative ways of advancing new job growth, doing job training, building hubs for manufacturing, building hubs for our supply chains. And we’re going to start doing that. And we’re doing it already. So these are exciting opportunities today.”

McCarthy says the Klamath River Basin is a great example of how all groups, whether it’s ranchers, environmental or tribal communities, can work together to achieve common goals.

The White House will use public lands, but also areas of rural America to deploy clean energy infrastructure. McCarthy points out the recently passed Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is the largest investment in the nation’s power grid. And she says by using that money to build thousand of miles of new transmission lines, it will provide clean and affordable electricity that’s reliable at a time when areas battle extreme weather, wildfires and other disasters.

Increased Competition for Farmland

The announcement also comes as farmland values soared in 2021 , with little signs of a slowdown in 2022. More investors are also increasing the competition for land.

The most recent Ag Land Survey conducted by the Chicago Federal Reserve, found overall, agricultural land values surged 18% year over year during the third quarter of last year. And just looking at “good” farmland values, those were up 6% across Iowa, portions of Illinois, Wisconsin and Indiana.

One record land sale in Iowa last year brought $22,600 per acre, which was $300 over the previous record. And what sparked an investor’s interest was the fact it included a wind turbine, which the buyer saw as an investment that would help create cash flow from the land.

When asked how the White House is ensuring the announcements don’t create too much competition for land, McCarthy said competition for land is an ongoing challenge, but hopes clean energy projects can help create new revenue streams for farmers.

“We don’t want over-development of clean energy, which means under-development of other opportunities, like protecting the species that we need, the biodiversity that we need, but we have to have that balance,” says McCarthy. “So, we’re going to have to watch that carefully. I want farmers to know that the Department of Agriculture is focused, and frankly, all of us are on making sure that your best next hope isn’t to have your land developed. But it’s to allow you to farm that land in a way that’s going to provide you the revenues that you need to know that you can be comfortable, and your family can have a future well into the next generation.”

Creating More Rural Jobs

USDA and Department of Commerce are rolling out a new pilot program that will award American Rescue Plan funds to support regional coalitions. The program will focus on deploying clean energy resources, like wind and rooftop solar, but also job training.

“As we move forward to address clean energy and climate change, we’re going to do it in a way that creates good union jobs and puts people to work in in our rural communities,” adds McCarthy. “We know there’s a lot of communities that have been left behind that need investment. We’re going to focus on those communities and those families first, because it’s really important that we don’t just have farming communities that deliver good healthy food. We need to make sure all of those families have the kind of infrastructure that allows them to have access to clean and affordable energy. The time is now and we’re going to be grabbing it.”

She says the White House is working to streamline permitting on land for clean energy opportunities, while also investing in ports and supply chain infrastructure to “build back more resilient” and “build back better.”

Food Waste is a Growing Problem in the U.S.

Fri, 23 Sep 2022 20:42:12 GMT

A new report shows over one-third of the food produced in the U.S. is never eaten. Not only does this waste resources used to produce food, but it also creates a myriad of environmental impacts, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said in its latest report .

Food waste is the single most common material landfilled and incinerated in the U.S. In its report, “From Farm to Kitchen,” EPA pointed out that wasted food presents opportunities to increase food security, foster productivity and economic efficiency, promote resource and energy conservation, and address climate change.

Nearly seven years ago, the U.S. announced a goal to halve U.S. food loss and waste by 2030, but EPA said significant progress has not been made toward this goal.

“Globally, food loss and waste represent 8% of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions (4.4 gigatons CO2e annually), offering an opportunity for meaningful reductions,” EPA said in the report.

(Farm Journal)

A Sustainable Approach

Reducing food waste can help feed the world’s growing population more sustainably. The United Nations (UN) predicts that the world population will reach 9.3 billion by 2050. This increase will require a more than 50% increase in food production from 2010 levels.

“Decreasing food waste can lessen the need for new food production, shrinking projected deforestation, biodiversity loss, greenhouse gas emissions, water pollution, and water scarcity,” the report noted.

Estimates that include food lost or wasted during all stages of the food supply chain (from primary production to consumption) range from 161 to 335 billion pounds per year, or 492 to 1,032 pounds per person per year, equal to approximately 35% of the U.S. food supply.

Each year, U.S. food loss and waste embodies:

• 140 million acres agricultural land – an area the size of California and New York combined
• 5.9 trillion gallons blue water (fresh surface and groundwater) – equal to annual water use of 50 million American homes
• 778 million pounds pesticides
• 14 billion pounds fertilizer – enough to grow all the plant-based foods produced each year in the United States for domestic consumption
• 664 billion kWh energy – enough to power more than 50 million U.S. homes for a year
• 170 million MTCO2e GHG emissions (excluding landfill emissions) – equal to the annual CO2 emissions of 42 coal-fired power plants

The report also examines how U.S. food loss and waste compares to other countries. The U.S. currently wastes more food and more food per person than most any other country in the world.

“Closing yield gaps and increasing productivity alone will likely be insufficient to prevent further deforestation and environmental degradation,” the authors of the report said. “Even under the most promising scenarios of yield increases, up to 20% more land will be needed by 2050. Thus demand-side measures, such as reducing food loss waste or dietary shifts, will also be needed to sustainably increase the food supply.”

The full EPA report can be accessed here.

Read More:

Want Not, Waste Much: 5 Ways to Reduce and Recycle Food Waste

Dirty Boots Advocacy: Farm Journal Announces Carbon Council

Thu, 27 Jan 2022 19:05:28 GMT

Farm Journal announces the formation of The Carbon Council, comprised of eight farmers and ranchers who actively participate in and advocate for carbon-related programs.

Recognizing the need for thought leadership in the carbon market, Farm Journal stepped up to help the industry navigate the carbon space by assembling this group of diverse leaders in agriculture. These charter members bring a range of expertise and the drive to share the financial and ecological benefits of carbon programs.

Members of The Carbon Council include:

Rick Clark, Williamsport, Ind.
Meredith Ellis, Rosston, Texas
Lukas Fricke, Ulysses, Neb.
P.J. Haynie, Reedville, Va.
Trey Hill, Rock Hall, Md.
Mitchell Hora, Washington, Iowa
Kyle Mehmen, Plainfield, Iowa
Ben Riensche, Jessup, Iowa

“Farm Journal is committed to being an advocate for producers from grassroots efforts to top-down efforts in national and state policies,” said Charlene Finck, president of Farm Journal. “We’re proud to form this prestigious council that will provide knowledge in the carbon arena, practical and factual advocacy and a valuable sounding board.”

The group, which will include additional members, meets regularly to discuss the latest development in the carbon space, upcoming innovations and trends/policy developments to watch. Their thought leadership will be valuable for policy makers, carbon market participants and fellow producers.

Farm Journal will leverage the knowledge and experience of The Carbon Council to guide its coverage of carbon-related issues on its more than 20 media platforms including print, digital and broadcast, as well as its work with industry partners to drive conservation and sustainability across all of agriculture.

Farm Journal’s commitment to informing agriculture audiences about carbon-related issues began in 2020 with the launch of the Carbon Innovation Center , which is hosted on AgWeb.com. Farmers, ranchers and industry stakeholders from all segments of agriculture rely on this resource for the latest news and information about carbon initiatives.

For more information go to agweb.com/carbon .

White House Will Push China to Make Up for $16B Trade Deficit in Phase One, Vilsack Tells American Farm Bureau

Wed, 12 Jan 2022 13:04:13 GMT

The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) Convention in underway in Atlanta this week, and as Phase One agreement with China is now expired, USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack spoke to members in-person, assuring farmers and ranchers the White House will push China to make up for the $16 billion shortfall in trade.

The in-person event is drawing farmer leaders from across the country with a focus on everything from H-2A workers, impacts from the drought, supply chain chaos, as well as policy changes like the Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) rule.

Convention goers on Monday also heard from both President Biden and USDA Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. Biden’s remarks were in video message, but Vilsack was in-person this week. During Vilsack’s talk, he went through the list of programs the Biden Administration has put in place in the past year that impacts the farming community. He also talked about the importance of building trust among farmers when it comes to trade.

“And I think it starts with China. And we all know and appreciate the fact that we have a Phase One trade agreement with China,” Vilsack told AFBF members. “And during that period of time, we saw sales to China increase over what they were during the the trade war. But here’s the deal with Chinese friends, they’re about $16 billion light over what they committed to purchase. And that’s why Ambassador Tai, our U.S. Trade Representative, continues to converse with China about the necessity of living up totally and completely to the Phase One trade agreement, making up that $16 billion deficit over the course of the next several years.”

Vilsasck says as the Biden administration works to hold China accountable to their trade commitments, it’s more than just boosting exports that will remain a priority for the White House.

“And also working on those sanitary and phytosanitary barriers that still exist in the Chinese relationship that they agreed to remove other tracks dopamine in pork or whether it’s hormones and beef, or whether it’s ethanol, tariffs or the ability to to purchase more DDGs,” Vilsack added. “All of these steps that China can take and needs to take to live up to this phase one trade agreement are important and we’re going to continue to press China on the need for complete enforcement and complete implementation.”

While the minimum purchase commitments only covered two years from 2020 to 2021 within the Phase One trade agreement, USTR’s office says the remainder of the original Phase One deal is still intact and has not expired. USTR’s office also tells AgWeb virtual conversations with People’s Republic of China (PRC) are ongoing, but there are currently no plans for USTR officials to travel to China for talks.

After fallout from the Trade War, China ramped up purchases of sorghum, corn and other ag goods during the 2020 to 2021 time period. However, most economists and analysts say China bought out of necessity, not to live up to its trade promises and commitments within the Phase One agreement.

John Phipps: What Solar and Electric Can Learn From Recent Wind Energy Woes

Wed, 04 May 2022 19:09:19 GMT

Opponents of wind energy may be encouraged by the financial difficulties of that industry. For the first time in several years, wind generated electricity costs are rising after years of being driven lower by new technology and competition.

Wind giants like Vestas, GE, and Siemens are facing losses as they struggle with several simultaneous and familiar issues. Beginning in 2010 the build-out of wind farms looked to be on a solid track, and with the economics of wind turbines promising, many countries started lowering subsidies. At the same time, new research and much more operating data helped designers push turbine size, efficiency, and productivity to new levels. Thanks to much larger machines, wind turbines need not seek the highest wind speed areas, as newer turbines produce with less than 10 mph breezes.

These advances did not come cheaply, however, and manufacturers kept pushing the envelope to build ever larger machines. The breakdown of the supply chain devastated turbine production just as this push was starting.

At the same time, China’s new emphasis on infrastructure has leaders looking inward to supply the construction of new wind farms within China, decreasing their exports of crucial components. Meanwhile in the US and to a lesser extent elsewhere, the permitting process has made planning new capacity more expensive and time-consuming. This is another huge advantage for the Chinese where no local or regional permission or even opinions matter. Like their extensive high-speed rail system, engineers determine the best route, and that’s where it gets built.

A planned wind farm in my area was essentially scuttled by remarkably stringent siting regulations, for example. For fossil fuel fans and investors, especially coal, this may be good news, but the slowdown in renewable energy development suggests higher oil and coal prices.

Meanwhile, greenhouse gas emission goals get pushed farther into the future. This promises a financial collision with the enormous number of companies and governments that have loudly committed to zero emissions. But this is not just a two-player game.

The economics of solar, a massive rollout of electric vehicles, and differing outlooks for specific fuels like natural gas and oil promise investor headaches and forecaster frustrations.

Examining carbon’s next chapter on the farm

Fri, 12 May 2023 13:51:31 GMT

A yet-to-be-realized provision in the Inflation Reduction Act could be the key for farmers to engage in measuring the carbon intensity (CI) of their grain.

The Section 45Z tax credit provides biofuel producers (ethanol, biodiesel and sustainable aviation fuel) with an incentive to produce low-emission fuels. What makes this different than carbon offset programs is it could provide a business model in which the farmers’ carbon data is associated with their crop at the point of sale, rather than maintain the trend of carbon being an asset on its own.

Iowa farmer Mitchell Hora says his low-carbon intensity grain could be worth more than $400 per acre in 45Z tax credits.

That’s the good news. Here’s the catch — the Internal Revenue Service has yet to issue its own regulation, which is the holdup for ethanol companies before giving a clear answer on the value to farmers.

“[Expectations for compensation] will vary by farm,” says Paul Scheetz, ADM director of Climate Smart Ag Origination. “Our goal is to make the process simple, so farmers understand how they can receive – and increase – incentives as they lead in meeting the vast and growing demand for lower CI products.”

Grain will be assessed with a CI score, which has a set of parameters determined by the Department of Energy. Currently, the standard CI score for corn is 29.1. The Inflation Reduction Act sets a weighted average below 25.

“The value potential here is pretty good — 5.4 cents per CI point below the industry standard,” says Paul Neiffer, a farm CPA. “If you raise 200 bu. corn with a CI score of 0, that’s $1.57 per bushel and an extra $314 in value. Now, the ethanol plant isn’t expected to share 100%, but it could be 25% to 30%. There’s definitely potential here for material value to the farmer. I don’t think this is pie in the sky.”

Hora says his farm’s current CI score for corn is -4.4.

“What excites me the most about this is it really opens the potential for farmers to be price makers and not price takers,” Hora says. “With their production practices, including the long-term practitioners who were excluded from offset market participation, they can sell a digital asset associated with a physical product, their grain.”

Neiffer and Hora discuss the topic more on The Farm CPA Podcast

With his regenerative ag software business, Continuum Ag , Hora is ready to help farmers assess their carbon score upon providing the following data:

Yield
Fuel usage/energy usage
Fertilizer
Tillage
Cover crop (yes/no—doesn’t matter which one or what rate)
Manure
Herbicide and insecticide (fungicide isn’t currently counted)

While, the current parameters don’t specifically ask for planting date or planted populations, Hora says farmers should have it any way.
Neiffer agrees this opportunity could be transformational for every farmer.

“This is based on what farmers are actually doing. If a farmer has done good practices, they are getting rewarded for it,” he says. “This isn’t a program where a farmer has to make a change and then wait five to 10 years for a bonus payment.”

Unlike the previous program, the structure of how these tax credits will be issued provides the ethanol plants with an opportunity to sell excess credits on the secondary market.
Here’s another catch, section 45Z is only good for three years: Jan. 1, 2025, to Dec. 31, 2027.

“First, the IRS needs to publish their regulations, which will help us really calculate the values,” Neiffer says. “We could get that from the agency as late as December 2024.”

Neiffer shared more on AgriTalk:

For now, Hora encourages farmers to get their data in order, and work with folks who can help them start to measure their CI score.

Commodity Programs Might See a 12% Cut in the Proposed $1 Trillion Farm Bill

Fri, 17 Feb 2023 19:59:17 GMT

The Congressional Budget Office unveiled its 10-year cost estimates (2024 to 2033) for existing farm bill programs on Wednesday, with a projected $1.5 trillion price tag, up from $867 billion in the 2018 farm bill.

Jim Wiesemeyer, Pro Farmer policy analyst, advises not to put too much weight in these estimates, as they are the reason the farm bill is out of date so soon after it is written.

“CBO’s farm bill forecasts are frequently well off the mark in either direction,” he says. “It’s a lot like USDA’s farm income projections in February for the year head. CBO looks out 10 years … good luck taking these forecasts too seriously.”

So, will this amount of money keep the programs ahead of their time? Some aren’t convinced. And it starts with the farm bill’s largest funded program—Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

SNAP Spending

Based on the 10-year period, SNAP spending is nearly 82% larger than what it was granted in the 2018 Farm Bill at $663 billion.

(Farm Journal)

A large portion of the increase is due to the administration’s re-evaluation of SNAP’s the Thrifty Food Plan (TFP), which resulted in a quarter-trillion-dollar increase in SNAP benefits from July 2021 to the May 2022 baseline.

In the most recent baseline, CBO increased its estimate of outlays for SNAP by $93 billion over the 2023–2032 period for “technical” reasons.

According to Sen. Boozman (R-AR), these reasons are rooted in “unacceptable” $250 billion spending by the USDA on TFP—which was supposed to have cost nothing—in the previous farm bill. Boozman made his sentiments known at a Senate Ag Committee farm bill hearing on nutrition on Thursday.

“Congress had no intention of your team spending that, and if you understood that was going to happen, you should have alerted Congress,” Boozman said to Cindy Long, USDA administrator. “How can we trust you going forward to give us advice? Spending a quarter of a trillion dollars from this committee is totally unacceptable.”

Related articles: How Long Does it Take to Write a Farm Bill?

While Boozman is adamant other program will suffer funding losses due to the “unsustainable” TFP increases in the coming bill, Senate Ag Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) says that’s not the case.

“Whether commodity or SNAP programs go up or down, these monies aren’t traded. So, cutting SNAP won’t add money to the commodity title,” Stabenow says.

The 2018 bill enacted policy for a “thorough” farm bill update that hadn’t been done since 1975, according to Stabenow. She says the TFP increases fall under that update umbrella.

“The Trump administration chose not to use that [update and funding] because that was 2018—they chose not to proceed,” Stabenow rebutted. “The Biden administration came in and chose to proceed with those funds, and I’m glad they did.”

The General Accountability Office (GAO) has since determined USDA failed to submit the TFP food basket increase to Congress as a rule as required by the Congressional Review Act.

Row Crop Safety Net

Disaster programs such as the Market Facilitation Program (MFP), Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP), Wildfire and Hurricane Indemnity Program Plus (WHIP+) and Emergency Relief Program (ERP) saw billions of dollars moved from taxpayers to producers in the past 10 years, with USDA reporting the largest spike in 2020 at $45 billion.

According to estimates from the House Ag Committee, CBO’s 2023 baselines compared to the 2018 farm bill will cause changes over the five-year period in:
• Commodity programs—12% decrease
• Conservation—19% increase
• Nutrition—82% increase
• Crop insurance—26% increase

However, CBO’s latest baseline provides no built-in ad hoc for these programs.

“If Congress doesn’t provide more funding/investments for Title 1, it puts pressure on farm-state lawmakers to continue the billions in ad hoc aid,” Wiesemeyer says. “Some analysts say reforming Title I would mean spending far less than continuing ad hoc assistance. If Title I is not made more effective, farmers will keep wondering if Congress will fund more emergency aid.”

Related articles: The Cost of a Farm Bill: 2023 Row Crop Priorities

GAO released a report stating that those wanting to change crop insurance program features will try to use to their advantage.

Here are the changes GAO says Congress could make to mitigate the programs costs:

• Reduce subsidies to high-income participants by creating an income limit.
• Adjust compensation to insurance companies to better align with market rates.

Livestock Safety Net

Dairy and livestock did, however, receive a safety net mention in CBO’s baselines.

Under the Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) program, CBO forecasts FY 2023 payments will total $194 million in FY 2023, with those increasing to $248 million in FY 2024 and $266 million in FY 2025. For the rest of the period—through FY 2033—they are forecast between $196 million and $265 million, for a total of $2.531 billion.

Livestock disaster payments are expected at $621 million in FY 2023 and forecast between $562 million to $591 million over FY 2024 to FY 2033, for a total of $6.333 billion.

One Nebraska Farmer Says Improving Soil Health Helped Keep Her on the Land

Tue, 01 Nov 2022 22:12:19 GMT

In a moisture deficit area, such as southwest Nebraska, conservation and regenerative practices have long been a staple for farmers. These methods boost soil health and help make their farms more productive and economically stable. That’s important especially in drought years such as 2022.

“Conservation is farming in southwest Nebraska.” That mindset is a necessity for Tracy Zink. Moisture is typically scarce where she farms near Indianola, Neb., so it’s essential she preserve every drop. She accomplishes that by disturbing the soil as little as possible, even for weed control.

“For the most part all of our dryland we try very hard to be no-till. If weeds get away from us or they’re resistant we try to only do the spot where the resistance is,” she says.

No-till practices have improved organic matter and soil health, which keeps even heavy rains from running off and eroding the soil. Plus they leave as much crop residue intact after harvest as possible.

“We try to always have residue on top to help protect soil from blowing,” Zink explains. “When I think about soil quality it’s also that it stays put.”

Crop rotation is also important. On irrigated acres that includes two seasons of corn followed by soybeans. Zink says the dryland rotations are more diverse but depend on moisture levels. We always do wheat, hard red winter wheat is our base for the next crop. Following that, half the acres go to milo and half of our wheat acres go to corn. Then the following year they become corn or milo. The year following is typically summer fallow.

Zink does annual soil testing to set a baseline for fertility, and with the arid environment, she says she has to strike a balance between yield and conservation.

“I don’t look for home runs in yield because I don’t have the water for it. I already have to have that conservation mindset for my yield goals,” she says.

Every practice Zink incorporates on her farm must fit into her holistic approach to conservation because she wants to continue the work her grandparents started. “As you look out and around, none of this would be possible if we weren’t incredibly mindful about proper stewardship, soil conservation and managing wind and water erosion.”

By improving soil health she knows her farm will be sustainable for years to come.

3 Big Carbon Questions For Farmers

Thu, 06 Oct 2022 17:57:10 GMT

The future of voluntary carbon markets for agriculture is still coming into focus. As such, farmers continue to assess the landscape and weigh their opportunities.

1. ARE FARMERS SIGNING UP FOR CARBON PROGRAMS?

All programs require field-level data and the farmer’s ability and willingness to share data. Enrollment requires the intersection of interest, incentive and execution. As a result, a new term, “carbon curious,” is being used to describe farmers exploring the space.

The Purdue Ag Barometer started in 2021 asking about farmers’ interest in carbon sequestration. Jim Mintert, agricultural economist at Purdue University, says the number of respondents who claimed to engage in carbon discussions in 2021 and 2022 were between 2% and 5%. However, in August it jumped to 9%.

“We’re seeing an increase in the curiosity level, but not many people signing up,” Mintert says.

While the conversations have picked up, only 1% of those in August’s survey said they’ve signed a carbon contract.

2. WILL MY EXISTING PRACTICES QUALIFY?

Today’s carbon programs require a change in practice. So, companies with markets are looking to expand the pool of farmers who qualify.
One such company is Land O’Lakes and their sustainability business Truterra, which is working to build a wider funnel of farmers who could enroll in carbon markets and other new revenue streams.

“We know there are barriers to growers making practice changes to more of a regenerative approach,” says Jason Weller, vice president, Truterra. “Often, farmers are weighing the risk to the profitability in spending money and perhaps taking a yield drop. So, we thought how could we help share that risk?”

The company offers a $2 per acre incentive for first-time practice changes, such as planting cover crops, reducing tillage and more.

3. HOW MUCH CAN FARMERS BE PAID?

Each carbon contract outlines how farmers can be paid for a ton of carbon sequestered over a given time. Payment, terms, timing and other details vary by program, which leaves farmers weighing the benefit.

“At $10 dollars per ton, it’s not a very front-and-center topic,” says Ben Reinsche, owner of Blue Diamond Farming Company in Jesup, Iowa. “At $60 per ton, you have my full attention. If the potential is greater than $100 per ton, it’s a priority, and I really need a plan.”

Like all business-driven decisions on the farm, farmers are using a lens of return on investment.

Carbon Market Roadblocks

A study from Trust In Food, Farm Journal’s sustainable agriculture initiative , shows even the most carbon-conscious farmers see signs their participation in current market options would require investments of time, effort and resources without the needed returns.

Crop art featuring conservation message revealed at Ag Progress Days

Tue, 13 Aug 2024 20:01:46 GMT

Pennsylvania outdoor agricultural expo Ag Progress Days and farm advocacy organization Invest in Our Land are working with Kansas resident and renowned crop artist Stan Herd to bring his artistry to the event, set for Aug. 13-15.

Herd unveiled a 2-acre crop art installation, inspired by Wendell Berry’s poignant poem “Below.” Featuring the words “We stand for what we stand on,” the art is intended serve as a visual testament to the unity and resilience of farmers in their fight for sustainable agriculture, according to a news release.

The artwork emphasizes a message about the need for continued support for climate-smart farming practices. The art encourages farmers of all ages to align their lifestyle and advocacy with environmental stewardship and highlights Berry’s legacy of support for farmers and sustainable practices, according to the release.

“When I began to think about what words could convey a message as important as preserving conservation funding, and specifically climate smart funding, in America’s heartland, I found myself turning to Wendell Berry, whose teachings have been a guide for me throughout my career on the land,” Herd said in the release. “The words in this artwork came to me like lightning: ‘We stand for what we stand on.’ It’s just good business and important to protect our climate for future generations of farmers.”

All event attendees will have the opportunity to catch a bird’s-eye view of the installation from a hot air balloon, the release said. The expo will take place Aug. 13-15 at the Russell E. Larson Agricultural Research Center at Rock Springs in Ferguson Township, Centre County. The balloon will run throughout the show, weather permitting.

Attendees also will have the opportunity to learn more about the importance of conservation funding. Educational events include:

Farmer and legislative reception — The private morning reception will bring together farmers, policymakers and conservation agriculture advocates. The event, set for 10 a.m. to noon Aug. 14 at the Invest in Our Land tent (W106), also will feature attendees from Farm Journal, offering a unique opportunity to connect and strategize for climate-smart agriculture in Pennsylvania and beyond. Officials confirmed to attend include Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa.; Xochitl Torres Small, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Agriculture; Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding; and U.S. Rep. Glen Thompson, D-Pa.
Panels and discussions on climate-smart farming, farm bill — “Farmers’ Insight: Adapting and Thriving with Climate-Smart Practices in Agriculture” will follow the morning reception with a panel centering climate-smart practices in the final negotiations of the farm bill. Farmers will discuss the practical applications of climate-smart practices on their operations, showing the value of maintaining climate guardrails and demonstrating the demand for funding. Set for 1-2 p.m. Aug. 14 at the Farm Family Learning Center’s main campus, Rebecca Bartels, vice president for Trust In Food and Farm Journal Intelligence, will moderate the session featuring the following speakers: Lindsey Shapiro, farm bill campaign organizer for Pasa Sustainable Agriculture; and Pennsylvania farmers John Painter of Painterland Farms, Hayley Painter of Painterland Sisters Yogurt, Jeff Frey of Future View Farms, and Tom Croner of T. Rich Farms Inc.

Ag Progress Days is one of the largest agricultural expos in the eastern U.S., featuring nearly 500 commercial and educational exhibits, crop displays, machinery demonstrations, guided research tours, family and youth activities, horse exhibitions, workshops and the Pasto Agricultural Museum, the release said. The event typically attracts as many as 45,000 visitors from across Pennsylvania and beyond to immerse themselves in the science and business of agriculture.

Invest in Our Land is an organization dedicated to elevating the voices of farmers and ranchers nationwide about the importance of conservation practices and climate smart funding, according to the release.

Guest Commentary: The Challenge of Going Beyond Sustainability

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 05:59:05 GMT

Healthy returns to the land are not enough. Healthy institutions and policies are critical.

By William J. Richards

If we’re going to feed and fuel an estimated 9 billion people by 2050 without degrading our environment, U.S. leadership is critical and time is short. Simply achieving “sustainability” is not good enough. We must have the research, technology and production practices to go beyond sustainability. Achieving this goal will require a new vision for U.S. agriculture, forestry and conservation. Solutions from the Land, www.sfldialogue.net , is a serious effort to begin building that vision.

Solutions from the Land recently released a report, “Developing a New Vision for U.S. Agriculture, Forestry and Conservation,” that articulates the big picture, documenting the current state of land use and providing a vision for the 21st century. I congratulate the team and the sponsors for an excellent report. But, as a farmer and a former chief of USDA’s Soil Conservation Service, now the Natural Resources Conservation Service, I’d like to join in with some “here and now” opinions.

If we are to achieve and surpass sustainability we must:

improve and enhance our soils;
improve and expand our current water resources;
provide better habitat for wildlife;
provide food and fuel to our citizens and exports to the world;
provide society with numerous ecosystem benefits, including clean air and water; and
protect the environment.

It starts with soil. First and foremost we must remember that productivity begins with the soil—maintaining and enhancing its health is key to sustainable land use. For centuries, technology and global expansion of cropland has meant that agriculture’s productive capacity has almost always exceeded the demand for food and fiber.

Declining prices for commodities and low rates of return to the land contributed to a lack of investment in soil conservation until the Dust Bowl led the federal government to begin a concerted soil conservation effort with the creation of the Soil Conservation Service in 1935.

While the role of federal, state and local governments is important, so are healthy rates of return to the land. In this context, renewable energy plays a vital role and can be the “bridge” to develop and enhance our soil and resource base. We all know what renewable energy has done for the Corn Belt and the ag economy. But corn is food, and the world needs food. We must continue the research and development of cellulosic ethanol and find ways to better use biomass from our fields and forests.

Accountability forward. Healthy returns to the land alone are not enough to take us beyond sustain-ability in the future. Healthy institutions and policies are also critical.

The Solutions from the Land report emphasizes the need for metrics to measure environmental performance. As farmers, we need a certification system that identifies and rewards producers for environmental stewardship. Australia does this well with Landcare. Our Conservation Security Program could offer performance-based benefits. But in order to reward producers for changes and improvements, we need to do a better job of measuring key indicators of sustainability such as air quality, water quality and biodiversity.

Conservation compliance, introduced in the Food Security Act of 1985, encouraged us to adopt conservation tillage, no-till and other practices that have greatly reduced erosion and improved economic returns. Compliance is only a condition of eligibility for USDA program benefits, not a legal requirement. If federal farm policy shifts away from commodity programs toward crop
insurance programs not covered by conservation compliance, which appears likely, the incentives for continued investment in conservation will be reduced.

Crop insurance is voluntary and farmers do pay premiums, but the premiums are significantly less thanks to federal subsidies. If we, as farmers, are to receive the extra benefits, paid with tax dollars, then we should meet conservation standards. I know this is a controversial issue, but we need to be part of the dialogue. Conservation compliance is not regulation, it’s regulation prevention.

Finally, I believe the most important farm “subsidy” I’ve received was an education at a land-grant university—The Ohio State University. The research, Extension and education system is what made and keeps U.S. agriculture the envy of the world. As cited in the Solutions from the Land report, research, Extension and education should be a top priority if we want to go beyond sustainability in the 21st century.

William J. Richards is an Ohio farmer who served as chief of the USDA Soil Conservation Service (now Natural Resources Conservation Service) from 1990 to 1993.

Homegrown Organic blueberries receive Bee Better certification

Tue, 15 Nov 2022 07:36:57 GMT

Homegrown Organic Farms has received Bee Better certification for Oregon blueberries.

“This certification recognizes the cultural practices these farms have adopted to protect bees and other pollinators and demonstrates the conversation-mindedness of the company and the farmers the company represents,” according to a news release.

The Bee Better Certification was developed by the Xerces Society to promote pollinator conservation.

“Being in the organic fruit business, we are very aware of how much our crops rely on bees,” Scott Mabs, Homegrown Organic Farms CEO, said in the release. “Going through this certification was just one of the ways we are working to care for our land and environment and ultimately ensure the sustainability of our farms long-term.”

Homegrown’s organic blueberries are available through September, and the Bee Better Certified blueberries will be packaged with the Bee Better seal.

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