January 27, 2024
Spotlight Stories
Spotlight 1 – The Good Men Project writes about how extreme drought in Brazil is pushing farmers into agroforestry. Check out the story, here.
Spotlight 2 – Civil Eats reports on how state lawmakers are collaborating on policies to support regenerative agriculture. Check out the story, here.
Spotlight 3 – The Financial Times looks at venture capital’s interest in regenerative agriculture. Check out the story, here.
Industry Updates
For the first time since 2001, interest rates are rising faster than farmland values, creating a potential obstacle to land purchasers, said assistant economist Ty Kreitman of the Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank. “With interest costs now above average land value appreciation, farm operating profits will determine the magnitude of returns for financed land,” he said. Meanwhile, ag bankers said in a Federal Reserve survey that the volume of new non-real estate loans was 15% lower during the final quarter of 2023 than during the same period in 2022. [link]
A new high-tech soil lab called the Center for Excellence in Land-Based Research and Knowledge Transfer is being implemented into the Eden Project in Cornwall, UK in order to help spur sustainable and productive land and soil management in the country. The lab will be at the cutting-edge of the analysis of soils, plants and feedstock, supporting the shift towards more environmentally friendly farming, and helping businesses become more productive, competitive, and eligible for future environment-based funding streams. The center comes at a time when the Government begins phasing out direct support payments for the agricultural industry, replacing them with new incentives for environmental land management and sustainable farming. [link]
Researchers from the University of Michigan evaluated farming operations at 73 sites across five countries in North America and Europe and found that urban agriculture is six times more carbon intensive than conventional agriculture per serving of fruit or vegetable. The team ignored traditional urban agriculture operations like vertical farms and instead focused on open-air urban farms. Additionally, the researchers evaluated farm comparisons on a full lifecycle emissions basis as opposed to standard farming activities themselves. The study showed that infrastructure for urban farms leads to outsized carbon emissions relative to conventional farms, however some urban farms in New York, London, and Paris had lower emissions than conventional farms, due to use of recycled materials, types of crops grown, and long-term stability of the operation itself. [link]
The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) has established a Regenerative Agriculture Work Group to assist the State Board of Food and Agriculture in defining “Regenerative Agriculture” for State Policies and Programs. The 13-member group represents a diversity of agricultural stakeholders. The Regenerative Agriculture Definition Work Group will consider input from the public and CDFA’s Environmental Farming Act Science Advisory Panel proposed framework to draft a recommendation for a definition of regenerative agriculture. The draft definition is anticipated to be submitted to the State Board for consideration in June 2024. [link]
A new smartphone application is helping smallholder farmers in Eastern Africa become more resilient to the impacts of climate change while improving income and nutritional security. Released by The Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF), the app informs farmers on how to incorporate fruit trees into landscapes best to increase overall farming resistance to the impacts of climate change. The app was developed as part of ongoing ACIAR-funded research to enhance farm-level climate adaptation for smallholders in Kenya and Rwanda by increasing the stocking and strategic siting of fruit trees. [link]
Nearly a century after the mass agricultural disaster known as the Dirty ’30s, drought conditions on the Canadian Prairies are once again raising the risk that farmers’ valuable topsoil will go blowing in the wind. Across southern Alberta, severe erosion events have been increasing in frequency and severity in recent years. In Lethbridge County, dry and windy conditions have been known to stir up dust clouds, obscuring the vision of drivers on local roads and filling irrigation canals to the brim with dirt. The drifting soil also reduces agricultural productivity, both by removing nutrients from the field where it blows from, and by spreading weeds and damaging crops where it lands. Currently, 81 per cent of Canada’s agricultural landscape is classified as either abnormally dry or in moderate-to-severe drought conditions, according to federal government mapping. [link]
The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) is pleased to announce the availability of approximately $12 million in grant funding for Healthy Soils Program Incentive Grants. The objectives of the program are to increase statewide implementation of conservation management practices that improve soil health, sequester carbon, and reduce atmospheric greenhouse gases. California farmers, ranchers, business entities, California Native American tribes, and non-profit organizations can apply for awards. Applicants may request up to $100,000 per project. Priority will be given to applicants who are considered Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers. [link]
Boulder County, Colorado has launched the Soil Health Initiative, a new grant program that will provide $1.1 million to local food producers for projects that foster soil health and advance sustainable agricultural practices. Farmers and ranchers who operate on leased Boulder County Parks & Open Space land, private land, or both, can apply for funding until the February 12, 2024 deadline. Grants will be awarded in March. Examples of eligible practices include no- or reduced-tillage, cover crop usage, rotational grazing, and crop rotation. [link]
A Massachusetts state commission tasked with investigating climate challenges and solutions for the agricultural sector is considering tax relief to impacted farmers along with incentives that push for cover crops and improved soil health. The commission has been holding meetings to learn about existing federal and state programs designed to protect farms from the impacts of climate change. It will eventually submit a final report and recommendations to the legislature by the end of the year. [link]
The Antibiotic Resistance Action Center announced that Fischer Farms in Saint Anthony, Indiana will be the first farm in the country to receive its Certified Responsible Antibiotic Use (CRAU) standard for beef. Fischer Farms switched to reduced antibiotics in its cattle feed in 2004, followed by regenerative agriculture practices and the addition of kelp to its feeds, reducing cattle emissions by up to 82%. Under the CRAU standard, farmers can give antibiotics to their cattle if they get sick, but their use will be closely monitored. The standard was developed in 2014 for the poultry sector. [link]
McCain Foods has managed to onboard more than half of its global potato acreage onto its regenerative agriculture framework, with 28% said to be moving up the agenda towards a more comprehensive adoption of such practices. The frozen potato company has set its intentions to implement regenerative agriculture practices across 100% of its potato partner operations by the end of the decade. [link]
A bill making its way through the Illinois legislature would ban the manufacture, sale or distribution of products formulated with brominated vegetable oil, potassium bromate or red dye 3. The legislation is similar to a bill that was signed into law in California in October. Illinois Senate Bill SB2637 was proposed on Nov. 7, 2023, and assigned to the state’s Public Health committee for consideration on Jan. 24. It would amend the state’s Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act and take effect on Jan. 1, 2027, if it is signed into law. [link]
An effort by Republican U.S. lawmakers to reallocate $18 billion in climate-friendly agriculture funding under President Joe Biden's signature climate law would shift money away from programs that primarily benefit farmers in Republican-leaning states, a Reuters analysis found. The Inflation Reduction Act money, earmarked for U.S. Department of Agriculture-designated "climate-smart" farm practices, is intended to support Biden's agriculture climate agenda, which relies heavily on storing carbon in the soil and lowering emissions through sustainable farming techniques. About 65% of the new money due to be spent under the law on those climate-friendly practices would go to farmers in states that backed Republican former President Donald Trump in the 2020 election, and about 70% would go to states with a Republican member on the House or Senate farm committees. Republican House of Representatives Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn "GT" Thompson and the Senate Agriculture Committee's top Republican, John Boozman, want to reallocate the Inflation Reduction Act money to all conservation programs without the climate-related requirements. Under Thompson's plan, some money also would be moved to crop supports and other farm programs, a committee aide said. The dispute over the Inflation Reduction Act money could further delay progress on the farm bill. [link]
U.S. Representatives Don Beyer (D-VA), Mike Lawler (R-NY), and Chellie Pingree (D-ME) introduced the Innovative Practices for Soil Health Act, bipartisan legislation to improve soil health on farms and support sustainable alternatives to annual agriculture by improving USDA conservation programs to ensure they are better able to support farmers who incorporate perennial systems and agroforestry into their operations. Annual crops and monoculture cropping, common in farming, require tilling which disrupts the natural soil structure and can lead to increased erosion and a reliance on harmful fertilizers and pesticides. Perennial and agroforestry systems require less soil disturbance – improving soil structure, preventing erosion, increasing ecosystem nutrient retention, and promoting carbon sequestration. The Innovative Practices for Soil Health Act would support these farmers by improving USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) programs, the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) and Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP); increasing technical assistance for farmers installing perennial systems; and designating four national and regional agroforestry centers. [link]
In Case You Missed It…
In late November, the EU announced that it was providing €19 million to enhance the resilience and sustainability of food systems in the Caribbean. Read more, here.