March 9, 2024
Spotlight Stories
Spotlight 1 – Civil Eats does an expose on the distribution dynamics of regenerative beef. Check out the story, here.
Spotlight 2 – GreenBiz writes about the sustainability progress being made by the U.S. beef industry. Check it out, here.
Spotlight 3 – Public News Service details a Midwest U.S. network of regenerative farmers and how they are rethinking chicken. Check out the story, here.
Industry Updates
Amidst growing global concern for sustainable agriculture and animal welfare, a groundbreaking study has emerged, promising a new dawn in the way we perceive and manage livestock farming. Spearheaded by researchers at the University of Cambridge, this innovative approach to assessing animal welfare on farms utilizes a new assessment tool that has started by evaluating various UK pig farming systems, revealing a hierarchy in animal welfare standards across different certification labels. Woodland and organic farms topped the list, offering the best conditions for pigs, followed by free-range, RSPCA assured, and Red Tractor certified farms, with uncertified farms ranking lowest. This assessment is pivotal for consumers seeking to make ethical food choices, potentially influencing market demand towards higher welfare products. Additionally, the new welfare assessment system is able to integrate animal welfare scores into a unified life cycle assessment of farming practices, solving the problem of animal welfare concerns not previously being present in life cycle assessments. [link]
A study by researchers at University College London, the University of Edinburgh, and the UK Center for Ecology & Hydrology has discovered a severe imbalance between potassium removal and replenishment within the global farming industry. Potassium plays a significant role in the growing of crops, acting as a vital nutrient for plant growth and helping with photosynthesis and respiration. The study, published in Nature Food, found that approximately 20% of global agricultural soils face severe potassium deficiency, with certain regions suffering worse than others. If nutrient imbalances are not addressed, crop yields are expected to decline, ahead. [link]
University of Minnesota Extension corn and soybean entomologists are initiating a new project to evaluate pests that feed on seeds and seedlings in corn and soybean fields. In areas with severe infestations, these pests can cause significant stand losses or even require replanting of fields. Despite these potential impacts, much remains unknown about these pests in Minnesota corn and soybeans. The entomologists are seeking cooperating farmers to allow their research team to sample corn and soybean fields from April to June 2024, with an eye on fields recently coming out of pasture, no-till, follow-on from cover cropping, high organic matter content, and no insecticide treatments in recent years. All participants will receive a free report on the pests encountered in their fields. [link]
The agrifood sector should build a coalition of groups to take on the task of explaining sustainable farm practices to consumers to build public trust in them, says Michael McCain, Executive Chair of Maple Leaf Foods Inc. The sector needs to focus on assuring consumers that sustainable food production will be good for the environment and food safety, he told the Canadian Agriculture Day conference during a panel discussion on making sustainability profitable for farmers. It is also important for everyone in the sector to realize that for them to be successful, everyone else must be as well. [link]
U.S. farmers investing in soil health practices like cover crops, no-till, diversified crop rotations, and integrated livestock grazing, are invited to participate in two Practical Farmers of Iowa (PFI) on-farm research trials. The first explores whether these practices support using less nitrogen fertilizer. The second trial aims to find out if cover crops give farmers greater access to their fields over a season. Many farmers have observed that using soil health practices long-term improves soil function. But most don’t have scientific data from their own fields. By taking part in these trials, farmers will have a chance to empirically test the impacts of those soil health investments on their own farms. [link]
The Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development has awarded a $1.5 million grant to Kutztown University to support its Regenerative Organic Agriculture track in collaboration with the Rodale Institute. Funding will support student scholarships; internships; renovations to the university teaching greenhouse; professional development for students, faculty, and Rodale Institute employees; farming equipment; and land care. The Rodale Institute is widely recognized as the global leader in regenerative organic agriculture. KU and the Institute signed a five-year agreement of academic cooperation in 2021, establishing a research affiliation for the mutual benefit of both institutions. [link]
Plans to protect and restore the English countryside with a pioneering landscape resilience program have successfully expanded into Yorkshire. The Landscape Enterprise Networks (LENs) program, spear-headed by sustainability consultancy 3Keel and Nestlé Purina Petcare, has completed its first trading initiative. The program has brought together global alcohol business Diageo, Nestlé Purina, and farmers in Yorkshire. Nestlé Purina and Diageo have partnered to invest in measures across almost 700 hectares of arable land in the Selby, Thirsk, Vale of York and Goole areas of the county. The investment will support farmers to introduce a wide range of regenerative agricultural practices, including reduced cultivation systems, improving nutrient use efficiency and introducing grazing livestock into the rotation. Through LENs, the companies work with supply chain partners to enhance on-farm sustainability and production resilience, as well as delivering improvements in biodiversity and water quality. [link]
As consumer interest grows around the health and sustainability benefits of food, the Nutrient Density Alliance has released guidelines for brands looking to substantiate nutrient density claims related to their regenerative agriculture practices. The Nutrient Density Alliance is a pre-competitive effort sponsored by the Soil & Climate Alliance and the Non-GMO Project that focuses on connecting regenerative agriculture practices, soil health and human health outcomes. The guidelines - "Engaging Consumers On Regenerative Agriculture: How Brands Can Integrate Nutrient Density for Top-line Growth" - include actionable information for key departments such as marketing, quality, and legal to follow when developing brand information on nutrient density, identifying potential partnerships and required data, and considering how to message improved nutrition to consumers. [link]
Applegate, a leading natural and organic American meat brand, announced its goal to transition all of its beef hot dogs to beef raised on verified regenerative grasslands by the end of 2025. Implementing this change across its entire beef hot dog portfolio is expected to contribute to the regeneration of six million acres of grasslands, which could increase the current regenerative acreage of Applegate suppliers by more than 2,200%. To transition the 6 million acres of grassland and achieve its goal of improving land health, Applegate will work with its network of more than 250 beef farmers to implement a regenerative standard with third-party verification through certifiers such as Land to Market. Additionally, Applegate will collaborate with umbrella frameworks such as GRASS (Generalized Regenerative Agriculture Sourcing Specification) and the Textile Exchange Regenerative Outcomes Framework to ensure its standards are aligned with industry-accepted metrics for ecological outcomes and animal welfare. [link]
CMI Orchards and Royal Family Farming have partnered to launch The Soil Center, the mission of which is to transform byproducts from orchards, row crops, dairy and beef operations into high-quality soil amendments. At the heart of The Soil Center's mission is the development of the world's largest worm farm and a comprehensive waste processing system, aimed at creating soil amendments that can be used in the network of growers producing apples, pears, cherries and more for CMI and Royal Family Farming. The Soil Center is set to break ground by the second quarter of 2024 and start supplying soil amendment products to the CMI grower network by the third quarter of 2024. [link]
Cuba will host the International Agroforestry Convention “Cuba 2024”, to be held on July 1 to 5 with the participation of some 400 researchers, academics, entrepreneurs, producers and communicators from Colombia, Mexico, Ecuador, Italy and the host country. Discussion topics relate to forests and their relationship with society, biodiversity and ecosystem services, climate change and production, as well as forest protection, integrated pest and disease management, and sustainable agricultural production technologies. There will also be debates about coffee and cocoa production, quality, processing and by-products; plantation, soil and nutrient management; beekeeping development; biodiversity, environment and pollination; healthy food and apitherapy; and international cooperation, among others. [link]
A new project is combining cutting-edge UK ag-tech tools with research and development expertise to help growers learn more about the role roots play in maintaining healthy soils. The TRUTH (Thriving Roots Underpinning Total soil Heath) project is a three-year, £1 million Defra-funded study that will bring together experts in soil and root health, sensor technology and wheat genetics. They will work alongside farmers and growers who conduct trials on their own farms with the goal of identifying the tools they need to assess their crop roots and quantify the impact of their farming system. [link]
Patagonia Provisions has introduced three new varieties of vegan-friendly Regenerative Organic Certified pasta. These nutrient-rich, high-fiber pastas are now available for purchase online and are set to grace the shelves of Whole Foods Market locations and natural grocery stores nationwide this spring. At the heart of these innovative pastas lies Kernza, a wheat-like perennial grain that is Regenerative Organic Certified. Kernza is a perennial plant, firmly rooted in the soil year-round. Its robust root system not only prevents erosion but also enriches the soil, yielding slender grains bursting with a warm, nutty flavor. Packed with fiber and protein, these newly designed 12oz boxes of pasta are crafted from 100% recycled fiber and will retail at $6.49. [link]
A new wheat standard in the UK that aims to encourage regenerative farming practices and cut chemical use is offering a £20/t premium for compliant farmers. Established by the Green Farm Collective in collaboration with Food Integrity Assurance (FIA), the new standard involves the reduced use of synthetic crop protection products, caps on nitrogen and mandatory crop rotations. Farmers must follow a set of criteria such as using strip-till or zero-till and apply no more than 180kg nitrogen/ha. A maximum of two fungicide applications with just one spray of plant growth regulator is permitted. Insecticides and pre-harvest glyphosate are not allowed. [link]
In Case You Missed It…
In early February, Olam Agri launched its global regenerative agriculture program across the U.S. Cotton Belt to help meet the growing demand for traceable and sustainably grown cotton. Read more, here.