April 20, 2024
Spotlight Stories
Spotlight 1 – WIRED writes about the rise of the carbon farmer. Check out the story, here.
Spotlight 2 – S&P Global unpacks mitigation and adaptation pathways toward sustainable agriculture. Check it out, here.
Spotlight 3 – Fast Company focuses on an ex-Googler’s new chestnut farm in rural Pennsylvania. Read the article, here.
Industry Updates
The California Farm Bureau has announced it is making $5 million available for citrus growers to implement health-soils practices, while Congress is providing an extra $1.5 million for breeding research. The funding was made possible after the state Department of Food and Agriculture awarded money from the Healthy Soils Program Block Grant to the California Bountiful Foundation, the California Citrus Quality Council and Xerces Society. Grants of up to $200,000 are offered to growers for farm projects such as cover cropping, nutrient management and pollinator-friendly hedgerow plants, the CFB explained. The program is set to support 20 to 45 projects over three years. [link]
The Connecticut Department of Agriculture (CT DoAg) is awarding $1.475 million in state funding to farmers and non-profits involved in production agriculture to invest in long-term climate resiliency projects which will decrease vulnerability to extreme weather events through regenerative agricultural practices. The 20 funded projects are part of the Farmland Restoration, Climate Resiliency and Preparedness Grant, which was authorized by and funded through Connecticut General Statues 22-6c with a focus on restoring and improving land with prime and important farmland soils. Funds can be used for capital investments, including equipment, to implement farming practices that will have a multi-year or cumulative effect on the climate resiliency of the land or farming operation. Awardees will be provided technical assistance by a soil scientist or other advisor assigned by and paid for by CT DoAg and will receive funding to implement the FRCR Plan. [link]
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released the Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2022, showing that American agriculture reduced emissions by almost 2% from 2021 to 2022, the largest decrease of any economic sector. Other highlights specific to the agricultural sector include: 12-million-metric-ton reduction in greenhouse gas emissions; 2.1% reduction in livestock GHG emissions; 1.7% reduction in crop cultivation emissions; and 1.2% reduction in fuel combustion emissions. [link]
Nestlé Purina is investing in farmer adoption of regenerative agriculture practices across the company’s corn and soy supply chains through a new partnership with Cargill. This work will support soil health and reduce the carbon footprint for Purina dry pet food products across North America, contributing to a more sustainable future for people and their pets. The partnership is expected to support the adoption of regenerative agriculture practices across more than 200,000 acres of corn and soy farmland in the Midwest and is estimated to reduce the carbon footprint of the Purina grain supply from Cargill by up to 40 percent over the next three years. [link]
For the first time, California water regulators are cracking down on one of the state’s major farming regions for failing to take steps to curb growers’ excessive groundwater pumping, which has sent water levels into rapid decline and is causing the land to sink. The State Water Resources Control Board voted unanimously this week to place the Tulare Lake basin on “probationary” status for failing to adopt sufficient measures to address chronic overpumping. Falling groundwater levels have caused the ground to sink as much as 6 feet in parts of the area over the last decade, and state officials have determined that a local plan for managing groundwater would allow the free fall to continue. They say that without stronger measures, hundreds of household wells are at risk of running dry. It’s the first time California officials have used their authority to intervene in a community to force stronger measures to rein in the depletion of groundwater, as required under the state’s decade-old Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, known as SGMA. [link]
The State Bank of Vietnam announced that more than 15 trillion Vietnamese dong ($597 million) has been disbursed under a credit scheme to support Vietnamese agroforestry and aquatic sectors since July last year. The loans, with interest rates lower than market rates by 1 percent to 2 percent annually, have been designed to help the sectors cope with and overcome difficulties experienced during this turbulent period. Dao Minh Tu, the bank's deputy governor, said the central bank was willing to increase the amount to over 30 trillion dong ($1.2 billion) if there is strong demand within the sectors. [link]
The Michigan State University Extension Field Crops Virtual Breakfast Series is hosting Abby Smith with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) on April 25 to discuss conservation practices and soil health. The morning will wrap up with Jeff Andresen, Michigan State University climatologist, providing a weather outlook for the state. The Breakfast Series is live via Zoom every Thursday morning from 7 - 8 AM, March 21 through September 19. Participation is free, with discussions on a wide range of topics pertinent to farming. [link]
Iowa State University will host Sarah Castle from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, on its Iowa Learning Farms (ILF) conservation webinar April 24 to discuss agroforestry on Midwest farms. Castle’s research focuses on advancing knowledge of agroforestry systems, including silvopasture, windbreaks, riparian buffers and alley cropping. Through her work, she aims to illuminate spatial targeting opportunities for agroforestry, understand its potential contributions to conservation and profitability, and examine the broader policy implications to support the adoption of these practices. [link]
Newly awarded grant funding through the federal Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) is boosting support for agroforestry-related projects in Hawaii addressing diverse aspects of urban and community forestry. The Kaulunani Urban and Community Forestry Program, part of the Department of Land and Natural Resources' Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW), will support three-year projects centered on community tree nurseries, urban forest management plans, intergenerational food forests, new public green spaces, and more, across the state. [link]
Hellmann’s has launched a “Save Our Sandwiches” (S.O.S.) campaign to spread awareness around regenerative farming practices for growing crops like soybeans, a key ingredient in its mayonnaise product, which is often added to sandwiches. The effort connects soil erosion to the looming “extinction” of four sandwiches often filled with mayo — the BLT, turkey club, Italian sub and egg salad — and includes a microsite that doles out coupons and plushie sandwiches. Campaign print and digital out-of-home (OOH) ads mourn the looming “death date” of mayonnaise and the sandwiches it compliments. The activation, tied to the brand’s $30 million commitment to regenerative farming, follows other purpose-driven marketing plays. [link]
In Case You Missed It…
Earlier this month, Anthropologie announced a partnership with Kiss the Ground to improve awareness and engagement on regenerative agriculture and its contributions to a healthier planet. See more, here.