July 20, 2024
Spotlight Stories
Spotlight 1 – Sur in English writes about the brigades of cows, sheep and goats helping to fight forest fires in Spain. Check out the story, here.
Spotlight 2 – CBS News hosts a video on how regenerative agriculture can help farmers. Check it out, here.
Spotlight 3 – ABC Melbourne’s “The Conversation Hour” hosts a 53-minute conversation on regenerative agriculture and how it helps soil. Give it a listen, here.
Industry Updates
As the 2024 crop season moves forward, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will contact producers nationwide to determine the effects of conservation on working lands. The USDA’s Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP) is an expanded effort to help the farming community better understand the environmental impacts of conservation practices. NASS representatives will visit farms between August 2024 and February 2025 to collect information such as on-farm production practices; chemical, fertilizer and manure applications; integrated pest management activities; and installed conservation practices. The survey data will be published in the Crop Production report in 2025. [link]
In collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Welfare and Agro National Corporation (AgroNAT), the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in the Maldives continues to support good agricultural practices through the ongoing Project for Developing the Agriculture Economy (PDSAE). Supported by the Government of Japan, this initiative aims to fortify food security and livelihoods by ensuring access to affordable, safe, high-quality, and nutritious food, the latest venture of which was a hands-on training program in Good Agricultural Practices. The opening ceremony of the Agri-Training Program for AgroNat commenced on July 1, 2024, at the Hanimaadhoo Social Center, with over 14 farmers from across the Maldives participating. Spanning from July 1 to June 25, this program is tailored to build the capacity of farmers with essential skills to improve plant propagation, nursery management, soil fertility, pest and disease management, and other essential techniques. [link]
UK supermarket chain, Morrisons, has announced a new collaboration with The Institute for Agriculture and Horticulture (TIAH) to assist its farmers in enhancing their skills and achieving net-zero carbon emissions. The partnership involves piloting TIAH’s digital platform, which receives partial funding from Defra, aiming to address skills gaps in agriculture. In collaboration with the School of Sustainable Food and Farming at Harper Adams University, TIAH has created four educational modules. These modules offer farmers a structured approach to learning essential topics, including calving best practices, common beef diseases, measuring and improving growth, and efficient forage usage. [link]
Lloyds Banking Group has reinforced its commitment to UK farmers by providing fee-free lending, financial support and resources for agroforestry projects over £25,000. The banking group offers financing for agroforestry costs through its Clean Growth Financing Initiative (CGFI), which features a zero per cent set-up fee for term lending on sustainable farming investments. This loan helps UK farmers reduce their ecological impact while enhancing the financial and environmental resilience of their businesses. [link]
The regenerative kelp farm and skincare company, Cold Current Kelp, has been awarded $175,000 by the US Department of Agriculture to support the company’s research and development for the use of kelp extracts in skincare and other non-food applications. Cold Current Kelp is a women-owned, vertically-integrated regenerative kelp farm on the coast of Maine. The company not only farms its own kelp, but also specializes in the development of innovative uses for its seaweed extracts, such as in skin care products. With the significant funding injection provided by the USDA, Cold Current Kelp will carry out research to determine the feasibility of using a relatively novel green extraction method to obtain bioactive compounds from Maine-grown sugar kelp. Unlike conventional methods, this method of extraction does not require the use of toxic solvents and is expected to result in higher extraction yields. [link]
Some 132 businesses and financial institutions with combined annual revenues of $1.1 trillion have called for the governments of the world to strengthen their nature policies in the build up to biodiversity conference COP 16. The call comes over 18 months after the adoption of the Global Biodiversity Framework at COP 15 in Montreal, as businesses asked governments to move faster on nature policy before the COP 16 conference begins in Cali, Colombia in just under 100 days. The group is calling on governments to ensure that businesses and financial actors protect nature and restore degraded ecosystems, in part by managing resources sustainably, embedding nature into their disclosures, aligning their financial flows towards being nature positive, and strengthening global agreements. [link]
Biome Makers, a leading global agtech company on a mission to recover soil health and improve farmer profitability, has announced the latest evolution of BeCrop technology. This innovative solution evaluates over 1,000 parameters, including complex biological data and environmental factors, to provide precise input recommendations and tailored agronomic insights on soil health, disease risk, and management practices. Key features of Biome Makers' BeCrop Farm technology include tailored product recommendations, high-definition maps, clear agronomic insights, and a user-friendly digital experience. [link]
According to the latest results from the Conservation Tillage Transect survey, 1.7 million acres of farmland are now under living cover across all crops in Indiana. This significant milestone underscores the increasing adoption of cover crops by farmers, driven by their multiple benefits for soil health, water management and overall farm productivity. Apart from corn and soybeans, cover crops are planted on more acres than any other commodity crop in Indiana. Cover crops are typically planted in the fall after harvest and designed to protect the soil and keep roots in the ground throughout the winter, which improves soil health and helps filter water runoff. The conservation survey also showed that about 69% of row crop acres were not tilled and about 17% had employed reduced tillage over winter, after the 2023 harvest. [link]
A new study finds that the proportional allocation of water, and not additional taxes on the resource, is more effective from the point of view of those engaged in agriculture. The study was produced by the WEARE group within the University of Cordoba and has been published in the Water Resources Management journal. Climate change, increasing drought, population growth and consumption habits have spotlighted the scarcity of water available for agriculture in Spain, making it necessary to adopt measures that help reduce consumption and better manage water for crops. [link]
“Regenerative agriculture” may be quite a buzzword these days, but the agrifood industry still has a lot of work to do when it comes to generating consumer demand, says a new study from EIT Food Consumer Observatory. Critically, more consumers need a better understanding of what regenerative agriculture actually is and its benefits to both the food system and planetary health. Called “Cultivating Resilience: Regenerative Agriculture,” the study surveyed consumers across 17 European countries to gather data on awareness around regenerative agriculture as well as drivers and hurdles to consuming products produced through regen practices. While many consumers say they recognize the term “regenerative agriculture,” a much smaller group “accurately know[s] what regenerative agriculture is,” according to the study. [link]
Lancaster County, PA is a priority planting area for the nonprofit Pasa Sustainable Agriculture as it seeks to support the Ten Million Trees project, with the window for ordering the first round of free trees closing this past week. The Ten Million Trees project, backed by the nonprofit Chesapeake Bay Foundation, aims to plant 10 million trees across Pennsylvania by the end of 2025. Due to the impact of agriculture on local waterways, Lancaster County is a priority area for planting. County residents can go to lanc.news/PASAtrees to find the order form. Trees will be available for pickup in late September to mid-October. Three pickup sites are available: Columbia, Dauphin or Westmoreland counties. [link]
Diestel Family Ranch, the family-owned U.S.-based producer of sustainably raised turkeys, announced it has become the first turkey producer to achieve Regenified™ certification, a global leader in regenerative agriculture verification. Regenified’s seal is the first third-party regenerative program to be recognized and accepted by USDA Food Safety and Inspection Services for single and multi-ingredient products. As part of this certification, Diestel sourced more than 650 tons of Certified Regenified™ corn earlier this spring. To achieve certification, Diestel met Regenified’s rigorous 6-3-4™ Standards which include soil health, adaptive stewardship, and ecosystem processes. [link]
WhistlePig Whiskey and Brother’s Bond Bourbon have teamed up with their latest releases to support regenerative agriculture in the US. The two brands have recently launched sustainably made whiskeys: Brother’s Bond Regenerative Grain Straight Bourbon and WhistlePig FarmStock Beyond Bonded Rye Whiskey. For a limited time, the expressions are available as an online bundle for US$189.99, with a portion of the sales earmarked for Regenerate America, the regenerative agriculture coalition stewarded by the Kiss the Ground documentary. [link]
The UK and Belize governments launched the Resilient and Biodiverse Landscapes of Northern Mesoamerica project to restore and conserve the Selva Maya Forest through sustainable practices. In Belize, the Biodiverse Landscapes Fund will invest approximately $3.2 million between September 2023 to October 2029. Activities in country are being implemented through a consortium of organizations including the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), Belize Maya Forest Trust (BMFT), Program for Belize, Friends for Conservation and Development (FCD), and the Julian Cho Society. BLF will be supporting these organizations in the protection and conservation of Selva Maya Forest in Belize, one of the great forests of the Mesoamerica Landscape. [link]
Nine years of data analysis from Illinois farms found the most profitable acres were one-pass light tillage for corn and no-till soybeans. Precision Conservation Management released its summary of in-field conservation practices data that compares various tillage systems and analyzes the profitability of each corn and soybean field enrolled in the program. According to PCM’s 2015-2023 data, the most frequently observed tillage systems on the most profitable acres were one-pass light tillage for corn — one pass with low-disturbance tillage — and no-till for soybeans. More than two tillage passes were never more profitable. [link]
In Case You Missed It…
In early June, the Canadian Senate Committee on Agriculture released a new study on Soil Health in Canada, evaluating the current status of soils in the country and putting forward 25 recommendations for improving and maintaining those soils. See more, here.