December 21, 2024
Spotlight Stories
Spotlight 1 – Earth.com details how biodiversity loss from the agricultural trade is alarmingly high. Read about it, here.
Spotlight 2 – WMRA reports on how Iowa is trying to deal with farm runoff by using “saturated buffers.” Check out the story, here.
Spotlight 3 – A new report from the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) says we are ignoring important linkages between biodiversity, water, food, health, and climate change. Check it out, here.
Industry Updates
Solidaridad and Louis Dreyfus Company (LDC) announced a collaboration to promote the implementation of regenerative agriculture practices in Mexico’s coffee farms, with a goal to drive low-carbon coffee production by providing sustainable solutions to enhance the productivity, climate resilience and livelihoods of coffee-growing communities. Over the next three years, LDC and Solidaridad are committed to working with approximately 3,500 coffee farmers across an estimated 6,700 hectares in Mexico’s states of Chiapas, Veracruz and Puebla, providing them with training and tools to implement practices that promote and restore soil health and coffee plant quality such as the use of cover crops, crop diversification, implementation of new coffee nurseries and resource optimization technologies. The collaboration will also aim to enhance traceability for participating farms, with a goal to drive coffee supply chain transparency. [link]
Purdue University scientists are investigating whether mulching Kura clover, a perennial legume, can provide sufficient nitrogen for corn, thus reducing the need for synthetic fertilizers while enhancing soil organic carbon storage. Kura clover, a unique perennial legume that survives year-round, can harness underutilized temporal and spatial niches of the monoculture corn system. As a legume, Kura clover also fixes inert nitrogen gas from the air, converting it into plant-useable forms available to corn. The project is being funded by the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture. [link]
Pennsylvania’s agricultural sector is set to receive nearly $1 billion in federal funding to promote climate-smart farming practices and encourage consumer demand for climate-friendly products. This significant investment comes from the federal Farm Bill and the Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act, both of which prioritize reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The funding will support a variety of initiatives, including reducing emissions from livestock; promoting hemp production; supporting climate-smart products; empowering underserved farmers; developing sustainable agroforestry; and promoting low-carbon beef. [link]
The Biden-Harris Administration released a policy framework to guide potential demand-side measures to reduce the importation of deforestation-linked commodities and derived products into the United States, with an initial focus on agricultural commodities. This policy framework, which was developed through an interagency process initiated by section 3 in Executive Order 14072 on stopping international deforestation, reaffirms the Administration’s support for the collective goal of halting and reversing global deforestation by 2030 and outlines six framework elements aimed at maximizing policy effectiveness in achieving this goal. The Administration has also produced a report summarizing tools and practices that agencies use or can adopt to avoid deforestation in multiple development sectors. [link]
The Healey-Driscoll Administration in Massachusetts has announced $3.6 million in more than 100 grant awards to provide funding to local farmers. The funding supports farmers in meeting strict food safety standards, improving soil health and management through composting, sustaining cranberry growing operations, and adapting to changing climate conditions. It also enhances their contributions to the state’s carbon reduction and climate change mitigation goals. [link]
University of Minnesota Extension has partnered with the Great Lakes Cover Crop Project to build a regional dataset of cover crop performance across Minnesota, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin. This data will identify the best cover crop types and practices for various growing conditions and inform management recommendations tailored to your region. Cover crops are important soil covers during times when fields are normally left bare. These covers protect soil, water quality, and farmers’ bottom lines. [link]
The Soil and Water Outcomes Fund announced the commencement of a pilot project with Chevron Renewable Energy Group, a wholly owned subsidiary of Chevron Corporation, as part of a larger Midwest Climate-Smart Commodity Program. This initiative represents a notable step toward integrating biofuels into sustainable agriculture outcomes, contributing to the overall goals of the program, which is supported by $157 million in combined funding from the USDA and corporate partners. As part of the program, farmers can enroll their acres and receive support in transitioning to climate smart agricultural practices. The financial investment from Chevron is focusing on acres within 100 miles of their Mason City, IA and Newton, IA biodiesel production facilities. The goal for the program was to enroll 5,000 acres for the 2025 growing season and to date the project has exceeded that goal. [link]
Washington State University researchers are engaging in a new study that examines a variety of soil health changes in lands enrolled in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Conservation Reserve Program. Scientists will track soil health, wheat yield and soil microbiology for the lands that are part of a volunteer program that encourages farmers to convert highly erodible and environmentally sensitive acreage to vegetation cover. The program pays landowners to take their property out of production for a contract that lasts 10-15 years. The study will identify the best way to convert land into use for crop production while keeping soils healthy. Researchers will share their findings with farmers to aid decision-making for their own land. [link]
Regenerative agriculture pioneer Advancing Eco Agriculture (AEA) announced that USDA Rural Development has awarded it a $3.8 million grant through the department’s Fertilizer Production Expansion Program (FPEP). FPEP provides grants to help high potential organizations increase or otherwise expand the manufacturing and processing of fertilizer and nutrient alternatives and their availability in the United States. The $3.8 million grant will enable AEA to continue growing its production and farmer impact and further leverage the potential of its newly launched, 55,000-square-foot production facility in Aurora, CO. This state-of-the-art facility houses all of the necessary equipment to efficiently produce AEA’s plant nutrition products, formulated specifically for regenerative growers. The funding will allow the company to make facility upgrades and scale its workforce. [link]
Danish agrotech startup, GrowGrounds, has entered an agreement with 5,800 coffee farmers who will convert to sustainable agroforestry benefitting both nature, climate, coffee, and their own livelihoods. GrowGrounds has announced a transformative partnership with three leading coffee farming cooperatives societies in Nyeri County, Kenya: Iriani Farmers Cooperative Society, Kiawamuru FCS, and Aguthi Farmers Cooperative Society. With GrowGrounds’ expertise in coffee, agroforestry and carbon sequestration, Kenyan farmers will adopt syntropic farming practices that enhance biodiversity, improve yields, and create long-term revenue opportunities. The collaboration goes beyond coffee farming, building climate resilience, restoring ecosystems, and enabling access to the global carbon market. GrowGrounds aims to train these farmers in agroforestry practices and plant 1.1 million trees by 2027, securing 80% of its revenue from carbon credit sales that will be distributed equitably among farmers. [link]
In Case You Missed It…
In September this year, a YouGov survey said that Gen Z consumers are placing an overwhelming emphasis on both sustainability and quality in their grocery products, with many willing to spend more to support brands that reflect these values. See more, here.