Grants

Is Regenerative Agriculture Real?

Mon, 02 Dec 2024 14:54:00 GMT

Recently, I spoke to an investor looking for a fund to help farmers transition to regenerative agriculture. The investor thought there was a clear set of procedures to give farmers a measurable reward in a predictable amount of time. This line of thinking is common, but there currently is not a generally recognized standard that is “regenerative.” There are practices that might work in one location but not another, and there have been attempts to measure and monetize components, such as carbon credits.

Building soil health and cutting inputs will have huge long-term benefits, but there isn’t a standardized premium to index potential near-term ROI, especially for third-party investors.

Farming Is Changing

At a recent regenerative agriculture conference (of which the primary attendance was not farmers), a farmer recalled a conversation he overheard between two relatives weighing the pros and cons of adopting no-till farming practices. The audience was amazed this conversation took place 45 years ago, and the family had been using these practices for over four decades.

This disconnect is typical. In the current hype around regenerative ag, we should not miss the long view that farming is changing and will be more diverse in terms of species grown and potentially carbon negative in terms of how we grow. Fewer inputs will be used through advancements in technology.

Every field has different soil and different needs, and a regenerative plan needs to account for that. At the farm gate, the work needs to be monetized based on standards that have value in the marketplace, which currently don’t exist, and impact the production economics by lowering costs, building soil health and managing water.

3 Actions You Can Take Now

Expand use of regenerative practices. There is currently a lot of grant funding for conservation practices . Now is a good time to get started, but don’t get bound into long-term contracts that are going to lock up your data or rights to sell ecosystem credits in the future.
Don’t be afraid to measure. The future will be in selling products from your farm based on how the crop was produced, as well as selling water, carbon and other credits. The key is to get yourself in a position to reap this value without being committed to companies and organizations still trying to figure it out.
Band together and invest in the tools. Groups of farmers working together can coordinate ways to invest in the enabling tools that will lower barriers to entry, collect data, talk to potential downstream customers who might want to pay premiums and share best practices on what it takes to adopt new practices.

No one knows better than you that the future of your farm depends on balancing practices and profits that sustain your land, resources and family . The stakes are evolving based on weather patterns, technology, market demand and more. What actions are you taking to remain resilient?

Colorado Rancher Leverages USDA Grant Money to Steward Public Land

Thu, 06 Jun 2024 17:48:57 GMT

On Gayel Alexander’s Colorado ranch, the cow-to-land ratio is enough to leave many scratching their heads.

Every year, she grazes 200-head of beef cows on 40,000 acres of public land that sits on the rugged landscape shared by national monuments and culturally significant mountaintops.

The fact that her cows are scattered across the landscape like needles in a giant haystack of land doesn’t bother Alexander. She knows this land.

In 1936 and 1942, through the Taylor Grazing Act, Alexander’s grandfather was able to secure two land leases.

“Even though he only had an eighth-grade education, my grandfather was a very smart man,” she said.

Now, these separate leases, managed first by her grandfather, then later by her mother and now by Alexander, combined with adjoining private property, make up the Ja Quidi Ranch.

Layered with generational land knowledge, Alexander also knows her cattle. She spends time on the land with them, learning their habits and tracking their grazing patterns.

But Alexander’s knowledge doesn’t necessarily equal control.

“I have range cows, not pasture cows,” she says. “They are very agile, very smart and they are used to doing what they want to do to survive on their own.”

One challenge with range cows is that Alexander is sometimes chasing her herd away from boundaries and shooing them from neighbors’ cropland and hay barns. On a broader scale, this rangeland free-for-all limits her ability to take full advantage of the rotational grazing plans she develops with federal range conservationists from The Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service. This data-tracking hurdle impacts her management decisions, which, in turn, affects overall profitability and environmental stewardship.

(Farm Journal)

That’s where the Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities , USDA’s historic funding package for conservation agriculture comes into play for Alexander. The $3.1 billion investment is broken up into 141 public-private grants aimed at providing both technical and financial support for farmers and ranchers to begin, grow or enhance their conservation journey and connect the data associated with it to both operational success and the climate-smart economy.

One of those grants, Farm Journal’s Connected Ag Project , was the missing piece Alexander needed to connect her practical ranch needs and her dreams of holistic land management to reality.

“We have gathered a coalition of industry and conservation leaders, put the power of their technical expertise alongside $40 million in federal grant dollars and brought all of that to bear for the American farmer,” says Jimmy Emmons, senior vice president for climate-smart programs for Trust In Food , Farm Journal’s sustainable ag group. “Through this project, 500 growers and producers like Gayel will have a true partner in connecting their conservation goals to success both for themselves and for agriculture’s sustainable future.”

Each producer enrolled in the project receives:

technical conservation planning
agronomic support
data tools
coaching for how to maximize data efficacy
financial support to implement climate-smart practices or technology

Andrew Lyon, director of technical assistance for the project, is tasked with assessing the needs of farmers in the program and matching them with partners that can provide both solutions and expertise. As the first producer to implement a conservation program under the grant, Alexander will be using both technology and data-coaching partners to accomplish her conservation goals.

“Virtual fencing and data coaching have been important tools to meet both the current challenges that Gayel has on her public land leases and the aspirational goals that she has for better land overall stewardship through increased rotational grazing,” Lyon says. “Through this program, producers like Gayel will have the information and tools they need to set them up for a future of conservation-minded decision-making on their operations.”

Alexander says she never would have been able to address her challenges and meet those goals on her own – which is the main factor that led Merck Animal Health to sign onto the grant project with their Vence virtual fencing technology.

(Farm Journal)

Other private partners for the program, including Ducks Unlimited, PTx Trimble, AgriWebb, U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, Texas Agricultural Land Trust, ABS Global and Tuskegee University, among others, combine to provide both resources and technical assistance to put practical conservation on the ground throughout the U.S.

“The grant partnership is important to Merck Animal Health because it helps reduce barriers and encourages ranchers to adopt innovative tools, like Vence, to implement strategies to produce beef while reducing their environmental impact,” said Gary Tiller, Commercial Director, Vence Corp., part of Merck Animal Health. “Through our partnership, Merck Animal Health can contribute to sustainability efforts important to the industry.”

Recently, the Connected Ag Project team outfitted Ja Quidi Ranch with technology that is already providing tangible benefit.

Alexander’s cattle have been outfitted with Vence virtual collars, which are allowing her to collect data that she has been “chomping at the bit” to have. She says the data will allow her to make adaptive changes during the growing seasons and better care for the health and wellbeing of her herd.

That level of control could help her increase the size of her herd in the future. Grant partner AgriWebb will provide both the technology and support needed to help get Alexander to that point with their all-in-one livestock management software.

“Those focused on improving their livestock’s efficiency or reducing their fertilizer usage will work with Trust in Food’s technical assistance team, as well as AgriWebb’s customer success team, to ensure the right records are tracked and assessed to support producers on their climate-smart journey,” says Coby Buck, a fifth-generation rancher and director of strategic accounts at AgriWebb.

Alexander believes that the benefits will grow exponentially for her ranch.

“I have feed on both my permits that isn’t getting used right now,” she says. “I normally have four allotments, but when we wrote my summer plan, we tripled it to 12 allotments.”

“Now I can do a lot more intensive rotational grazing which will increase forage and help bring back grasses that have been dormant for years because they haven’t had hoof and cow activity,” Alexander continues.

Range management practices will be beneficial for wildlife and allow Alexander to increase riparian areas that will revive springs and ponds for healthier habitats.

“Some of this land just isn’t healthy anymore, and this will help it come back alive,” she added.

Gazing out over the rugged, rocky landscape Alexander thinks of as her own, you’ll see areas that are part of the Canyons of the Ancients National Monument and, just south, the Ute Mountain, a culturally significant landmark for the Ute Nation of Indians.

Alexander is aware of the weight she bears as steward of this land.

“Every time I can better my permits, I’m bettering everything,” she says.

(Farm Journal)

To learn more about Farm Journal’s Connected Ag Project and explore how it could benefit you, visit www.trustinfood.com/grow . Farm Journal also can connect you to expanded opportunities through our Climate-Smart Opportunity Navigator, available here .

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender. This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, under agreement number NR233A750004G096

Want to Avoid Leaving Climate-Smart Money On the Table? There's An App for That

Fri, 29 Dec 2023 23:02:47 GMT

In 2023, USDA’s Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities turned on the spigot to fund 141 projects, totaling $3 billion. Understanding the projects — each run by a different organization with its own unique offerings and structure — begs the question: Is it possible to have too much of a good thing?

“Producers are always interested in looking at opportunities, but we can’t review 141 grants,” says Jimmy Emmons, western Oklahoma rancher and Trust In Food vice president.

To cut out the time-consuming task of wading through the climate-smart projects, a new app pilot, the Climate-Smart Opportunity Navigator , seeks to remove the paperwork clutter and match farms and ranches with the right Climate-Smart Commodity grant project in minutes.

“Quicker and more efficient means to evaluate opportunities will increase participation, offer simple communication avenues, and, ultimately, get funding into the hands of growers so they can quickly turn those dollars into applied practices,” says Joelle Mosso, Western Growers Association associate vice president of science.

How Does the Climate-Smart Opportunity Navigator Work?

The app pilot, created by Farm Journal’s Trust In Food and AgWeb, is powered by USDA data on the 141 projects, most of which are focused on major commodities such as corn, soybeans and livestock. Harnessing this data in an app, producers can input their operation basics – such as location, commodities produced, and production practices and interests – and be matched with one or more of the Climate-Smart Commodities projects that fit their individual specs.

The app provides a basic description of each program match along with contact information so it’s easy to compare options and take the next step to participate.

For example, an Indiana corn grower interested in adopting no-till and cover crop practices would input their data to the Climate-Smart Commodities Opportunity Navigator. In four questions, the tool matches the farm’s profile and interests with 11 possible grant projects, such as:

Field to Market’s “Climate-Smart Agriculture Innovative Finance Initiative”
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s “Farmers for Soil Health Climate-Smart Commodities Partnership”

In contrast, a Colorado beef and bison producer looking to adopt prescribed grazing and soil health improvement practices on pasture would input their information to the Navigator tool and it matches the farm’s profile and interests with 9 grant projects that includes:

American Sustainable Business Institute Inc.’s “The Growing GRASS Project”
Sustainable Northwest’s “Building a Regenerative Ranching Economy in the West”

A Pennsylvania dairy producer interested in adopting nutrient management and cover crop practices matches with 9 grants, such as:

Truterra LLC’s “Climate SMART (Scaling Mechanisms for Ag’s Regenerative Transformation)”
Dairy Farmers of America, Inc.’s “Scaling Methane Emissions Reductions and Soil Carbon Sequestration – A Value-Added Commodities Approach for U.S. Dairy”

And an Indiana pork producer who practices feed management and integrates cover crops matches with 2 grant projects:

Fischer Farms Natural Foods LLC’s “Fischer Farm Ultimate Beef and Pork Strategy”
Farm Journal’s “The Connected Ag Project”

Big Picture: The Perfect Climate-Smart Project Isn’t One-Size-Fits-All

“It’s great there are lots of opportunity for producers with USDA’s Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities, but with so much opportunity it can be very overwhelming,” says Andrew Lyon, Trust In Food’s director of technical assistance and Kansas rancher. “By putting in specific information about your operation, the Navigator tool allows you to whittle down grant opportunities to the handful that are most applicable to you and provides you contact information so that you could follow up with those few opportunities that best suit you.”

While Farm Journal is excited about its own $40 million Climate-Smart Commodity grant, The Connected Ag Project , it wants producers to get in touch with the opportunity that best suits them, Lyon adds.

Test Drive the Climate-Smart Opportunity Navigator Tool

Farm Journal’s AgWeb and Trust In Food look forward to hearing from producers about their experience using the beta version. Take the Climate-Smart Opportunity Navigator for a test run, and let us know what worked and what didn’t.

USDA’s Climate-Smart Commodities, Explained

In 2021, USDA announced a historic investment in farmers, ranchers and private forest landowners through a program dubbed the Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities . The goal? To scale climate-smart agricultural production practices across the U.S. and to promote and market climate-smart commodities in thriving markets.

To do this, over the next 5 years USDA is financing 141 pilot projects to support the production, tracking and marketing of these climate-smart commodities.

While the specific Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities grant projects vary widely, each boil down to putting financial incentives or technical support directly into the hands of U.S. farmers, ranchers and landowners to produce and market climate-smart agricultural commodities.

While the term, “climate-smart commodity” is relatively new, the farming and ranching practices it describes have, largely, been around for much longer. Incorporating cover crops, grazing and rangeland management, prairie restoration and nutrient management are just some of the practices that fall under the climate-smart umbrella.

For many producers, participating in a CSC grant translates to getting credit and even cash payment for practices already in place on farm. What’s more, for producers seeking funding sources or simply a push to try something, new these grants are an opportunity to make a change with support along the way.