July & August 2024 ESMC Newsletter

Welcoming New ESMC Board Members

ESMC is pleased to welcome new members who joined our Board of Directors this summer. Our board representation reflects the spectrum of our members and collaborators throughout the agricultural supply chain, and we look forward to their insights and advice as we continue to grow our programs and offerings. Welcome to Ashley McDonald of National Grazing Lands Coalition; Elizabeth Walls of Fulton Market Group; Delane Atcitty of Indian Nations Conservation Alliance; Shelly Mayer of the Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin, and Aline DeLucia of AgSpire. Visit our website to read about our full board.

Ashley McDonald, Executive Director of the National Grazing Lands Coalition (NatGLC)

Ashley grew up on a farm in Missouri and studied Agricultural Economics while attending her home state’s Land Grant institution, University of Missouri-Columbia. Her educational interests then took her to Washington DC to study law at George Mason University. Ashley has notably worked for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and Missouri Farm Bureau Federation, two of NatGLC’s member organizations. She joined NatGLC after serving as Assistant Vice President, Sustainability Development & Outreach for the National Pork Board.

“The stewardship of our nation’s grazing lands by its agricultural producers has been a story recognized as important, but always poorly told. Serving as a board member of ESMC, I hope to help, in some small part, to ensure the credit of that stewardship goes where it is rightly deserved and share with the world that agriculture IS the solution for so many of the challenges we face.”

Elizabeth Walls, US Sustainability Manager at Fulton Market Group

Elizabeth Walls is the US Sustainability Manager at Fulton Market Group (FMG), the consolidated purchasing group for McDonald’s beef, focusing on beef climate solutions to help McDonald’s achieve their public climate commitments. She has spent the last 4.5 years at FMG with experience in supply chain, procurement, and sustainability. Working collaboratively with the McDonald’s sustainability team and incorporating the beef industry knowledge at FMG, Elizabeth is helping connect FMG and McDonald’s to projects in the beef supply chain that benefit the industry and help drive progress towards a more sustainable future. Elizabeth earned a Bachelor of Science in Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering with a minor in Sustainability from Michigan State University.

Delane Atcitty, Executive Director of Indian Nations Conservation Alliance

Delane has thirty plus years of firsthand experience in agriculture, farming, and conservation management as well as a Bachelor of Science degree in Agri-Business and a Master of Science Degree in Ranch Management/Agri-Business. Delane has worked in all segments of the cattle industry from cow-calf, stocker and finishing cattle at the feedlots. At the Indian Nations Conservation Alliance, his major projects include tribal conservation youth corps projects, a large-scale virtual fencing project, creating an INCA Trading App to reestablish ancient tribal trading of natural resources, Climate Smart grant projects utilizing tribal resources to add value to the normally commodity sold livestock, and starting the Indigenous Grazing Lands Coalition as a hub for the 55 million acres of tribal rangeland.

Shelly Mayer, Executive Director of Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin

Shelly grew up on a dairy farm in Southwestern WI and graduated from UW-Madison with a Bachelor of Science degree in agricultural journalism and dairy science. She and her family dairy near Slinger, WI and manage a herd of Holsteins and Brown Swiss. Their farm is in a very urbanized portion of southeastern WI, just 30 miles northwest of Milwaukee. They own and manage an agri-tourism business that includes a restored 1850s events barn that has been in their family for seven generations. With the Professional Dairy Producers of WI, she helps dairy farm families across the country work proactively on issues ranging from improving business profitability, community relations, environmental management, leadership development, food safety and animal health to labor issues, industry relations, mentoring the younger generation and family business transition.

“My life’s work has been dedicated to dairy farming and agricultural education. I am honored to join the ESMC Board and collaborate with esteemed professionals who are committed to environmental sustainability and the protection of our natural resources, as we collectively strive to enhance the quality of life worldwide.”

Aline DeLucia, Chief Executive Officer of AgSpire

Aline is the CEO and a co-founder of AgSpire, a company dedicated to advancing sustainability goals for clients in the food and agriculture sectors through strategic program development and implementation. Through previous roles with Syngenta, the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture, and BASF, Aline gained a comprehensive view of the agriculture industry, with experience in livestock nutrition and reproduction, stakeholder engagement, corporate issues management, and agricultural policy and advocacy. Additionally, she maintains strong ties to her family’s beef cattle ranch in Brazil. Aline holds three master’s degrees spanning the breadth of agricultural sciences and business from Indiana University, Purdue University, and the University of Florida. She received her bachelor’s degree in animal science from the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil.

“I am excited to join the ESMC Board of Directors to further progress toward sustainability goals – contributing to enhanced resilience on-the-ground and supporting farmers and ranchers. These pillars have been key to our approach at AgSpire, and I look forward to continuing that work through my role on the ESMC Board of Directors.”

Access Information and Resources on Ecosystem Services Markets through ESMC and NACD

ESMC is collaborating with the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) on a US Department of Agriculture Climate Smart Commodities project entitled: Strengthening Grassroots Leadership & Capacity to Scale Climate-Smart Systems and Facilitate Historically Underserved Producers’ Access to Markets. There are two main components of ESMC’s work on this project – training/materials development as well as restorative justice – read more below and get in touch if you’d like more information not found online.

Restorative Justice
ESMC is leading restorative justice framework programming to develop strategies for attracting and engaging underserved producers in agricultural carbon and ecosystem services market programs. If you’d like to learn more or participate, let us know.

Training and Materials Development
Additionally, we’re conducting training programs over 2 years (both in-person and virtual) targeted at conservation districts, producers, and anyone interested in better understanding ecosystem services markets. The trainings will be both in-person and through webinars. The webinars are free and open to the public; all are recorded and available on our website. We also have materials covering topics like agriculture and climate change, basics of agricultural carbon markets, and Scope 1 vs Scope 3.

Register for a Webinar on Lessons Learned from Conducting Ecosystem Services Projects
Thursday, September 5, 12:00-1:00pm EST
Join this webinar where ESMC’s Laura Shutack shares four years of insights from ESMC’s ag carbon and ecosystem services projects. She’ll discuss hurdles overcome and how to make ecosystem services projects work for producers. The webinar is free to attend; register now.

ESMC Earns Candid Silver Seal of Transparency

We’ve recently earned the Candid Silver Seal of Transparency on GuideStar. This designation demonstrates our transparency to potential funders and donors by sharing truthful information about our ESMC program, brand, and financials. Visit our GuideStar profile here.

ESMC Has an Opening for a Protocol and Standards Manager

If you or someone you know would like to join our team, we have an open position for a Protocols and Standards Manager who will lead protocol maintenance and refinement and conformance with relevant standards and guidance as well as ensure ESMC project and program conformance with protocols. We encourage you to apply or circulate to potentially interested parties. Find more information and application details on this position on our website.

Look for ESMC At…

Textile Exchange Regenerative Agriculture Community of Practice: August Community Call
Online Webinar, today, August 29 at 10am ET
ESMC’s COO, Alana Pacheco, will participate in the Textile Exchange monthly community call this week to highlight ESMC’s work with regenerative agriculture and opportunities for cotton growers to participate in ecosystem services markets. This event is open to all; register here.

Transform Food & Agriculture USA 2024
Minneapolis MN, October 8 – 9
Reuters Events: Transform Food & Agriculture 2024 delivers an impact agenda that transforms executives from thought leaders to change makers. Transform Food brings together leaders from every level of the value chain to define what works today, to scale for tomorrow. ESMC’s ED Debbie Reed will moderate a session entitled “Spatial Alignment of Corporate Target Setting for Climate, Water, and Nature/Biodiversity can Maximize Impact, Investments and Beneficial Outcomes”. Read more and register.

ESMC Member and Funder News

EarthOptics, Pattern Ag Merge to Digitize Soil Health for Climate and Agriculture
Morningstar (August 28)
EarthOptics and Pattern Ag (both ESMC Legacy Partner members) have merged, creating a category leader in soil digitization to power advanced crop management and climate sustainability. The newly combined soil intelligence company will operate under the name EarthOptics and be the authoritative source of soil insights and the leader in Predictive Agronomy. Its comprehensive data will enable farmers, ranchers, and their advisors to know their soil’s exact physical, chemical, and biological properties, helping them plan their most impactful input and management decisions to maximize profitability and sustainability goals. Read the full article.

Fast-Growing Soil Health Network Set to Expand into Canada, Bringing Advisor-Led, Locally Focused Training and Technical Assistance to the Prairie Provinces
Sustainable Food Lab (August 26)
The Trusted Advisor Partnership (TAP), a soil health up-skilling program designed by and for crop advisors, is taking root in Manitoba and Saskatchewan with support from leading food and beverage companies, NGO collaborators, and scientific partners. The Canadian Prairies TAP is supported by General Mills (an ESMC Founding Circle member), PepsiCo, Bimbo Canada, Nature United, and South East Research Farm, and will offer a masterclass in soil health agronomy, water management, and diversified cropping systems, covering established and emerging stewardship practices in topics like residue management, zone mapping, variable rate technology, and tillage reduction. Read the full article.

EPA Seeks Nominations for the Farm, Ranch, and Rural Communities Federal Advisory Committee
EPA (July 24)
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), an ESMC member, recently announced a solicitation for nominations to serve on its Farm, Ranch, and Rural Communities Federal Advisory Committee (FRRCC). Established in 2008, the FRRCC provides independent policy advice, information, and recommendations to the EPA Administrator on a range of environmental issues and policies that are of importance to agriculture and rural communities. Submissions are due September 5. Read more about this opportunity.

Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever Hire Karl Binns to Help Expand Upland Conservation Community
Pheasants Forever (July 24)
Pheasants Forever (PF) and Quail Forever (QF), both ESMC Legacy Partner members, are proud to announce Karl Binns as the organization’s community and inclusion program manager. In his new role, Binns will work in collaboration with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the organization’s employee team, volunteers, members, supporters and future conservationists to attract a broader audience into upland wildlife conservation. Read the full announcement.

USDA Announces Progress in Efforts to Improve Measurement, Monitoring, Reporting and Verification of Greenhouse Gas Emissions through President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda
USDA (July 12)
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced significant progress over the past year in its efforts to improve climate mitigation estimates for conservation programs and the national inventory. This supports USDA’s broader objective to improve the measurement, monitoring, reporting and verification of greenhouse gas emissions and carbon sequestration in climate-smart agriculture. The USDA is an ESMC funder. Read the full article.

Other News of Note

For Climate-Fighting Farms, Squeeze in Some Trees: Study
Conservation International (August 15)
Around the world, planting crops and grazing livestock often means cutting down trees — with disastrous impacts on the climate. But are forests and farms really at odds? A groundbreaking new study from Conservation International says no — instead it points to ways for forests and farms to co-exist and fight climate change without cutting into food production. Read the full article.

Can Dirt Clean the Climate?
New York Times (August 10)
An Australian start-up is hoping fungi can pull carbon dioxide from the air and stash it underground. It’s one of several ventures trying to deploy the superpowers of soil to slow global warming. Read the full article.

How the Shock of Catastrophic Floods Is Changing Farming in Vermont
New York Times (July 28)
Vermont farmers have long adapted to the twists and turns of climate: tapping maple trees earlier as winters have warmed, for example, and investing less in berry crops as hotter, wetter weather makes them more vulnerable to pests and fungus. But the shock of last summer’s catastrophic flooding underscored a level of risk that is hard to mitigate, given the state’s mountainous terrain and its proximity to the Atlantic. Read the full article.

Trees Reveal Climate Surprise — Bark Removes Methane from the Atmosphere
Science News (July 24)
Tree bark surfaces play an important role in removing methane gas from the atmosphere, according to a recent study in Nature. While trees have long been known to benefit climate by removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, this new research reveals a surprising additional climate benefit. Microbes hidden within tree bark can absorb methane – a powerful greenhouse gas – from the atmosphere. Read the full article.

Paper Highlights How Climate Change Challenges, Transforms Agriculture
University of California Agency of Natural Resources (July 17)
As the climate continues to change, the risks to farming are only going to increase. That’s the key takeaway from a recent paper published by a team that included UC Merced and UC Agriculture and Natural Resources researchers. The paper dives into what those challenges are, how farmers are working to address them and what should come next. Read the full article.

Innovative Manure Solutions for Sustainable Dairy Farming
Trellis (July 15)
Dairy farmers are unlocking the environmental potential of manure and redefining waste management in agriculture. Read the full article.

Op-Ed: Farmers of Color Need Climate Action Now. The Farm Bill Is our Best Hope.
Environmental Health News (July 15)
Farmers of color who are leading the charge for regenerative farming, as they have done for generations, need our support now more than ever. Read the full article.

Are Companies Using Carbon Markets to Sell More Pesticides?
Civil Eats (July 9)
Many programs meant to help farmers address climate change are now owned by companies that sell chemicals, which could boost practices that depend on pesticides rather than those that reduce their use. Read the full article.

‘Farm Like You Will Be a Farmer Forever’: How Regenerative Agriculture Helps Farmers Think Long-Term
Food Navigator (July 8)
Regenerative agriculture is increasingly used by industry. How does it help farmers think long-term about their work, and protect their business for future generations? Read the full article.