June 2024 ESMC Newsletter
ED Update: Aligning and Integrating Corporate Nature, Water and Carbon Impacts Webinar
On May 17, I was joined by Jay Watson, Regenerative Agriculture Director from General Mills (and ESMC Board member) and Mark Eastham, Sustainable Products Lead, Ahold Delhaize USA, on a webinar hosted by Reuters Events to discuss the future of MMRV and Scope 3 interventions in agriculture, highlighting the need to consider multiple ecological impacts of agricultural production beyond carbon – such as biodiversity and water. We discussed some learnings from the past five years in driving CPG/Retail programs and proposed solutions, including reducing the complexity of data gathering and processing while increasing accuracy, and escalating collection action. We will continue the conversation and dive deeper at the upcoming Transform Food & Agriculture USA event, held October 8 – 9 in Minneapolis.
Thank you to Reuters Events for hosting the webinar and launching this thought series with ESMC, and to Jay and Mark for a great discussion. There is much more to unpack in terms of learnings and knowledge gained to help us scale impacts now and in the future. We continue to be grateful to work with innovative and curious partners seeking to go deep with us – not just beyond looking at the topsoil – but into all aspects of achieving more regenerative and resilient agricultural systems.
Jay Watson noted during the discussion that success is more challenging when farmers and local communities are not centered within program design – be it incentives, practice changes, and technical information and training. General Mills has learned that building a program around stakeholder input is key, including designing and developing programs that meet local needs, which may vary by location. He highlighted that there is an appropriate tension between local stakeholder needs and how large multi-national businesses can design programs that work across many landscapes. With a focus on local leadership, collective action, and a holistic suite of incentives and program opportunities, these programs can be more impactful.
When discussing programmatic infrastructure to scale outcomes, Mark highlighted the importance of shared infrastructure across the supply chain to reduce the data gathering burden on producers. Integrated accounting approaches across regional initiatives are key to creating frameworks for company accounting and reporting. The panel discussed how technology can better spread costs through shared and collective investments in systems like MMRV platforms. However, there remain many ways to quantify impacts, so coordination and harmonization of measurement, verification and reporting is important to make investments in ecosystem services programs more impactful for producers and CPGs.
ESMC is aligning our strategy to meet these challenges head on: we are focused on spatial alignment and integrated accounting for supply chain quantification and monitoring of carbon/greenhouse gases, water quality, water quantity (use), and biodiversity. We are also adding edge-of-field and proximate and adjacent lands to our Scope 3 outcomes, consistent with pending Greenhouse Gas Protocol guidance on land sector and removals. We will have more announcements on how we are streamlining our programming, data collection, and our MMRV platform. We are also launching innovative pilot projects in specialty crops, livestock grazing systems, and dairy systems to achieve market readiness there too through valued partnerships.
Thanks to our members, partners and supporters for helping us create this great collaborative forum. I hope to see you at our in-person ESMC Member meeting on October 17, and at the Reuters Meeting October 8 – 9 to continue these important discussions.
ESMC Welcomes Sam DeLonge
We are pleased to announce that Sam DeLonge will be working with us this summer as a fellow from Colorado State University where she is currently obtaining an Impact MBA. Sam will be supporting ESMC’s marketing and communications work to help target our messaging and outreach. Prior to joining the CSU program, Sam was an advertising account director at Goodby, Silverstein and Partners. During her time at GS&P, Sam managed teams working on Blackstone Private Equity, SONIC Drive-In, Frito Lay and TD Ameritrade accounts. Sam is passionate about regenerative agriculture and utilizing her background in consumer communications to grow the carbon drawdown movement. In her free time, she enjoys biking and hiking with her husband and 1 year old son in Colorado!
Look for ESMC At…
Midwest Farm Energy Conference
June 26 – 27; Morris, MN
The 2024 Midwest Farm Energy Conference theme this year is “Pathways to Decarbonizing Agriculture”. The event will cover topics such as electrifying the farm, utility transmission, ammonia as a farm fuel, E-Fuels, reducing methane emissions and agrivoltaics. ESMC’s Project Manager, Laura Shutack, will present on Eco-Harvest projects in the Midwest. Learn more and register.
Soil and Water Conservation Society (SWCS) Annual Meeting
July 21 – 24; Myrtle Beach, SC
This year’s conference theme, “Rising Together: Collaborative Conservation for All,” challenges all conservationists to rise to the great challenges and opportunities ahead of us, together. At this year’s event, the event will share successes and embrace lessons learned to move toward natural resource goals with greater speed, efficiency, effectiveness, and inclusivity. SWCS will navigate the capacity, innovation, and partnerships needed to regenerate our land, water, and other natural resources. ESMC’s Project Manager, Laura Shutack, will present on Lessons Learned from Four Years of Eco-Harvest Projects. Learn more and register.
ESMC In the News
Biden’s Carbon Market ‘Principles’ Welcomed, With Caveats
Agri-Pulse (June 5)
The Biden administration’s release of principles to ensure integrity in voluntary carbon markets are being welcomed by observers of – and participants in – the growing marketplace, who say it’s sign that the government is following the private sector’s lead. ESMC’s Executive Director, Debbie Reed, is quoted throughout and ESMC is highlighted. Read the full article.
ESMC Member and Funder News
Multistate Study Measures Effectiveness of Conservation Practices
Brownfield (May 31)
A six-year multi-state study is measuring the differences between soil management practices. Dennis Busch with the University of Wisconsin-Platteville tells Brownfield they are evaluating how a suite of conservation practices in a soil health management system influence soil health, water quality, greenhouse gas emissions, and farm productivity. “We measure the total volume of runoff and we collect samples that are analyzed, and we look at what the concentration of soil is in the runoff and nutrients, primarily concerned with nitrogen loss and phosphorus loss.” ESMC funder FFAR is funding this work, as is ESMC Founding Circle member Nestle. ESMC Legacy Partner member Soil Health Institute is co-leading this research. Read the full article.
Nationwide Partnership Advances Regenerative Agriculture in Cotton
Morning Star (May 29)
Opportunities to advance sustainable cotton farming in the United States are growing thanks to a nationwide partnership led by the Soil Health Institute’s United States Regenerative Cotton Fund (USRCF). The fund’s holistic approach to advance economic insights, soil health measurement, and education has made significant progress in the U.S. Cotton Belt since its establishment, engaging more than 1,000 cotton farmers and their advisors. Its efforts support adoption of management systems to improve soil health, the foundation for regenerative agriculture. Soil Health Institute is an ESMC Legacy Partner member. Read the full announcement.
USDA Publishes Request for Information to Support Next Steps in Implementing the Growing Climate Solutions Act
USDA (May 28)
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), an ESMC funder, is seeking information from the public on protocols that may be considered for inclusion in a new Greenhouse Gas Technical Assistance Provider and Third-Party Verifier Program, the main program of the Growing Climate Solutions Act. The input is being collected through a Request for Information and will be considered in the preparation of a proposed rule to establish the program. Read the full announcement.
Assessing Opportunities and Barriers for Minority Producers Transitioning to Climate-smart and Regenerative Agriculture Programs
The Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR), Freedmen Heirs Foundation (FHF) and Resources For the Future (RFF) are collaborating to conduct a webinar series and convening event on the current status of minority farmers during the ongoing shift towards climate-conscious agriculture. This webinar series and convening will be guided by community insights and will be used to shape a research framework as well as the creation of resources that enhance the impact of climate-smart agriculture investments on minority farmers. The webinar series will consist of four virtual convenings that will be held from June – December 2024. The workshops will inform an in-person event in early 2025, where FFAR, FHF and RFF will seek to develop pathways for equity in economic assessments, access to information and resources, and access to new markets and funding. FFAR is an ESMC funder and FHF is an ESMC member. Learn more and register.
Noble Research Institute to Study Regenerative Agriculture Practices in Pecan Silvopasture
Beef Magazine (May 17)
The Noble Research Institute, an ESMC funder, has been given a 2024 Regenerative Agriculture Research Grant from the Greenacres Foundation to advance its ongoing pecan-focused research. Funds will support Noble’s research on the impacts of regenerative agriculture practices in pecan silvopasture and improving soil health for profitable and resilient systems. Read the full article.
Other News of Note
H&M Comes Out Against Carbon Offset Plan from Climate Targets Group
WSJ Business (May 31)
Swedish fashion giant H&M has come out against a proposal by the world’s most influential body on corporate climate targets that would allow companies to use carbon offsets to help meet their environmental goals. In a letter to the Science Based Targets initiative’s board of trustees, Leyla Ertur, H&M’s head of sustainability, said the company was concerned about the possibility of companies using carbon offsets to lower their overall carbon emissions by purchasing credits for carbon removal projects, saying that action should be taken by companies within their value chains to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Read the full article.
Can Billions in New Subsidies Keep Family Farms in Business?
New York Times (May 30)
The Biden administration aims to better support small farmers while still aiding big operations and rewarding climate-friendly practices. It’s a tall order. Read the full article.
Importance of On-Farm Research for Validating Process-Based Models of Climate-Smart Agriculture
Carbon Balance and Management (May 29)
Climate-smart agriculture can be used to build soil carbon stocks, decrease agricultural greenhouse gas emissions, and increase agronomic resilience to climate pressures. To measure impacts, process-based models are used. These models are parameterized on data from a limited number of long-term agricultural experiments, which may not fully reflect outcomes on working farms. In a recent journal article, the authors describe a project that worked collaboratively with commercial producers in the Midwest to directly measure and model the soil organic carbon stocks of their farms at the field scale. Read the full article.
Researchers Find a Tiny Organism Has the Power to Reduce a Persistent Greenhouse Gas in Farm Fields
Associated Press (May 29)
In the world of greenhouse gas emissions, carbon dioxide gets most of the blame. But tiny organisms that flourish in the world’s farm fields emit a far more potent gas, nitrous oxide, and scientists have long sought a way to address it. Now some researchers think they’ve found a bacteria that can help. Writing in Nature, they say extensive lab and field trials showed the naturally derived bacteria reduced the nitrous oxide without disrupting other microbes in the soil. It also survived well in soil and would be relatively cheap to produce. Read the full article.
We Need Regenerative Agriculture, But How Can Farmers Fund the Transition?
Modern Farmer (May 28)
“Of 400 farms in our county, only five are organic,” says Matt Fitzgerald of Fitzgerald Organics in Hutchinson, Minnesota. His 2,500-acre family farm is patchwork across 40 miles of land the family owns and leases, and grows organic corn, soy, wheat and specialty crops such as beans and peas. Fitzgerald says that while the farm mainly works with a community bank, the lenders don’t understand its operations to accurately assess risk of organic and regenerative farming operations. Plus, Fitzgerald explains that the typical bank is looking to lend only a 12- to 18-month credit. This can put regenerative farmers in a bind as it takes multiple years to transition land or reach profitability with new processes. Read the full article.
Carbon Offsets, a Much-Criticized Climate Tool, Get Federal Guidelines
New York Times (May 28)
The new principles aim to define ‘high-integrity’ offsets amid concerns that current practices often don’t cut greenhouse gas emissions as claimed. Read the full article.
Organic vs Regenerative: A Classic Case of ‘Frenemies’ Pushing Each Other to Do Better?
Food Navigator (May 22)
USDA Certified Organic has taken a defensive position in recent years against the proliferation of eco-claims, many of which are not as comprehensive, clearly defined or held as rigorously accountable, but which nonetheless influence consumers’ purchase decisions. Read the full article.
US Commits to Crop Diversity and Regenerative Agriculture—A Win for Smallholder Farmers and The Climate
Oxfam (May 20)
While the Green Revolution is credited with improving yields and in turn, food security, the gains were unsustainable because the methods were so damaging to the soil and the environment. The alternative the US is now promoting, known as regenerative agriculture, prioritizes soil health and crop diversity. Major food, beverage, and agriculture companies are leaning into regenerative agriculture as a means of reducing their carbon footprints. Read the full article.
To Save Their Soil, Kansas Tribe Shifts to Regenerative Agriculture—and Transforms Their Farms
Phys.Org (May 17)
When one of the elders in the Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska asked if he could keep bees on the reservation, Tim Rhodd’s answer was straightforward: “Absolutely.” Soon, the bees started buzzing in the alfalfa fields. Then they started pollinating. Then they all died. “Once we started looking into it, we found there was a chemical (class) called neonicotinoid that caused the death of these bees,” said Rhodd, the tribe’s chairperson. “That was the very, very first part of what I had seen that we were doing things wrong.” Facing the reality that their soil was contaminated—and the realization that the same harmful insecticides that killed the bees would be bad for them, too—the Ioway started questioning their farming practices. Read the full article.
State Poet Laureates Write Rural into Their Rhyme Schemes
Daily Yonder (May 15)
Poet Laureates appointed in largely rural states are thinking critically about the poetic representation, and inclusion, of rural communities. Read the full article.
‘Oreo Cows’ Facilitate Regenerative Grazing
Southeast Iowa Union (May 14)
Michael Vittetoe raises Belted Galloways at his farm — Long Creek Pastures — just east of Washington. The cattle are known for their iconic appearance: black shoulders and backsides, but with white encircling their midsection, resembling the color palette of a certain mass-produced cookie. Operating on 70 acres of pasture — some of it rented, the rest owned by Long Creek — Vittetoe typically moves the animals to different feeding areas about once a day in the summer. It’s part of a practice called regenerative grazing, in which the grass-eating livestock are used to balance the local ecosystem. Rather than mow a field down to its roots, the cattle eat some biomass, stomp down other parts, and move on relatively quickly to greener pastures. In their wake, the grass grows back faster, fueled by the animals’ naturally produced fertilizer. Read the full article.
