A new Farm Journal poll conducted on behalf of Invest in Our Land across 10 leading agricultural states shows that American farmers and ranchers overwhelmingly believe conservation funding has an important role to play in building their operations’ resilience to increasingly extreme weather and addressing the effects of climate change.

The poll — which surveyed 1,019 farmers, ranchers and producers across Pennsylvania, Arkansas, Georgia, Minnesota, Iowa, Colorado, South Dakota, Michigan, Montana, and Wisconsin — also revealed that, by a double-digit margin, farmers and ranchers want Congress to protect $20 billion in conservation funding originally authorized by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and ensure those funds remain dedicated to climate-smart practices in the upcoming Farm Bill.

“Time and again, we see U.S. farmers and ranchers stepping up to be good stewards of our nation’s land, air, and water. What this data tells us is that they consider the Farm Bill’s conservation programs to be an important tool in helping them meet these goals,” said Amy Skoczlas Cole, president of Trust In Food at Farm Journal. “While the private sector is increasingly involved in climate-smart agriculture, our experience is that the USDA conservation programs play a steadying and reliable role in helping farmers manage a changing market environment.”

For the first time in its 87-year history, Ducks Unlimited has delivered 1 million acres of conservation across North America in one year thanks to more than a million supporters and partners including private landowners, hunters, corporations, major donors, state and federal agencies.

This achievement happened in fiscal year 2024 and reflects a national surge in public and private interest to restore and protect wetland habitats.

One million acres of conservation - about the area of Rhode Island - includes long-term and permanent projects, such as conservation restorations and easements, and short-term or annual efforts, such as agricultural cover crop programs, as well as both new and revisited project sites.

Syngenta Ag Group is closing in on their goal of $2b in sustainable agriculture investments by 2025. Their latest ESG Report shares the $244 million invested in 2023 alone, bringing them to 78% of their overall goal. 

In addition to reporting these milestones, the company has announced new sustainability priorities, including a focus on regenerating soil and nature. 

"Farmers are on the front line of climate change, needing to produce enough food to feed 8 billion people every day as the effects of global warming result in more extreme weather patterns, pest pressures and increasing crop failures. With the global population on track to reach 9.7 billion by 2050, farmers need to grow more food while reducing their impact on the environment and safeguarding natural resources. The food that feeds the world can also help to improve it. Working alongside farmers, we believe agriculture can feed people, while becoming a climate solution and regenerating soil and nature."