The Carbon Hype: Three Reality Checks

Summertime is rushing by and will be gone in a hurry. Yet if you’re anything like us, you haven’t been resting easy—not for a moment. (Well, hopefully on the weekends and evenings, at least.)

Last week, Trust In Food™ and the partners of America’s Conservation Ag Movement (ACAM) had the privilege of participating in the hybrid Farm Journal Field Days event. So many farmers and industry leaders stopped by to say hello and also to express their interest and gratitude that these topics are being discussed. Our hats are off to the Farm Journal Editorial Team for convening a truly outstanding virtual meeting equipping producers with the business insights they need ahead of harvest and beyond.

Among the programming Trust In Food shared with farmers during Field Days were two webinars. First, we hosted a conversation about the economic and environmental benefits of prioritizing a healthy Mississippi River and Gulf of Mexico with support from Sanderson Farms, a founding partner of ACAM. Participating were Chief Terry Cosby of USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, Director of Development and Engineering Pic Billingsley of Sanderson Farms, CEO Adam Putnam of Ducks Unlimited and Southern Regional Office Director Jay Jensen of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. Their stories illustrate that conservation-minded change is possible, and indeed actively happening, for the benefit of farmers’ economic and environmental stewardship—and that when the circumstances are right, change can happen in a hurry, as illustrated by response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010.

Later in the week at Field Days, Trust In Food hosted a session on farmland access for future generations with support from American Farmland Trust, another founding partner of ACAM. Guest speakers included AFT Pacific Northwest Regional Director Addie Candib, Program Manager Rachel Rushmann of the Producer-Led Watershed Protection grant program at the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection; National Outreach Director J. Latrice Hill at USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA); and National Beginning Farmer and Rancher Coordinator Sarah Campbell, also of USDA’s FSA. It’s clear to me there are a bounty of existing and emerging programs, financial opportunities and technical expertise available to producers of all backgrounds—and that increasingly, such resources will promote greater access to land and equity that’s long overdue.
What are you learning about in the regenerative agriculture space this summer? I’d love to hear about issues that are top of mind for your organization. Send a note to me at nbirt@farmjournal.com. I look forward to hearing from you.