| | | | | | | | | Climate-Smart Toolbox Expands For Farmers | | | In the book “On Writing,” author Stephen King draws on his memory of a favorite uncle’s toolbox to illustrate why writers figuratively need access to as many grammatical tools as possible. Storytelling, after all, requires creative options. In one section, he quotes his uncle as saying: “It’s best to have your tools with you. If you don’t, you’re apt to find something you didn’t expect and get discouraged.” Farmers often face a similar predicament. They are as creative as they come, yet when it comes to adoption and maintenance of climate-smart practices, there can be plenty of room for discouragement. Not all farmers have access to all the tools, and not all tools are made equally. In this week’s edition of the newsletter, we highlight the tremendous creativity in our industry that is adding new tools to farmers’ lineup. You’ll learn how the National Pork Board and National Pork Producers Council are providing on-farm sustainability assessments for pork producers, allowing them to capture a baseline against which they can measure continuous improvement against the industry’s sustainability targets. Then, discover how The Nature Conservancy is working with producers to advance adoption of edge-of-field practices, which too often are overlooked as we prioritize cover crops, no-till and other in-field activities. No matter what your toolbox holds as a sustainability professional or a producer, don’t assume the tools you have now are the tools you’ll need tomorrow. Here at Trust In Food, we’re working to advance one such set of tools that, while often overlooked or underutilized, offers tremendous promise: The human dimension, which allows us to use rich behavioral and psychographic data and insights to better understand producers’ needs and barriers to design outreach and support that meets farmers where they are. What new or reimagined tools in the climate-smart toolbox are capturing your interest and attention these days? Drop me a line at nbirt@farmjournal.com. I look forward to hearing from you. Until next week,
Nate Birt
Vice President, Trust In Food™
| | | | | | |
|
| | | | | | | | | | Edge-Of-Field Practices An Important Part Of Regenerative System | | | | Shared by David Frabotta, manager of climate-smart ag interactive programming, Trust In Food: In-field practices such as cover crops and conservation tillage are critical focus areas for farmers for resiliency, soil health and potential monetization. Now, a new post by The Nature Conservancy details the additional benefits and opportunities of embracing a system-based approach that includes edge-of-field practices. “We need to harness the larger landscape by creating conservation opportunities at the field edge,” says Kris Johnson, Ph.D., director of agriculture with The Nature Conservancy in North America. “Through the implementation of conservation and stewardship practices at the edges of farm fields, we can realize water quality and climate goals—a crucial but under-utilized conservation opportunity.” | | | | | | |
|
| | | | | | | Shared By Ryan Heiniger, director of America's Conservation Ag Movement, Trust In Food: While carbon offset credits remain – by their very nature – bespoke instruments, benchmark prices and futures are emerging, bringing a measure of standardization to the market. During COP26, countries agreed on a common approach to the Paris Agreement’s Article 6 on international carbon markets. This should provide the market with fresh impetus and a higher level of clarity as organizations worldwide move toward a low-carbon future. | | |
| | | | | | |
|
| | | Shared by David Frabotta, manager of climate-smart ag interactive programming, Trust In Food: The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) is organizing a Celebration of Modern Agriculture on the National Mall March 21-22 for National Ag Day. The exhibits and machines will stretch a half-mile outside USDA headquarters between the Smithsonian Museums and will feature America’s farmers, ranchers and agriculture innovators on the cutting-edge of science and technology. You can join the celebration of modern agriculture or get more information by contacting AEM Senior Director of Regulatory Affairs Nick Tindall. | | |
| | | | | | |
|
| | | Shared by David Frabotta, manager of climate-smart ag interactive programming, Trust In Food: New research shows that U.S. consumers are less familiar with the concept of regenerative agriculture than other food production methods, and most are not willing to pay premium for brands making these claims. Taste, price and convenience continue to be primary decision drivers. Sustainability professionals can use these insights to inform how they talk about their organizations' ESG leadership with different audiences, whether consumer, producer or somewhere in between. | | |
| | | | | | |
|
| | | | |
|
