Growing Returns

Operation Warbler: Fort Hood and local ranchers team up to save bird

By David Wolfe / Bio / Published: June 9, 2015

Dr. Gene Murph stands in front of prime golden-cheeked warbler habitat on his Texas ranch

I’m going to take you back to 2005, to a ranch in the Texas Hill Country, where Dr. Gene Murph operates an 80-head cattle operation on 1,300 acres of rangeland.

The ranch is vast, with rolling hills and wooded ravines. The only sounds on the ranch are those of cattle mooing in the pastures and birds trilling in the trees. If you listen closely enough, you can hear the signature call of the golden-cheeked warbler. If you look closely enough, you can spot the bird’s sunshine-yellow face.

The golden-cheeked warbler was listed as an endangered species in 1990, making Dr. Murph’s ranch a vital stronghold for subpopulations, which nest at select sites scattered throughout 33 counties in central Texas.

Another nearby stronghold for the bird is the Fort Hood Army Base, only a few miles down the road from Dr. Murph’s ranch and home to the largest known population of golden-cheeked warblers. Read More »

Also posted in Habitat Exchange / Tagged bird habitat, ecosystems, endangered species, Fort Hood, fort hood recovery credit system, golden cheeked warbler, habitat, habitat exchange, Partnerships, ranch, texas department of agriculture, texas hill country | Comments are closed

Feds call for cooperative conservation on sage grouse, states deliver

By Eric Holst / Bio / Twitter profile / Published: May 27, 2015

"An unprecedented, collaborative effort" was a blog published last week by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dan Ashe, BLM Director Neil Kornze, USFS Chief Tom Tidwell and NRCS Chief Jason Weller

“An unprecedented, collaborative effort” was a blog published last week in The Hill by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dan Ashe, BLM Director Neil Kornze, USFS Chief Tom Tidwell and NRCS Chief Jason Weller.

Last week, leaders of the four federal agencies dealing most closely with issues surrounding the greater sage-grouse delivered a strong public message: As long as stakeholders continue to work together, we can save this bird and preclude the need for listing.

The message was powerful – not just because it was endorsed by four of our nation’s top thinkers on conservation, but because it was optimistic.

“We have seen what’s possible when we all pull our oars in the same direction,” they wrote.

This is a fundamental turning of the tides in the conversation around sage grouse. Previously, the dialogue has been pointed, with industry interests, agriculture interests and wildlife interests caught in crosshairs. But the discourse has changed, and it’s because the situation on the ground has changed. Read More »

Also posted in Habitat Exchange / Tagged An unprecedented, BLM, collaborative effort, colorado, conservation, Dan Ashe, ecosystems, habitat exchange, hickenlooper, Jason Weller, mitigation, Montana, Neil Kornze, Nevada, NRCS, Partnerships, public lands, sage grouse, the hill, Tom Tidwell, USDA, USFS, USFWS, Wyoming | Comments are closed

How agriculture’s resilience to climate change benefits us all

By Sara Kroopf / Bio / Twitter profile / Published: May 21, 2015

81 percent of Americans live in cities, but rely on rural areas for everyday needs.

Traditionally, governments haven’t factored farms and ranches into their climate mitigation and adaptation planning. Instead, the focus has mostly been on protecting urban communities. But that is all changing. At the National Adaptation Forum earlier this month in St. Louis, agriculture was top-of-mind in discussions about reducing emissions and building resilience to climate change.

That’s because in order to protect people, 81 percent of whom live in urban areas, we’ll need to protect what’s around where they live, too. It’s largely rural areas, like the farming town of 1,100 people where I grew up, whose working lands and farms provide valuable services to urban areas. These services include food security, flood and drought protection, recreation and water storage. Agriculture can also play (and is already playing) a big role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

The more resilient we can make agriculture, the better off we’ll all be. Read More »

Also posted in Carbon Market, Climate Resilience / Tagged adaptation, agriculture, Air Resources Board, American Carbon Registry, climate change, compost protocol, farmers, fertilizer, GHG mitigation, green infrastructure, mitigation, ranchers, sustainable agriculture, USDA, western water, wetlands | Read 3 Responses

Dietary guidelines are one ingredient in the recipe for sustainable food production

By David Festa / Bio / Twitter profile / Published: April 7, 2015

Some people don’t like the idea of the federal government telling them what they should and shouldn’t eat. Others feel the science of nutrition is still evolving—are eggs good or bad for us this week?—and don’t know whether to trust the recommendations.

But there’s no denying that USDA dietary guidelines have a profound influence on the public discussion over our food choices.

So it is a good thing that the commission that suggests updates to these guidelines every five years has come forward with a proposal that for the first time recognizes an inarguable fact: dietary choices have an impact not only on our health, but also on the health of our environment. Read More »

Also posted in Carbon Market / Tagged agriculture, Carbon Offsets, diet, fertilizer, fisheries, food, food production, GHG mitigation, nutrient efficiency, Partnerships, productivity, ranching, seafood, sustainability, sustainable agriculture, USDA, western water, wildlife | Comments are closed

Let’s focus on a farm’s performance, not its size

By Suzy Friedman / Bio / Twitter profile / Published: March 17, 2015

Credit: Flickr user Dwight Sipler

What comes to mind when you think of a “family farm?” You’re probably picturing a bucolic spread of less than 100 acres, with a red barn, farmer in overalls, and cows grazing a big pasture. What about the phrase “corporate farm” or “big ag?” Do you see a giant, impersonal and industrial-looking operation?

Unfortunately, these common (mis)perceptions are regularly promoted in everything from TV ads to online chats. But the reality is that “big” does not equate to “bad,” and “small” doesn’t necessarily mean “good” when it comes to sustainable farming. In fact, it’s the wrong debate altogether.

What really matters is performance, not size.

Today is National Agriculture Day, celebrated annually on March 18, and this year’s theme is sustaining future generations. If we’re going to meet the needs of a rapidly growing population, we’re going to need large and small farms alike. And no matter their size, they’ll need to minimize their impacts on the natural systems that sustain us all. Read More »

Also posted in Climate Resilience / Tagged agriculture, climate change, conservation, cover crops, ecosystems, farmers, farms, fertilizer, food production, nutrient efficiency, soil health, sustainability, sustainable agriculture, western water | Read 3 Responses

California governor reappoints EDF working lands director to state food and agriculture board

By Chandler Clay / Published: February 27, 2015

Eric Holst, director of EDF’s working lands program

Eric Holst, senior director of Environmental Defense Fund’s working lands program, has been reappointed to the California State Board of Food and Agriculture by Governor Jerry Brown.

Holst has served on the board – a fifteen-member state board appointed by the governor to represent a range of agricultural commodities, geographic regions and academic systems – since 2012. The board encourages public participation and input in all matters concerning agriculture and food policy within the state, from hunger and malnutrition to climate change and environmental markets. But the dominant focus over the last year has been drought and how to mitigate impacts on California agriculture.

A natural choice

Holst has been a leader in developing innovative partnerships with farmers, ranchers and foresters to improve environmental and economic performance on working lands for more than a decade, both in California and elsewhere across the country. Read More »

Also posted in Climate Resilience, Habitat Exchange / Tagged california, california state board, craig mcnamara, drought, ecosystems, environmental defense fund, eric holst, food and agriculture, habitat exchange, jerry brown, Partnerships, sierra orchards | Comments are closed

Collaborative conservation: A ripe example from America’s farms

By Ann Hayden / Bio / Published: February 19, 2015

Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) has been working with farmers and ranchers for more than a decade to transform business as usual by providing incentives for conservation. As EDF’s 2014 strategic plan notes, “we’ve seen some encouraging things.”

EDF staff join farmers and other conservation collaborators in the field to track outcomes for habitats and species.

With proven success in the field, we are now looking to take these programs to scale to boost food production while maintaining profitable farms, a safe environment and healthy people. Read More »

Also posted in Carbon Market, Habitat Exchange / Tagged birds, california trout, central valley, central valley habitat exchange, Chinook salmon, conservation, ecosystems, farming, floodplain, garter snake, habitat exchange, habitat. california, john brennan, knaggs ranch, sustainable agriculture, waterfowl | Comments are closed

USDA: Helping ranchers is crucial to helping sage-grouse

By Eric Holst / Bio / Twitter profile / Published: February 13, 2015

Central Oregon rancher restores sage-grouse habitat with NRCS assistance. Source: nrcs.usda.gov

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) just announced new funding to support sage-grouse habitat conservation on working lands.

This is very promising, considering the last round of sage-grouse funding engaged more than 1,000 ranchers to conserve 4.4 million acres of bird habitat – an area twice the size of Yellowstone National Park.

That last round of funding – made available in 2010 through the Natural Resource Conservation Service’s (NRCS) Sage Grouse Initiative – invested $296.5 million to restore and conserve sage-grouse habitat. Today, NRCS pledged to extend these efforts by $200 million over another for years.

Doubling down on a good investment
Read More »

Also posted in Habitat Exchange / Tagged bird habitat, central wyoming, conservation, ecosystems, farmers, habitat exchange, NRCS, ranchers, robert bonnie, sage grouse, upper green river, Upper Green River Conservation Exchange, USDA | Comments are closed

Nuts about chocolate and wine? Your favorite Valentine’s Day treats are at risk

By Rebecca Shaw / Bio / Published: February 13, 2015

If you are among the old school Valentines who appreciate a good box of chocolates and a fine cabernet, you’ll be heartbroken to learn that these romantic treats may be much harder to come by in the future because of climate change.

Droughts and rising temperatures pose great risks to agricultural productivity across the globe, from California’s Napa Valley to West Africa’s cocoa fields.
Read More »

Also posted in Climate Resilience / Tagged almonds, chocolate, climate change, cocoa, cocoa farmers, drought, ecosystems, farmers, fruit, Napa Valley, nuts, pistachios, sustainable agriculture, Valentine's Day, vintners, warmer temperatures, weather, wine | Read 1 Response

USDA-funded projects help farmers protect water and wildlife

By Eric Holst / Bio / Twitter profile / Published: January 29, 2015

Earlier this month, the USDA authorized nearly $400 million in federal funds through the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) to improve soil quality, water quality and quantity, and wildlife habitat.

The program funded 115 initiatives covering a wide range of conservation benefits, from improving wildlife conservation efforts in California’s ricelands to reducing fertilizer runoff in the Mississippi River Basin.

These projects demonstrate that by prioritizing spending of conservation dollars on projects where large numbers of farmers are committed to cooperative conservation, we can avoid the need for costly regulatory programs. Read More »

Also posted in Habitat Exchange / Tagged california, California Rice Commission, central valley, central valley habitat exchange, conservation, ecosystems, farm bill, fertilizer, funding, grant, Lake Erie, phosphorus, regional conservation partnership program, sustainable agriculture, Toledo, Tom Vilsak, USDA, water quality, western water | Comments are closed