Growing Returns

Want to bring ag sustainability to scale? Collaboration, not confrontation.

By Suzy Friedman / Bio / Twitter profile / Published: May 11, 2016

One year ago, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced 10 “building blocks” for climate-smart agriculture and forestry, with the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by over 120 million metric tons by 2025.

The agency’s focus on partnering with farmers and ranchers – as well as with the private sector – was a huge step in the right direction toward widespread implementation of climate-smart agriculture techniques and programs.

Tomorrow, USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack will announce another big investment in conservation stewardship and climate-smart agriculture approaches to advance the building blocks agenda. I’ll be joining Secretary Vilsack to talk about EDF’s partnerships within the agricultural supply chain and our collaborative approach to ag sustainability.

Working across public-private sector lines, through a collaborative approach, and with the entire ag supply chain is the only way to bring sustainability to scale while protecting farmers’ livelihoods.

Here’s what key sectors of the ag supply chain are doing – and can do – to improve water quality, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and increase agricultural resilience. Read More »

Posted in Agriculture / Tagged agriculture, Campbell's Soup, Carbon Offsets, climate change, conservation, corn, cover crops, environmental defense fund, farmers, farming, Field to Market, food production, food security, General Mills, Kellogg's, nitrogen, nutrient efficiency, Smithfield Foods, soil health, SUSTAIN, Unilever, United Suppliers, USDA, Walmart | Comments are closed

The science behind agricultural carbon markets

By Robert Parkhurst / Bio / Twitter profile / Published: May 5, 2016

Dry seeding rice reduces early season methane emissions.

There’s been a lot of recent attention on the California Air Resources Board’s (ARB) rice protocol, the first ever carbon offset protocol for crop agriculture in a compliance market.

The protocol, approved in June 2015, allows rice farmers who reduce methane emissions to become eligible for carbon credits through California’s cap-and-trade program, though growers from any rice-growing state can participate. The momentum is building. In less than one year, rice growers on more than 22,000 acres have expressed interest in the protocol – representing nearly 1 percent of all rice grown in the U.S.

When the first credits become available for purchase this summer, policymakers and regulated companies can have confidence in the rice protocol’s ability to improve climate stability, and growers can earn extra revenue, thanks to the sound science that measures emissions reductions. Here’s a primer. Read More »

Posted in Agriculture, Water / Tagged agricultural offset protocol, agricultural research, arkansas, california, California Air Resources Board, carbon credit, carbon market, carbon offset, conservation, dry seeding, emissions, field studies, fossil fuel usage, greenhouse gas emissions, methane, rice, rice cultivation, soil methane, U.S. Department of Agriculture, USDA, water consumption | Comments are closed

These reforms can unclog California’s water market and help the environment

By Ann Hayden / Bio / Published: May 4, 2016

California has a long tradition of conflict over water. But after five years of drought and an El Niño that failed to live up to its “Godzilla” hype, the conflict has become a crisis. How will the state adjust to a changing climate, increasing demands and prolonged periods of water scarcity?

That’s the question my colleagues and I set out to answer in Better Access. Healthier Environment. Prosperous Communities: Recommendations for Reforming California’s Water Market.

We analyzed the state’s existing market and offered a set of policy reforms to improve the efficiency, accessibility and transparency of the market so that cities, rural communities and ecosystems can benefit without altering existing water rights.

We realize that it will take a portfolio of strategies to increase the state’s resiliency in the face of a growing population and increasingly severe weather. But markets have an especially important role in leveling what has become an uneven playing field. Read More »

Posted in Agriculture, Water / Tagged AB 2304, agriculture, california, central valley, climate change, disadvantaged communities, drought, El Niño, environment, environmental defense fund, environmental justice, farmers, regulations, resiliency, The California Water Market Exchange Act, water management, water markets, water transfers, water use, wildlife | Comments are closed

Monarchs still need milkweed, and farmers are growing it

By David Wolfe / Bio / Published: May 3, 2016

Rain builds over a field near Lubbock, Texas. Photo credit: Flickr user Craig O’Neal

I am watching the rain pour down outside my window as I write this blog. El Niño is once again giving central and north Texas a good drenching, which has brought with it some severe and deadly flood conditions. But the rains are a welcome sight to Texas farmers and ranchers who have become all too used to drought and wildfire conditions. And they aren’t the only ones benefitting from the heavy rains.

All this wet weather has resulted in a spectacular display of spring wildflowers, including vast expanses of milkweed and nectar plants that the iconic North American monarch butterflies need to survive and thrive.

Recent headlines suggest that milkweed loss is just one of several threats to monarch populations, with drought, habitat fragmentation and reduced availability of nectar plants also influencing the species’ decline. In reality, all of these threats are interconnected in a recipe that could spell disaster for the monarch. Read More »

Posted in Agriculture / Tagged conservation credits, Corn Belt, El Niño, environmental defense fund, Environmental Incentives, farmers, golden cheeked warbler, habitat conservation, habitat exchange, habitat fragmentation, milkweed, monarch butterflies, Monarch Lab, ranchers, revenue, Shield Ranch, Texas, University of Minnesota | Read 2 Responses

A newly re-energized sustainable ag movement

By Suzy Friedman / Bio / Twitter profile / Published: May 2, 2016

Last month I spent some time in Bentonville, Arkansas, at Walmart’s semi-annual “Sustainability Showcase,” a celebration of the company’s progress in implementing environmental initiatives.

During the showcase, Walmart CEO Doug McMillon invited the executives of major Fortune 500 companies in attendance to share their insights on sustainability – and I was inspired. On stage were the CEOs of Cargill, Kellogg, as well as Dr. Mehmood Khan, Vice Chairman and Chief Scientific Officer, Global Research and Development for PepsiCo.

I was struck by how open and bold these CEOs were in recognizing the need and their responsibility to help solve major environmental challenges such as climate change and water pollution. McMillon, for example, started the discussion by explaining that 20 percent of lakes in Minnesota are not drinkable, a situation that “touches people personally every day.”

Here’s my take on the top two agricultural highlights – and why I’m more confident than ever that sustainable farming initiatives will improve water and air quality across the U.S. Read More »

Posted in Agriculture / Tagged agriculture, Cargill, corporate social responsibility, environmental defense fund, farmers, farming, feed grain, food companies, food security, Kellog's, mapping technology, NutrientStar, PepsiCo, precision agriculture, supply chain, sustainability, variable rate application, Walmart, water quality | Comments are closed

3 ways NGOs can help sustainable supply chains grow

By Maggie Monast / Bio / Twitter profile / Published: April 28, 2016

Earlier this week, a former sustainability executive with McDonald’s delivered a wake-up call for environmental groups, listing “5 ways that NGOs stunt sustainability.” In this article, Bob Langert explains the ways that nonprofits are failing to help companies turn sustainability commitments into on-the-ground results. In the context of sustainable palm oil, he notes:

“You can’t just go after big brands and expect them to manage a supply chain that has them seven stages removed, starting with the smallholders, to mills, then plantations, to storage facilities, refineries, ingredient manufacturers and then product manufacturers, then into a final product a retailer sells, such as ice cream, a granola bar or shampoo — with palm as a minute ingredient.”

He’s right – sustainability in supply chains, especially in agriculture, is incredibly complex. So how can environmental groups effectively champion sustainability progress throughout global supply chains, from the C-suite to crop fields? Here are three ideas. Read More »

Posted in Agriculture / Tagged agriculture, Campbell's Soup, climate change, environmental defense fund, farmers, grain, Kellogg's, McDonald's, NutrientStar, Smithfield, supply chain, sustainability, Unilever, United Suppliers, University of Minnesota | Comments are closed

Public funding for ag research has plummeted. Is that a bad thing?

By Suzy Friedman / Bio / Twitter profile / Published: April 26, 2016

Cover crop demonstration at the 2013 Soil Health Expo, hosted by NRCS and the Univ. of MO. Credit: Curators of the University of Missouri

Public sector funding for agricultural research is flat lining. While public dollars used to be the primary source of support for ag research, that is no longer the case. Today, the private sector spends as much on agricultural research as the government does, according to USDA. Long-term growth in funding for ag research is also higher in the private sector.

As a recent DTN story noted, “Some skeptics say the need for public research is overblown, that private companies — seed, chemical and machinery — already provide a large pile of dollars.”

Are the skeptics right?

Public and private ag research funding don’t always have the same goals, and they play very different, but equally important roles. Here’s an overview of what each sector contributes, how they relate, and why we need to continue advocating for and supporting investments from both sectors – as well as public-private partnerships. Read More »

Posted in Agriculture / Tagged agriculture, agriculture research, climate change, corn, environmental defense fund, farmers, nitrogen, precision agriculture, public-private partnerships, research funding, soil health, USDA, water quality | Read 1 Response

From my grandfather’s farm to NutrientStar: Why I believe in growers

By Karen Chapman / Bio / Published: April 21, 2016

My grandfather, John Beall, with his brother, on the family farm in Ohio.

I once dreamed of pursuing a career in public radio and becoming the next Cokie Roberts. Not surprisingly, my life took me in a much different direction. The catalyst was a two-year Peace Corps stint in biodiversity-rich Ecuador that led me towards a career in conservation. But I never steered too far from my agricultural roots, and today my farming life has come full circle.

I grew up on a small farm in rural Ohio, surrounded by fields, woods, wetlands and a menagerie of animals. My grandfather lived next door and every day I’d tag along with him and help vaccinate the chicks, collect eggs, bale hay, and feed the cows.

Thanks to the responsibilities he gave me as a young child, I feel a special connection to the farmers I work with today as they face pressure to increase their yields without polluting the water supply or surrounding ecosystem.

Here’s my agricultural story, and why I believe that a new program called NutrientStar will positively impact both farmers’ businesses and the surrounding ecosystem. Read More »

Posted in Agriculture / Tagged agriculture, conservation, Ecuador, environmental defense fund, farmers, farming, farms, food, food production, nutrient efficiency, NutrientStar, Ohio, Peace Corps, soil health, sustainability | Comments are closed

First-ever habitat exchange opens for business

By Eric Holst / Bio / Twitter profile / Published: April 19, 2016

Nevada rancher works to conserve sage-grouse

Nearly two dozen Nevada landowners have already submitted letters of interest to generate conservation credits for sage-grouse through the exchange. Read more >>

For the first time ever, ranchers are able to enroll in a habitat credit exchange program to earn revenue for activities that protect and enhance habitat for the greater sage-grouse.

The state of Nevada and federal agencies today announced the approved use of the Nevada Conservation Credit System to protect the grouse’s sagebrush habitat on public lands.

This program will create a robust mitigation market that will bring greater certainty and transparency to the state’s agriculture and energy industries, ultimately allowing both sage-grouse and the economy to flourish.

About the Nevada Conservation Credit System

The Nevada Conservation Credit System is an advanced approach to protecting habitat for the greater sage-grouse that ensures impacts are fully offset in a way that helps create net benefit. It does so by creating new incentives for industries to avoid and minimize impacts, and for private landowners and public land managers to preserve, enhance, and restore habitat. Read More »

Posted in Agriculture / Tagged colorado, Colorado Cattlemen's Association, Colorado Habitat Exchange, conservation, environmental defense fund, Governor Hickenlooper, governor sandoval, greater sage-grouse, habitat exchange, Nevada, nevada conservation credit system, ranchers | Comments are closed

Targeting conservation dollars makes good sense

By Karen Chapman / Bio / Published: April 15, 2016

Summer algae bloom in Lake Erie. Credit: NOAA

A University of Michigan study released late last month implies that in order to meet the U.S. and Canadian governments’ 40 percent phosphorous reduction target for Lake Erie by 2025, farmers will need to significantly ramp up their conservation efforts.

Some of the stories covering this study focused on the more drastic measures called for, such as converting thousands of acres of productive cropland to grassland. But I’m optimistic that we can indeed work with farmers to meet this goal by 2025, without having to impact production so drastically – we can do so through targeting.

Targeting refers to directing conservation dollars and practices to places on the landscapes where they’ll be most effective. In Ohio, that means targeting the areas delivering the highest amount of nutrients into Lake Erie.

Here’s the background on targeting, what the research says, and why targeting should be even more finely tuned and amplified at scale in order to accelerate on the ground environmental improvements. Read More »

Posted in Agriculture, Coasts and Watersheds / Tagged agriculture, conservation, environmental defense fund, farmers, farming, fertilizer runoff, funding, Lake Erie, nutrient efficiency, soil health, sustainability, targeting, USDA, water quality, watershed | Comments are closed