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21st Century Challenges Require 21st Century Solutions
U.S. agriculture policy is at a bit of a crossroads, with options being considered by lawmakers and regulators that will have long-term economic implications for America's farmers, ranchers and forestland owners, as well as the rural communities they support. An attempt to move a five-year farm bill that made its way through the House Agriculture Committee last month on a narrow, strictly partisan vote, failed on the House floor last week, lost on a dispute over immigration and food assistance policy. Still, congressional leaders say they hope to address the issues of contention and bring the measure back later this summer. Solutions from the Land sees this delay as a renewed opportunity for lawmakers to address the shortcomings in the bill adopted last month and meet their obligation to hone this major agricultural policy measure in a way to better assist and empower a sector that is entering its fifth consecutive year of lagging economic conditions, but which is still expected to meet the demand from this country - and the world - for food, feed, fiber and energy. Read more…
Farm, Ranch and Forest Leaders Shape Response to Climate Challenges at State Level
With the success of North American interests in negotiating agriculture's on-going role in addressing climate change at a conference of international representatives in Bonn last week, U.S. farm leaders are taking a lead in the effort to make production more resilient and sustainable in the face of changing conditions. Similar endeavors are being undertaken by farm leaders here in a wide range of states, including a number of high-profile projects facilitated by Solutions from the Land (SfL). Work done in North Carolina, and that underway in Ohio and Missouri, demonstrate the evolving conversation among local producers and state officials and policy makers that is lifting up the concerns and challenges posed by changing climate conditions and consumer expectations. With the ever-growing threat of volatile weather inducing drought, flooding, wildfires, violent storms and altered growing seasons, stakeholders are utilizing SfL resources to reinforce the need for climate-smart agriculture (CSA), a landscape-wide approach. We call on agriculture and forestry leaders from across the nation to join in this effort. Read more…
UNFCCC Ag Work Program Approval Affirms Old Adage: ‘World is Run by Those Who Show Up’
Over the course of the past 10 years, Solutions from the Land (SfL) and 25x'25, our clean energy platform, has been supporting a group of knowledgeable, experienced and visionary farmers, ranchers and foresters who have been working to shape the role of agriculture and forestry in a growing world that seeks a low carbon future. Our work in this space has not been easy or popular; it is, however, critical. To shape the future, you first need to understand what the world wants, needs and is willing to support – three very different things. (Read more...)
Focus Growing on Win-Win Soil Health Outcomes
U.S. agricultural producers have long understood that healthy soil is a critical requirement for the production of our nation's food supply. They also know that as the world's population grows by more than 25 percent over the next 30 years, meeting the increased global demand for food cannot come at the expense of ecological health and environmental quality. America's farmers, who work and live on their lands every day, remain in the best position to develop and implement the management practices that can increase soil quality, productivity and resilience to drought and flooding (and, as a result, boost farm income). These practices also have the benefit of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions into the atmosphere, mitigating the growing impact of a changing climate. To build on a drive to improve soil health that has become a burgeoning interest among U.S. farmers in recent years, policies must be implemented which enable them to scale up practices that boost production, reduce runoff into neighboring waters, increase organic content and enhance biodiversity, nutrient cycling and other ecosystem services. Read more…
Policy Makers Should Build on Carbon-Neutral Designation of Biomass
This week's long-awaited designation by EPA of woody biomass as a carbon neutral resource is a welcome development within the U.S. forestry sector. It's a formal recognition by the Trump administration of what wood-to-energy advocates have been saying for nearly a decade: Sustainably produced and managed forest biomass can offer valuable clean energy contributions and important carbon sequestration services to mitigate climate change, while bolstering rural communities and reducing wildfire risks. Now, it is time to move ahead on the policies and regulations that can accelerate the development of this important energy source.
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Our Vision
An Agricultural Renaissance, led by innovative and entrepreneurial farmers, ranchers and foresters constructing sustainable, profitable and resilient systems that lay the foundation for a world of abundance on many scales capable of producing nutritious food, feed, fiber, clean energy, healthy ecosystems, quality livelihoods, and strong rural economies.