It’s an early spring morning at Soil Born Farms in Rancho Cordova. Shawn Harrison, the farm’s founder and co-director, points out a cobalt blue western bluebird and talks about a study that found the majority of the birds’ diet consists of insects that are agricultural pests. Their presence and efforts to attract the bluebirds are part of the story of regenerative agriculture unfolding on the farm. Regenerative farming practices integrate the entire ecosystem building upon the relationships of the natural world to simultaneously produce healthier, more abundant crops and restore the Earth’s natural resources. The dialogue around regenerative agriculture has evolved over the
For my fellow farmers who live and work off of the land, every day is Earth Day.
Given our proximity to the Chesapeake Bay, water quality and resource conservation are always front and center for farmers across the watershed.
In celebration of Earth Day, I had the pleasure of hosting a virtual meeting with my counterparts from the bay states and federal partners from the USDA and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to discuss our shared priorities as we work toward our Watershed Implementation Plan Phase III goals.
This kind of collaboration is key to meeting the challenges facing our industry and the environment, which is why I am proud to announce that the Maryland Department of Agriculture has become the first state agency to endorse the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers in Action Decade of Ag Vision.
New pay-for-performance program puts Vermont and UVM in the vanguard of policy research
University of Vermont researchers are partnering with Vermont officials on a new $7-million program that takes a unique approach to protecting watersheds: paying farmers to reduce phosphorus pollution.
The pilot program, informed by UVM research, will test a new tool financial incentives for farm performance to advance the state’s phosphorus reduction efforts. Until now, the focus has primarily been on inspection, enforcement, and pay-for-practice financial assistance programs.
Instead of putting farmers and nature in conflict, the Vermont Pay-For-Phosphorus Program seeks a win-win approach, which could address two major state issues at the same time: phosphorus pollution which hurts water quality and greater economic sustainability among Vermont’s struggling farmers.
Vermont to pay farmers for tackling phosphorus | Vermont Business Magazine vermontbiz.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from vermontbiz.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
For my fellow farmers who live and work off of the land, every day is Earth Day. Given our proximity to the Chesapeake Bay, water quality and resource conservation are always front and center for farmers across the watershed. In celebration of Earth Day, I had the pleasure of hosting a virtual meeting with my counterparts from the Bay states and federal partners from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, to discuss our shared priorities as we work toward our Watershed Implementation Plan (WIP) Phase III goals.
This kind of collaboration is key to meeting the challenges facing our industry and the environment, which is why I am proud to announce that the Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA) has become the first state agency to endorse the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers in Action (USFRA) Decade of Ag Vision. This is the first sector-wide movement to align a shared vision for the next decade centered around investing in the next generation of agric