| | | 3 Summer Events To Build Your Regenerative Ag Farmer Insights | | How are you spending your summer? The season officially kicks off this week, and though we are all still following COVID-related safety precautions, there are increasingly opportunities to get out and about, both for work and pleasure. With each such experience comes new ways to learn and apply those insights to your work in regenerative agriculture.
This year, we hope your plans will include some exciting new programming we have been developing, built for farmers and by farmers, with application to anyone in the regenerative agriculture community. As you'll notice in today's newsletter, the Foundational Partners and collaborators of America's Conservation Ag Movement are offering up virtual and in-person programming this summer emphasizing a broad range of conservation topics, including: Gulf of Mexico and Mississippi River water quality (and the edge of field and in-field practices that can support it); the role of farm machinery and technology in conservation-oriented operating environments in Indiana; and an Illinois field day emphasizing the voluntary steps farmers can take to carefully manage nutrients and more. No matter how you continue to increase your own knowledge of farmers' and ranchers' lived experiences and needs related to regenerative agriculture, use this summer season as a time to stay curious, ask questions and learn. You might be surprised what you discover, and we guarantee it will be time well spent as you help producers take the next step in their climate-smart agriculture journey.
And nothing beats the fresh air, the sound of song birds and the bright sun out in farm country. Until next week, Nate Birt Vice President Trust In Food, a Farm Journal initiative
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| | | Why We Must Put Mississippi River And Gulf Of Mexico Back In The National Conservation Dialogue | | Shared by Nate Birt, vice president, Trust In Food: I’m hopeful we can make water quality a priority and also voluntary, farmer-led conservation efforts that steward water resources such as the Mississippi River and Gulf of Mexico, whose water quality has been the subject of substantial focus, without negatively impacting farm businesses and rural livelihoods. A new free webinar series aims to make progress in that direction.
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| | | Join Farmers In Indiana And Illinois For Upcoming ACAM Conservation Ag Events | | Shared by Nate Birt, vice president, Trust In Food: In-person field days are back, and America's Conservation Ag Movement alongside local partners is convening two for farmers and conservation leaders over the next several months--one in July focused on preparing equipment for a conservation system in Indiana's Middle Wabash, and the other in August touring farms where conservation ag is at work in the Vermilion River Headwaters area of Illinois. Learn more about these events and discover how your organization might benefit from participating in these exciting, conservation-packed days.
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John Deere Turned Tractors Into Computers--What's Next? (via The Verge) | Shared by Drew Slattery, human dimensions of change lead, Trust In Food: In this wide-ranging interview, Chief Technology Officer Jahmy Hindman of John Deere talks about the challenges and opportunities associated with increasingly smart and connected farm equipment--all with implications for quantifying sustainable ag. "I think we could have fully autonomous tractors in low single digit years," Hindman shares.
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Arkansas Family’s Farm Legacy Spurs New Era Of Opportunity For Landowners Of Color (via University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff at AgWeb.com) | Shared by Nate Birt, vice president, Trust In Food: Absentee landowner Shawn Boler's family has engaged in farming and conservation since at least 1896. Here's how the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff’s Keeping it in the Family (KIITF) Sustainable Forestry and African American Land Retention program is helping him write a new chapter in his family's natural resources stewardship journey. | Read More |
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Innovative 'Soil For Water' Regenerative Agriculture Project Expands To Seven States (via Ark Valley Voice) | Shared by Nate Birt, vice president, Trust In Food: A novel peer-to-peer rancher program that began in Texas is expanding to include seven states and an expanded cohort of farmers to help integrate soil health and rangeland management practices into their operations. Desired outcomes include increased water-holding capacity of soil in regions where water is often scarce. “We can also show other ranchers and farmers it can be a viable business," Texas rancher Maggie Eubank explains.
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