Author: Julia Andrus

Facilitating Landscape Change

Posted on by Julia Andrus

As a trusted advisor to the ranchers we work with, my goal is to understand the ranching operation, its business goals, and the environment where it exists. With that baseline understanding, I help the ranchers find the best path to reach their goals and improve their long-term sustainability and resilience.

This spring, that work took me to a small community in the Northwest US, where I worked with several ranchers in the same geographic area. Ranging in size and approach, I worked with them to meet their goals: enhance biodiversity, improve weather resilience, conserve grazing land, and simplify operations to improve management.

Despite operations that looked and functioned very differently, each rancher was affected by a common concern around the availability of irrigation water. In this project cohort, each rancher was located within a few miles of each other, where they shared one reservoir for irrigation. The irrigation practices they used at the time were water-intensive flood tactics, contributing to the depletion of the reservoir each summer. This limited forage output – affecting the viability of their ranching operations. By coming together as a group, the ranchers were able to learn about water conservation opportunities from one another, including potential ways to upgrade their irrigation equipment.

While individual efforts make a difference, the collective impact of working in a clustered geographic area revealed the power to bring about landscape-level changes. This collaborative approach enables producers, organizations, communities, and/or governments to pool their efforts and tackle complex challenges. The cumulative effect of these endeavors leads to significant impact, especially for shared resources like water.

About the Author

MATTHEW DELBAR
Grazing and Rangeland Advisor

Matthew brings vast experience managing and restoring rangeland ecosystems and an excitement to expand his knowledge of restoration and sustainability on working landscapes. Prior to joining AgSpire, he was a rangeland management specialist at USDA-NRCS Field Office in California.

Matthew holds a bachelor’s degree in Rangeland conservation and agricultural economics from the University of Idaho. He also holds NEPA and Wildland Restoration certifications and is a certified Technical Service Provider (TSP) through NRCS in 10 states and across 6 practices.

He maintains strong ties to his family’s ranch operations in California where they raise cattle, sheep, hay, and timber.

Carbon Disclosure Laws and the Impact on US Agriculture

Posted on by Julia Andrus

Earlier this month, California made history by enacting the first carbon disclosure laws in the United States. On October 7, 2023, Governor Gavin Newsom signed both the Climate Corporate Data Accountability Act and the Climate-Related Financial Risk Act.

Despite being state regulations, these new laws will impact farmers and ranchers as well as food and ag companies nationwide. The laws’ requirements affect all large public and private companies doing business in California. With the size and diversity of California’s economy, the laws are estimated to impact over 5,000 entities – and their contractors and suppliers.

Mandatory climate and emission reporting begin in 2026 and 2027 – giving those impacted time to understand the requirements and their implications for their business.

The Climate Corporate Data Accountability Act

Also known as SB253, this new law requires companies doing business in California with over $1 billion in revenue to report corporate greenhouse gas emissions to the California Air Resources Board (CARB).

Of note, starting in 2027, companies must publicly report Scope 3 emissions. Scope 3 refers to indirect upstream and downstream GHG emissions that are produced within a company’s value chain. For both producers and companies, this mostly takes the form of purchased goods and services, all the way down to the farm.

All reporting must conform to the Greenhouse Gas Protocol standards and guidance. Additionally, companies must include a review by an independent third-party assurance provider.

The Climate-Related Financial Risks Act

Also known as SB 261, this accompanying law requires companies with at least $500 million in revenue that do business in California to report on their climate-related financial risks. Risk reports must be submitted to CARB starting in 2026 and must occur on a biennial basis thereafter.

Key Takeaways

Given how much of the United States economy moves through California, these two laws will heavily impact US food and agriculture, putting these industries in the spotlight with new requirements and opportunities.

For Farmers

In the short term, farmers operating in the US should not be affected by these regulations on a day-to-day basis. Both laws require Scope 3 reporting in aggregate. Individual, operation-specific carbon intensity scores would not be disclosed. In addition, errors in reporting will not be penalized, given the uncertainties associated with Scope 3 emissions. Lastly, all standards and guidance documents required by these regulations allow for estimation.

In the long term, however, farmers may notice two major changes:

> Data Gathering: Producers who participate in carbon or regenerative agriculture programs may be asked for more data and opportunities to verify practices to create a more accurate picture of farm-level emissions and impacts. Review all program contracts carefully when presented with an opportunity to earn income for generating insets or offsets of any kind to understand these requirements.

> Potential for More Opportunities: Both regulations will result in national attention on farm-level carbon footprints. As such, downstream companies could bring more opportunities to producers to generate revenue from insets and offsets. Farmers should work with advisors familiar with these programs and requirements to set goals, create improvement plans, and evaluate all options available to them.

For Food & Ag Companies

Implications for food and ag companies are much more direct. To help set up your company for success, here are three key considerations to prepare for the reporting requirements:

> Create a plan for measurement, monitoring, and verification: Evaluate options for estimating and monitoring Scope 3 emissions at the farm level. A number of models exist out there, and each has different strengths and weaknesses. A plan should be put in place to monitor emissions on an annual basis.

> Evaluate hotspots and opportunities: As Scope 3 reporting becomes routine, so too will the need to show progress. Companies can plan progress now by identifying the landscapes with the greatest emissions and the greatest opportunities for reductions and removals.

> Implement pilots: The next 3 years create a strategic runway for companies to begin testing scalable approaches to decarbonization, so that they can be activated at the landscape level when reporting is required.

Read More:

About the Author

ZACH PINTO
Director of Carbon & Ecosystem Service Markets

Zach promotes company strategy and client success by assisting industry groups, food and ag companies, and farmers on their sustainability goals. Zach has worked on carbon issues for stakeholders across the agriculture value chain and in a wide array of commodities, developing expertise in farm-level carbon accounting, MRV platform usage, voluntary and compliance market schemes, science-based targets, ESG reporting, and strategic planning.

AgSpire Launches The SustainAg Network

Posted on by Julia Andrus

AgSpire unveiled our latest initiative – The SustainAg Network – which connects farmers and ranchers who are interested in conservation, sustainability, and regenerative practices with the programs and market opportunities that incentivize and reward those positive practices.

“As the implementing partner on multiple USDA Climate-Smart Commodity Grants and other grants, and with clients leading the way in launching on-the-ground sustainability projects, AgSpire is uniquely positioned to bring opportunities to producers and partner with them to deliver meaningful results for their operations and the environment,” said AgSpire CEO, Aline DeLucia.

AgSpire offers holistic, end-to-end sustainability services, to drive real progress on the land through implementation of regenerative agriculture practices. With this formalized network of producers, we will be able to accelerate adoption of practices, matching interested farmers and ranchers with opportunities that advance sustainability goals for our partners.

Enabling On-the-Ground Impact

“The producers we’ve met with are eager to invest in their land, improve their natural resources, and implement new and better management practices. The programs offered within The SustainAg Network help producers do just that – giving them the resources and technical assistance needed to succeed,” said Ryan Eichler, Director of Producer Programs at AgSpire.

In his capacity at AgSpire, Ryan is responsible for growing the reach of the network. He kicked off this effort last week at the 100th annual meeting of the North Dakota Stockmen’s Association, meeting with ranchers around the region. With our soft launch, more than 50 farmers and ranchers in the Northern Great Plains have already indicated their interest to join The SustainAg Network. Our team of advisors will work with those producers to learn more about their operations, providing guidance on the programs they could qualify for and that would be most beneficial on the ground.

Realizing Real Outcomes

Our initial programs are heavily focused on grazing systems, forage, specialty oilseeds, and climate-smart corn in the Great Plains and Midwest, and are expected to impact over four-million acres over the next five years. Our commitment to thoughtful program design, MMRV, and successful on-the-ground implementation results in measurable and claimable environmental outcomes, including captured and stored carbon, improved water usage and quality, enhanced biodiversity, and healthier soils.

“With the interest that The SustainAg Network has garnered through this initial launch, we are well on our way toward meeting our first-year enrollment targets for our program offerings – with many more producers looking for additional opportunities and programs to participate in,” Ryan continued.

To learn more about The SustainAg Network, our services, and how to partner with our network:

What the New ISSB Standards Mean for Agriculture and Food Companies

Posted on by Julia Andrus

An old business adage tells us that “what gets measured gets managed.” With that wisdom, the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) has released a new set of standards to help reach their goal of developing a global baseline of sustainability disclosures that meet capital market needs.  

Formed in November 2021 at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26), the ISSB underwent an 18-month consultation process to gather industry insights to inform their work. Their first global reporting standard was released this week as a voluntary framework intended to create a uniform way for companies across the globe to disclose climate and sustainability information. The intent is that this will make it easier for investors to compare companies when making investment decisions. Companies can start applying the framework next year – giving investors the ability to utilize reports starting in 2025. 

Climate and Sustainability Disclosures 

 The framework focuses on two aspects: specific requirements for climate-related disclosures and the disclosure of sustainability-related risks and opportunities. Due to corporate resistance around the difficulties of collecting data on Scope 3 emissions across value chains, companies will be allowed to limit first-year emission reporting to Scope 1 and 2. The resistance will also delay sustainability disclosure requirements by a year.  

If companies choose to participate in the framework, the climate standards will require companies to:  

  • measure GHG emissions in accordance with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol,  
  • state the amount and percentage of assets or business activities vulnerable to climate related transitions,  
  • disclose capital expenditures, finances or investments allocated to climate-related risks and opportunities,
  • and explain if and how internal carbon pricing is used as well as outline climate related targets. 

On the sustainability standards side, companies will be required to:  

  • disclose information material to financial prospects that may influence decisions,  
  • explain risk management approaches,
  • and disclose governance processes in place to monitor risks. 

Next Steps for Agriculture and Food Companies 

With more sustainability and climate standards being developed, the landscape continues to be ever-changing. We do know some things for certain: all standards will ask for similar reporting requirements. With that in mind, food and ag companies can develop an implementation strategy that will link to the latest standards and protocols, even as they continue to evolve. 

Three key components to guide your strategy: 

1) Account for all the progress being made through on-the-ground sustainability projects and capturing data to prove outcomes.

2) Create an MMRV strategy by determining what standards you’re going to use, how to monitor and verify your efforts to mitigate risk, and report on driving progress towards company targets. 

3) Develop an implementation plan and set it in motion by creating strategies that will scale in the field. 

At AgSpire, we offer in-house expertise from strategic advisory services and program design to on-the-ground implementation to ensure your company is ahead of the game. Our clients are able to leverage the expertise of our carbon experts, agronomists, and grazing advisors who work to implement proven nature-based strategies through tailored solutions. These solutions generate quantified outcomes for companies to reach their goals and continue to make them attractive for investment and business opportunities.

Next Steps for Farmers and Ranchers

As Scope 3 emissions are incorporated into the standards framework in subsequent years, opportunities for farmers and ranchers to link their practices will continue to arise. Our team works directly with farmers and ranchers to understand this landscape and develop a customized plan to improve soil health and carbon sequestration, enhance biodiversity, improve water usage and quality, and reduce direct and input-related emissions.

Learn more about our end-to-end sustainability services

About the Author

SARA ARSENAULT
Senior Director of Client Relations

Sara Arsenault brings her keen view of the agriculture industry to current and future client projects at AgSpire. Prior to joining our team, Sara representing agriculture leaders and interests at the federal and state levels. She led the federal policy division for California Farm Bureau, served as the Vice President of the Almond Alliance, and worked on Capitol Hill and at the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA).

Sara is a native of Northern California where she currently resides. She began her academic career at Modesto Junior College and obtained a Bachelor of Science Degree in animal science and meat science and technology at Texas A&M University.

Supporting Pollinators with Regenerative Agriculture

Posted on by Julia Andrus

As crops are planted and start to emerge across the country, the critical role of pollinators are ever more evident. These beneficial insects play a critical role in our global ecosystems – and especially in our agriculture and food systems.

Regenerative practices like cover crops, diverse seedings in pastures, and insectary strips are ways that farmers and ranchers can help support pollinators, providing food and habitat for them to thrive.

AgSpire’s Dale Strickler works with farmers and ranchers around the country to find the best management practices to build resilience, conserve natural resources, and improve sustainability. In this Mini Podcast episode, Dale shares more about supporting pollinators – and some of the other benefits that these management practices offer to our agricultural lands.

YouTube >>> How Regenerative Agriculture Supports Pollinators with Dale Strickler

USDA Approves Vaccine for Honeybees

Posted on by Julia Andrus

by Derek Ver Helst

Bee health is getting the buzz it deserves with a new vaccine to fight American foulbrood, a fatal bacterial disease that is decimating bee populations across the country. The first-ever USDA approved vaccine for insects, along with improved, holistic ecosystem management practices, are both showing promise for protecting and rebuilding the population of these important pollinators. 

The Critical Role of Bees 

Bees play a critical role for the health of ecosystems around the world – including the health and security of our food systems. As honeybees consume pollen and nectar, they pollinate about a third of the world’s food crops, allowing them to grow and flower. In addition to natural occurrences, beekeepers often lease their hives and colonies to farmers to assist in annual pollinations of crops like almonds, pears, cherries, and apples, among others.  

However, in recent years, bee populations have decreased at alarming rates, posing a great threat to our natural and agricultural systems. Many factors have contributed to this crisis, including parasites, habitat loss, exposure to pesticides, climate change, and disease. 

A First-Of-Its-Kind Vaccine 

One such disease is American foulbrood (AFB), a fatal bacterial disease affecting honeybee colonies around the world. Infection can severely weaken even a healthy and strong colony, leading to its complete collapse. Once many of the brood have died and the colony is collapsing, the hive will produce a foul odor, contributing to the name of the disease. 

Previously, the only way to manage AFB was to destroy infected colonies and materials – making the new USDA-approved vaccine a much-needed innovation for supporting bee health and productivity. The vaccine is feed to the queen bee in an infused sugar mixture. She then passes the immunity down to her offspring, and over time, immunity spreads throughout the entire colony. 

Ecosystem Management for Pollinator Health 

While it is a revolutionary innovation, the vaccine is not a magic bullet for protecting bees, as it addresses only one cause of bee population decline. Many other natural and anthropogenic factors have contributed to the recent decline of bee populations. Understanding these factors and addressing the interaction of species in an environment is important to overall sustainability, biodiversity, and longevity goals. 

By utilizing the principles of regenerative agriculture, farmers and ranchers are promoting bee health with nature-based solutions. For example, flowering cover crops and pollinator-friendly buffer plantings support pollinators, while also agronomically benefiting agricultural crops. Similarly, improved soil health practices can lead to reduced pesticide use, which protects these beneficial insects.  

With these improved management practices, agriculture is specially positioned to help mitigate and reverse environmental degradation, having a profound and positive impact – not just on bees, but on the ecosystem as a whole. 

Learn More and Next Steps 

Farmers, NGOs, government partners, and companies worldwide are investing in the natural solutions that agriculture offers for pollinator health. 

Certifications: Brands are working toward certifications like Bee Better Certified or Bee Friendly Farming Certified, while other companies have made significant commitments to support and source from bee-friendly farms. See how Blue Diamond and KIND are supporting pollinators.

Improved Practices: Research suggests that pollinator-friendly plantings yield agronomic, economic, and environmental benefits on farms. Learn more about agriculture’s role in pollinator conservation and ecosystem service delivery.

AgSpire works across the agriculture value chain to develop and implement sustainable agriculture projects that promote pollinator health, among other ecosystem benefits like soil health, carbon capture, and water conservation. Contact Us to visit with our landowner advisory team and learn more about supporting bee health.

About the Author

DEREK VER HELST
Senior Conservation Agronomist

Derek has over 15 years of experience working with landowners and corporations to design, manage, and validate research trials, maximizing short- and long-term crop outputs. With a continued passion for conservation and the natural ecosystem, he is focused on the natural symbiosis organisms have with one another in the environment. Always eager to learn, he is continuously expanding his knowledge of soil health, chemistry, and pest disease management.

Derek holds a bachelor’s degree in Biology from South Dakota State University and a master’s degree in Agronomy from Iowa State University. He is also a Certified Crop Advisor and Technical Service Provider through NRCS.

Designing for Drought Resilience

Posted on by Julia Andrus

by Dale Strickler 

Less than 100 years ago, the Dust Bowl wreaked havoc on our nation’s farms and ranches, with drastic and lasting impacts across the land. While this prolonged time of drought underscored just how important water is – we also learned about the critical role that agriculture management plays in capturing and using rainfall when it does come for improved climate resilience.

Capturing Rainfall  

Research by Oklahoma State University Cooperative Extension Service found that, on average, only 18% of rainfall is being captured by crops and used to grow food. A staggering 59% evaporates, while 23% falls prey to run off. The year that study was conducted, Oklahoma farmers produced an average of 33 bushels of wheat on only 6.2 inches of soil moisture, after factoring in what was lost to run off and evaporation. 

These figures help us understand that practices that improve water infiltration would allow farmers and ranchers to capture and use five times as much naturally falling moisture.

Of course, better utilizing rainfall would have an incredible impact on yields – but there are also important co-benefits for our environment and society.

Improved water infiltration lessens the dependence on additional irrigation, preserving fresh water sources for needed drinking water. At the same time, we see decreased run-off and erosion, keeping rivers, lakes, and other bodies of water cleaner.

As we collectively asses water risks and their role in resilience, geographically-specific interventions to improve water infiltration are critical.

A Case Study 

For inspiration on designing for drought resilience, let’s look at one of the driest and hottest places: Al Baydha, Saudi Arabia. There, the average rainfall is just 2.5”, while temperatures can climb to 120°F in the summer.

In 2011, a project was launched to design terraces, turning the bare rock and dirt into a thriving pasture for grazing. Capitalizing on every drop of rain, the landscape was transformed in just a few short years. 

 Lessons Learned 

While terraces aren’t the solution for every farm or ranch facing drought conditions, this project inspires us as to what is possible. There are hundreds of other techniques that farmers and ranchers can deploy to capture the full benefit of their natural rainfall. Some of these techniques include:

  • Eliminate Soil Tillage: Tillage exposes the soil to the pounding effects of rainfall, which leads to compaction layers at the soil surface that impedes the further downward movement of water.
  • Leverage Crop Residue: Another major step is to leave as much residue on the soil surface as possible, to cushion the impact of falling raindrops and reduce erosion. 
  • Utilize Cover Crops: A third major action to benefit infiltration is the replacement of fallow periods with cover crops. While cover crops use more moisture during their active growth than a soil that is being fallowed, the difference is not as great as many might expect.

Especially when used together, these practices help compound rates of water infiltration over time. For example, even after termination of the cover crop, the much higher rate of infiltration from the cover crop residue will make each successive rainfall event more efficient, if the mulch is left intact and not tilled under. After they decay, cover crop roots can leave large macropores in the soil that act as easy entry points for rainwater to enter the profile.  

These solutions, along with many more in a regenerative toolbelt, help farmers and ranchers maximize the benefit of natural rainfall – which lessens the environmental impacts on aquifers, rivers, lakes, and local drinking water.

Next Steps and Learn More

To learn more about the right water-wise management solutions to reach your business and land goals, Contact Us.

For Companies: Water stewardship throughout the value chain is a key part of climate resilience and action. The practices outlined in this article provide a plethora of benefits – from improved water infiltration as mentioned, to carbon sequestration and soil health, to enhanced biodiversity. Our team helps drive results toward these commitments, finding the right solutions to meet your goals.

For Farmers: Capturing and using rainfall to its maximum benefit has lasting benefit, economically and agronomically. Our landowner advisors help assess your land and goals, creating a customized plan to optimize water availability for crops and lessen downstream water impacts.

Additional Resources:

  • https://www.ers.usda.gov/amber-waves/2017/june/farmers-employ-strategies-to-reduce-risk-of-drought-damages/
  • https://www.climatehubs.usda.gov/hubs/midwest/topic/sare-resource-cultivating-climate-resilience-farms-and-ranches

About the Author

DALE STRICKLER

Landowner Advisor

With more than 30 years of experience in agronomy, pasture management, and soil and crop advising, Dale brings an incredible depth and breadth of knowledge to AgSpire’s work.

With a keen curiosity to find innovative solutions, combined with a thorough understanding of the realities of modern production agriculture, Dale is especially adept in developing highly effective management systems in challenging climates and soil types

He has also authored three books, including The Drought Resilient Farm, Managing Pasture, and The Complete Guide to Restoring Your Soil, which was named a top ten farming book for 2021 by Modern Farmer.

Agriculture’s Environmental Solutions

Posted on by Julia Andrus

by Jared Knock

News headlines tell us of rising food costs and shortages, rising global temperatures, changing weather patterns, biodiversity loss, depleted soil, and clean water shortages. 

But today, on National Ag Day, we want to share a different headline: 

Agriculture is part of the solution. 

Everyday, farmers and ranchers around the world work in the soil – hands-on with our most precious resources and the building blocks of life. Because of this shear proximity to nature, farmers and ranchers have a dynamic relationship and important impact on natural systems.  

Unlike the finite stocks of copper, lithium, or cobalt, the stocks of agriculture can replenish and grow over time. With careful management, farmers and ranchers can add practices that promote stronger ecosystem health – while also building their own business resilience. This means that those hands working in the soil have the potential to regenerate our natural resources; clean our water and air; and provide abundant, nutritious, and diverse foods for a growing population. 

Earlier this month, the AgSpire team talked with farmers from around the country at the largest farmer-led trade show in the country. Time and time again, we heard from those farmers about wanting to find nature-based solutions to care for their land and optimize its potential – not just in the near term, but for generations to come. 

Through techniques like interseeding, cover cropping, reduced and no tillage, and holistic grazing, we see farm- and ranch-level benefits like:  

  • Improved soil health and fertility, which lessens our need for synthetic, emissions-intensive fertilizers 
  • Better water retention and filtration, which leads to drought resilience in arid environments and better down-stream water quality in wetter environments 
  • Enhanced biodiversity from the soil to the sky, supporting pollinators, wildlife, and complex ecosystems 

We know that there is immense potential in our industry – and we are working across the agriculture value chain to unlock that potential and highlight the solutions that are inherent within agriculture. 

We often think that these solutions all start with a seed. But, in reality, it all starts with the farmer or rancher. On National Ag Day, we celebrate these farmers and ranchers – and will continue our work to ensure they are part of the solution. 

Learn more about our work across the ag value chain to advance agriculture’s environmental solutions.

About the Author

JARED KNOCK

VP, Business Development

Jared has 25 years of experience on the land as a part-owner of a diversified livestock and crop farm in Eastern South Dakota, raising cattle, sheep, hogs, corn, soybeans, wheat, oats, alfalfa, rye, and cover crops. Through the lessons learned on his own land, Jared is passionate about equipping fellow farmers and ranchers to enable greater resilience and functionality through positive land management and grazing practices.

Jared’s expertise has been further honed through his background in livestock genetics, seed sales, business development, and as co-host of the Roots + Ruminants Podcast. Jared has a degree in Animal Science from South Dakota State University and China Agricultural University in Beijing.

 

Unlocking Biochar’s Potential

Posted on by Julia Andrus

by Derek Ver Helst

A proven way to sequester carbon and a soil amendment showing benefit for farmers – it’s no wonder that biochar is gaining traction in sustainable agriculture conversations.

Terra Preta

As we seek new ways to mitigate atmospheric changes, biochar presents a promising proposition – especially in agriculture communities that can use it as a soil amendment to contribute to soil health. As the availability and accessibility of biochar has increased in recent years, many farmers have seen increased yields, coupled with a decreased need for synthetic inputs – all thanks to biochar applications.

While the use of biochar might be a new practice to US farms, it’s not a new practice globally. In fact, it dates back 2500 years, with origins in the Amazon rainforest. Indigenous people of the region burned forest debris and covered the burning biomass with soil. The resulting ‘man-made’ soil (referred to as Terra Preta) was found to be far more productive than any of the native soils.

We now understand that it offers many agronomic benefits for soil, including increased water infiltration and holding capacity, microbiome health, and nutrient content.

The Science of Biochar Carbon Capture

Biochar is the lightweight, black carbon residue produced via a process called pyrolysis. It is produced using the most abundant carbon sources on Earth as feedstocks: forest and crop residues, grasses, animal waste, and food waste. By heating these feedstocks to extreme temperatures in an environment without oxygen, the molecular bonds break, producing three different forms of carbon: stable carbon, ash, and volatile compounds.

The biochar carbon that is created in this process is indefinitely stable and can stay sequestered in the soil for hundreds to thousands of years. This makes it a valuable carbon sink – as the feedstocks absorb carbon as they grow, and the conversion to biochar prevents the emissions that would have been released as the natural wastes decomposed.

Due to its ability to enhance soil carbon sequestration, biochar presents great opportunities both for insetting and offsetting to meet sustainability commitments. The Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) has highlighted biochar in their new Forest, Land and Agriculture Science Based Target-Setting Guidance as a key insetting strategy for companies with land-based footprints to use in reaching their targets. Similarly, Verra has created a methodology for biochar to be used as an offsetting strategy due to the carbon storage associated with the production and use of biochar.

Improving Our Soils

Like most solutions within agriculture, biochar isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. Instead, many factors determine the best types to use, as well as the optimum application techniques, rates, and timing.

Depending on the feedstock used and the temperature at which the biochar is produced, there is wide variety in the physiochemical composition of biochar – offering different benefits to soils. For example, a biochar produced from hazelnut shells will have a different physiochemical makeup than one made from ash tree sawdust. There are two main characteristics to consider, based on these physiochemical differences:

  • The porosity of biochar, which has the largest impact in how it reacts with water and nutrients in the soil profile. Internal structures in the feedstock such as the phloem and xylem define the porosity of the biochar it produces.
  • The amount of nutrients, which are determined by the chemical characteristics of the feedstock, along with oxidation/reduction reaction catalyst, pH buffering and CEC capabilities.

Learn More & Next Steps

For Farmers: USDA-NRCS has deployed new EQIP practice codes to encourage biochar use adoption (Codes 336/808 are referred to as the “Soil Carbon Amendment” practices). Read more from NRCS

For Companies: With its carbon sequestration potential, biochar can be an incredibly effective way to address Scope 3 emissions – either through credits or supporting its use in agriculture. Read this case study from Microsoft

Here at AgSpire, we are utilizing biochar in climate-smart commodity programs and look forward to incorporating the benefits of biochar more broadly. Contact us to learn more about how our advisory and implementation assistance services can help with your sustainability or land goals.

About the Author

DEREK VER HELST
Senior Conservation Agronomist

Derek has over 15 years of experience working with landowners and corporations to design, manage, and validate research trials, maximizing short- and long-term crop outputs. With a continued passion for conservation and the natural ecosystem, he is focused on the natural symbiosis organisms have with one another in the environment. Always eager to learn, he is continuously expanding his knowledge of soil health, chemistry, and pest disease management.

Derek holds a bachelor’s degree in Biology from South Dakota State University and a master’s degree in Agronomy from Iowa State University. He is also a Certified Crop Advisor.

Strengthening Your Sustainability Strategy

Posted on by Julia Andrus

by Zach Pinto
Director, Carbon & Ecosystem Service Markets

In late 2015, many governments adopted the Paris Agreement – a legally binding, international treaty on greenhouse gas emissions. Since then, corporations and NGOS have joined governments to develop targets and strategies to limit environmental impacts. Now several years into the treaty, recent articles and analyses indicate that, collectively, we aren’t on track to make the changes needed.  

Sustainability Commitments 

To date, 341 food and agriculture companies have committed to and are engaging in science-based targets to advance sustainability and lower their environmental footprints. 

Within those commitments, targets around Scope 3 emissions offer the greatest opportunity for reductions and impact. Scope 3 emissions are environmental externalities that fall outside of a company’s direct control, typically within their upstream or downstream supply chains.  

For many food, feed, fuel, and fiber companies across the globe, reducing environmental impacts at the farm level is imperative for making progress toward these targets. 

Solutions within Agriculture 

Promising research shows that solutions exist within agriculture to accelerate progress and generate environmental benefit. From carbon sequestration, to improved water quality and usage, to enhanced biodiversity, these solutions can be scaled for positive global impacts.  

The good news is, much of the great work our industry is doing to inset its impacts – carbon programs, ecosystem markets, NRCS programs, USDA Partnerships for Climate Smart Commodities – can count as progress toward these targets. The key, of course, is making sure all of this work is measurable, verifiable, and scalable – and ensuring that the changes work for farmers and ranchers – both agronomically and economically.  

Here are three ways to strengthen your sustainability strategy and start unlocking the potential within agriculture:

  • Plan your strategy: Clarify what your supply shed looks like and outline your path forward. What are the most effective ways to drive change, measure progress, and reward farmers in the process? 
  • Partner with farmers: Farmers know how to farm, but adoption of regenerative practices is not a one-strategy-fits-all approach – cover crops don’t work for every farm, for example. Once you know where to focus, make sure you consult growers in the region to ensure you create interventions that work for their farm-specific conditions, make agronomic sense, and prove to be economically viable. 
  • Implement on the ground: Run pilots to test strategies and eventually scale them into full interventions. Ensure practices and outcomes align with leading public cost share programs and private ecosystem service markets that pay growers and count towards your targets.

Read more about how AgSpire can provide strategic guidance and implementation assistance to advance your sustainability goals: Our Services

Learn More

To showcase the great work going on in our industry, incentivize continuous improvement, and reward farmers for the positive practices they implement, many companies worldwide have set rigorous, protocol-based targets. These include:

  • Science-Based Targets: These targets define how quickly and by how much companies should reduce their environmental impacts, based on the best available science, to ensure that global goals such as the Paris Agreement or the Global Biodiversity Framework are met. Science-based targets for greenhouse gas emissions must be validated by the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi), and Science-based targets for water, land, and biodiversity must be validated by the Science Based Targets Network (SBTN).  
  • Net Zero Targets: Net Zero Targets are science-based targets that set the standard for how a company can credibly reduce their carbon footprint to net zero (when the amount of all greenhouse gases a company emits equals the amount it removes from the atmosphere) by 2050.

Additional Reading and Citations:

Soil Health and Carbon Sequestration in US Croplands: A Policy Analysis – https://food.berkeley.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/GSPPCarbon_03052016_FINAL.pdf 

Cover Crops, No-Till Increase Carbon Gains in Soil – https://www.no-tillfarmer.com/articles/9818-cover-crops-no-till-increase-carbon-gains-in-soil

Negative Emissions Technologies and Reliable Sequestration – https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/25259/negative-emissions-technologies-and-reliable-sequestration-a-research-agenda

About the Author

ZACH PINTO
Director of Carbon & Ecosystem Service Markets

Zach promotes company strategy and client success by assisting industry groups, food and ag companies, and farmers on their sustainability goals. Zach has worked on carbon issues for stakeholders across the agriculture value chain and in a wide array of commodities, developing expertise in farm-level carbon accounting, MRV platform usage, voluntary and compliance market schemes, science-based targets, ESG reporting, and strategic planning.