Author: Julia Andrus

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 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.

AgSpire Celebrates Two Years

Posted on by Julia Andrus

Born out of a passion for rural communities and positive land use practices, AgSpire has grown our staff, our services and offerings, our client portfolio, and our impact. The original staff members look back and share their reflections on the start of the company and the accomplishments of the last two years.

January 31, 2023 – This month, we celebrated the two-year work anniversary of our first employees: Vivian Georgalas and Jared Knock. And, therefore, the two-year anniversary of AgSpire itself. 

Two years ago, Vivian and Jared joined a mission. The unnamed venture was born out of a passion for rural people and a vision for implementing positive land use practices on farms and ranches around the country.  

With experience in native and regenerative seed sales – and having implemented sustainable practices on his own farm – Jared recognized the opportunity to work within agriculture supply chains, giving farmers and ranchers the right tools and management strategies for their land. 

Vivian came to AgSpire with experience in startups and economic development, previously working for two indoor farming companies. She has been integral in driving AgSpire’s mission forward and overseeing the company’s growth. 

Click to listen to a podcast with Jared discussing the start of AgSpire >>>Roots + Ruminants on Spotify

“Since the start, AgSpire has been a connector. With our knowledge of the sustainability space and deep roots in the agriculture community, we have been able to connect those who want to make changes on the land with those who can make the change,” Vivian shared. 

“Our goal is to simplify a complex landscape,” Jared added. “We help our clients understand sustainability from the agricultural perspective, providing strategy and project execution to meet science-based targets and pledges. At the same time, we take a hands-on approach with farmers and ranchers to implement those strategies. Our team advises them on the best practices that will work for their operation, as well as available public and private incentives.”

Click to see a case study of AgSpire’s work with Walmart >>> Partnership for Sustainable Beef

With driven staff and a strategy for our work in place, one thing remained to formalize the start of this company: a name. 

Vivian, who originally hails from Norway, suggested a word from her native language:  spire, which translates to ‘to sprout.’ This idea encapsulated the sprouting company, looking to inspire a path forward that makes agriculture a part of the solution for planetary health and societal benefit. With that, AgSpire was born. 

“It’s been amazing to see the company grow over the last two years. As we’ve expanded our client portfolio, we’ve been able to help those partners achieve real results toward their sustainability goals, while also delivering value for the producers we work with,” Jared reflected. 

“Not to mention, we’ve seen growth within our company too. From just us two in the beginning, we are proud to now be part of a larger team that shares our excitement for this work,” Vivian added. 

Click here to meet our team

Happy Two Years to Jared, Vivian, and AgSpire! 

AgSpire Increases Ability to Help Companies Meet Sustainability Goals

Posted on by Julia Andrus

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 4, 2022

(BROOKINGS, SD) – AgSpire is committed to amplifying the implementation of positive land use practices through hands-on, customized plans with farmers and ranchers. As of November 1, AgSpire doubled their team, bringing on four individuals with vast experiences and a wide range of connections to help farmers and ranchers, as well as corporations and businesses, achieve their environmental and sustainability goals.

“AgSpire exists to advance adoption and implementation of practices that benefit both the producer and corporations. These four new teammates, in roles such as Grazing and Rangeland Advisor and Senior Conservation Agronomist, expand AgSpire’s expertise in conservation practices, and their networks allow us to connect farmers using those practices to companies looking to meet their supply chain sustainability goals,” said Aline DeLucia, CEO of AgSpire.

Dale Strickler is a Grazing and Rangeland Advisor with more than 30 years of experience in agronomy, pasture management, and soil and crop advising. Strickler uses his bachelor’s degree in science education and Agronomy, as well as his master’s degree in Agronomy, to develop highly effective grazing systems for numerous ranchers with a range of often challenging climates and soil types. He is the author of three books: 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.

Derek Ver Helst’s experience and education makes him an excellent fit for AgSpire’s Senior Conservation Agronomist role. Ver Helst has more than 15 years of experience working with landowners and corporate organizations to design, manage, and validate research trials, maximizing short and long-term crop outputs while protecting the integrity of the environment. He has a wide range of knowledge in soil fertility, agronomic chemistry, and pest and disease management. Ver Helst boasts a bachelor’s degree in biology with a minor in botany, a master’s degree in agronomy, and is a Certified Crop Advisor.

Matthew Delbar joins the team as a Grazing and Rangeland Advisor, and he brings a deep understanding of managing and restoring rangeland ecosystems throughout the United States. His experience as a rangeland management specialist with the USDA-NRCS in California, and degree in rangeland conservation and agricultural economics, is sure to benefit companies looking to connect with farmers to produce environmental benefits.

Christian Lovell joins AgSpire as a Project Manager with nearly a decade of experience working on federal agricultural policy in Washington, D.C. Most recently, Lovell was legislative director at the bipartisan National Governors Association where he oversaw federal advocacy and advised Governor’s and their staff on agricultural, rural, and environmental policies. Lovell will put his agricultural economics degree from Texas A&M to use collaborating with farmers, policy makers and corporations.

Amplifying Positive Land Use Practices through Partnerships

Posted on by Julia Andrus

USDA announces Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities projects

(BROOKINGS, SD, Wednesday, September 14, 2022) – AgSpire, an organization that amplifies the implementation of positive land use practices through hands–on, customized plans with farmers and
ranchers, has been named project partner on multiple USDA Partnerships for Climate–Smart Commodities projects. As a part of these projects, AgSpire will continue their mission to provide customized solutions to farmers, ranchers, and landowners, and empower them to help make their operations more resilient, diversified, and holistically managed through information and expertise.

“Today’s announcement shows USDA’s commitment to advancing adoption and implementation of climate–smart practices, and we are thrilled to be part of that journey. AgSpire will bring its expertise in
conservation practice implementation to assist producers with adoption of practices that can create positive land use outcomes. Collaborations and partnerships are key to achieving the ultimate goal of creating shared societal benefits through the land for generations to come,” said Aline DeLucia, CEO of AgSpire.

With these projects, AgSpire will have the opportunity to touch over 4.3 million acres through working directly with producers to create tailored management plans.  Powered by landowner advisors with
regional knowledge and expertise, AgSpire is dedicated to supporting producers as they work toward impactful outcomes that begin with changes on the land, and these projects will continue that mission.

For more information on the USDA Partnerships for Climate–Smart Commodities, please visit https://www.usda.gov/climate–solutions/climate–smart–commodities.

Additional Reading: