As part of their ongoing commitment to help production agriculture in Oklahoma and the Southern Plains region of the United States, the USDA Southern Plains Climate Hub, in partnership with the Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts, hosted a seminar on Tuesday, July 26 entitled "The Economics of Climate-Smart Agriculture." This event was designed to provide information to agricultural producers about how strategies designed to help farmers and ranchers deal with extreme weather events like droughts, floods and wildfires can also help save money and increase profits.

The first speaker was Beth Mason with the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD), sharing the NACD/Datu case studies on the economics of cover crops and no-till. This NACD research was funded by an NRCS Conservation Innovation Grant and the Walton Family Foundation in partnership with Datu Research Group. Research participants came from the Upper Mississippi River Basin and included Frank Moore (IA), Stan Kuhns (IL), and two NACD Soil Health Champions, Dan Diaz (IL) and Michael Willis (MO).

Additional seminar speakers included Oklahoma State University Range Extension Specialist Dr. Laura Goodman, who spoke on the benefits of patch burning and multi-species grazing; Debbie Lyons-Blythe, Chair of the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef; Dr. Jaymelyn Farney, Kansas State University Associate Professor and extension specialist, and Shanon Phillips and Blane Stacy with the Oklahoma Conservation Commission who discussed the economics of soil health.

The presentations were recorded and will be uploaded for viewing soon and shared with the network.

Pictured Left to Right: Trey Lam, Oklahoma Conservation Commission; NACD Soil Health Champion Jimmy Emmons (OK); Beth Mason, NACD North Central Region Representative

Recently, it was reported that John Deere was ending production of the moldboard plow. In actuality, it is ending production of one of the two models it makes. DTN/Progressive Farmer reached out to John Deere for clarification. Their response follows:

While they explain they will continue to produce their last existing model - the 995 Reversible Moldboard Plow - their statement seems to reveal they've seen a shift in tillage practices that has resulted in the end of the 3710 model.

On Pasture, formerly an electronic newsletter, has now transitioned to a free, online library of over 2,500 open access articles for graziers. With her recent retirement on September 5, Publisher and Editor Kathy Voth has launched this new, online resource.

You can browse by topics such as: grazing management, pasture health, livestock, money matters, etc. You can also search for something specific. Voth includes easy online instructions to help you get the most from the library. Additionally, she will be compiling articles on specific topics into eBooks which will then be made available in the library.

Voth explains the funding for maintaining this library will come from donors who use the library and offers an online "tip jar."

To explore this new resource further, click here to visit On Pasture's free library.

Sand County Foundation's Land Ethic Mentorship program connects historically underserved farmers and ranchers across the U.S. with conservation mentors.

This free mentorship program provides access to a network of experienced farmers and ranchers who can help navigate USDA programs and a variety of conservation practices.

Soil Health Champion Jon Bednarski (KY) is a Sand County Foundation Leopold Conservation Award Winner and a mentor in this program. His video profile and the stories of two of his mentees, James Burch (MS) and Soonnyoung Min (KY) can be found online here.

For more information on this mentorship program, please visit the Sand County Foundation website.

At the beginning of summer, Soil Health Champion Ed McNamara (MN) hosted an evening event called "The Carbon Credit Summit." The event started out with dinner followed by a "Trip to the Pit" (his soil pit) to hear a bit about soil health.

The program then led into a panel of speaker from Cargill RegenConnect, Corteva Carbon, Pivot Bio, and TruTerra, each presenting on their different carbon credit programs. These presentations were followed by further discussion of the positives and negatives of these various contracts and a question and answer time.

Ahead of the summit, McNamara appeared on his local PBS television station KSMQ to promote the event and discuss the background on soil health and why the discussion is moving towards carbon credits.

McNamara reports the summit was a huge success with 50 attendees and more sponsors than he could accommodate. He has had a request for another summit to continue the conversation and is already looking for a larger venue and making it a longer event. Stay tuned as McNamara will share more information as the details for the next event develop.

Besides being a Soil Health Champion, McNamara is also a board member of the Goodhue Soil and Water Conservation District.

Recently highlighted on RFD-TV and in High Country News, national non-profit AgriSafe looks to provide farmers/ranchers, their families, and their communities with what they call "Total Farmer Health." Through Total Farmer Health, they provide resources, training, and connections to help in the areas of healthcare, weather, sleep, diet, cognition, and much more.

Currently, AgriSafe is piloting AgriStress Helpline a 24-hour, seven-days-a-week helpline for farmers and ranchers in five states - Pennsylvania, Texas, Missouri, Virginia, and Wyoming. These helplines are supported with grant funding from each state's Department of Agriculture. If you or someone you know is struggling in any of these five pilot states, you can text or call 833-897-2474 to get connected with a trained professional.

While there is a federal crisis number now available to all landlines and cell phones through dialing 988, these providers might not understand the unique challenges faced by farmers and ranchers, which is why these pilot programs are so important. "There are so many factors in agriculture that are out of their control," said Tara Haskins, RN, DPN and Director of Total Farmer Health Director.

Wednesday, September 14, the U.S. House Agriculture Committee held a hearing titled "Soil Health Practices and Programs that Support Regenerative Agriculture."

The witness list included:

Jeff Moyer, CEO, Rodale Institute, Kutztown, PA

Steve Nygren, Founder and CEO, Serenbe, Chattahoochee Hills, GA

Ken McCarty, Partner, McCarty Family Farms, Colby, KS

Rick Clark, Owner, Farm Green & Clark LAnd and Cattle, on behalf of Regenerate America, Williamsport, IN

Dr. Rebecca Larson, Ph.D., Vice President, Chief Scientist, and Government Affairs, Western Sugar Cooperative, Denver, CO

This a full committee hearing conducted as a hybrid event.

Click here to view Committee Chairman David Scott's opening statement.

Click here to view the full video of the hearing.

Each year folks come together to discuss and learn from leading no-tillers, agronomists, researchers and other no-till experts sharing innovative ideas that can help you get the most out of your no-till farming system.

The conference includes a mix of General Sessions, classroom/breakout sessions, and roundtable discussions. The 2023 program is currently under development, but already Soil Health Champion Russell Hedrick (NC) is slated to speak as well as soil health consultant Ray Archuleta.

Click here to register and check back as more information becomes available.

Since our 2022 Spring Bulletin was published, we have some new Champions to welcome into the Network!

• Charles Curtin (NM)

• Rachel Zweig (NM)

• Diane Pratt (NM)

• Christine Salem (NM)

• Laura McCann (NM)

• Robin Reindle (NM)

If you or someone you know is interested in joining the Network, please visit the NACD website for more information or contact Beth Mason.

As Soil Health Champions, many of you would be considered "cutting edge," "early adopters," and even "risk-takers." One thing you all would probably agree upon is that no one wants or needs to spend time "re-inventing the wheel."

NACD would like to help share your research projects with others so they can see the avenues you've explored, the successes, the failures, the lessons learned, and new ideas for improving soil health systems. Through sharing, we hope to learn from your experiences.

To discuss sharing your research projects, please contact, Beth Mason, NACD North Central Region Representative at beth-mason@nacdnet.org.

Soil Health Champion Ron Rayner (AZ) of the Agua-Fria Natural Resources Conservation District was named winner of the 2022 Conservation Leadership Farmer Award at the annual meeting of the Arizona Association of Conservation Districts, August 4 - 5 in Phoenix, AZ.

Soil Health Champion Mitchell Hora from Iowa recently traveled to the Netherlands for the Regenerative Agriculture & Food Systems Summit where he and his company Continuum Ag were recognized as an Innovation Showcase Winner for 2022.

Soil Health Champion David Brandt (OH) has been getting more and more recognition INSIDE and OUTSIDE of the regenerative agriculture community. Memes like "It ain't much, but it's honest work" have made Brandt a recognizable face to many, but it has also helped bring attention to his message of soil health and regenerative ag.

Brandt was recently interviewed for the online publication Input. Click here to read more and hear what he has to say about his fame as a friendly character in memes.

Since we established the network in 2015, NACD has offered many opportunities to Soil Health Champions whether for research, travel, speaking, interviews, expo exhibitors, etc. This NACD Soil Health Champion Survey was written to help us get to know you better so we can leverage your interests and strengths with opportunities that NACD can offer! We are also looking for your ideas to help advance the network in new ways.

The survey was designed to take no more than 10 minutes and consists mainly of check-the-box answers. A few champions have already taken the survey to provide feedback before the broader release, and they all agree - it was painless! Thank you in advance for helping us gather this valuable information!

Are you a member of our Facebook Group? If you are an NACD Soil Health Champion or the conservation district or Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) employee who sponsors a Champion, be sure you connect with us on Facebook.

Share your conservation, articles, pictures, updates and events with us by connecting through Facebook! This is an opportunity to network and discuss soil health, and can be a chance to conduct outreach among other members.

So, be sure to search for "NACD Soil Health Champions" and request to join today!