Regenerative Continued from Page 1 “big tent” approach that would encourage more farmers to adopt practices that they say benefit ecosystems. Others called for a narrower definition, saying broadening it would cheapen the term. More specifical- ly, they want organic farming practices to serve as a baseline. The CDFA Environmental Farming Act Science Advisory Panel did some prelim- inary work and has submitted to the state some recommendations that serve as guiding principles. Jeff Dlott, who chairs the panel, said the group wants to guard against green- washing, which refers to making decep- tive advertising or marketing claims about products and services so that they appear more environmentally friendly. He said the panel suggested “larger guardrails” so the term can apply to most California farmers. “We did not have a preconceived notion of what that meant other than applicable to more rather than less,” he said, adding the “hard work” will be moving forward as public discussions help decide how big the tent should be. With California’s di- verse farming regions, he said the panel recommended a definition robust enough to accommodate the state’s more than 400 crops and 1,500 soil types. The panel also said regenerative agri- culture should lead to positive impacts on the environment, climate, social and hu- man health, and the economy. The results should be easily measured and verified without being too burdensome on farmers and ranchers, the panel said. In addition, the panel suggested that building soil health should be a foundation of regenerative agriculture. This could be through practices that sequester carbon, increase soil biodiversity and alleviate cli- mate change.
Most of the people who spoke at the meeting sided with restricting regenera- tive agriculture to only organic farmers. Several called for prohibiting conventional pesticides and fertilizers, including the use of biotech methods such as CRISPR and genetic engineering. Lena Brook of the environmental group Natural Resources Defense Council praised the inclusion of human health goals in the panel’s proposed definition. But she said there should be more focus on “an explicit commitment to reducing and/ or possibly eliminating the use of synthet- ic inputs like pesticides and fertilizers.” At a minimum, organic farming techniques should be one way into regenerative agri- culture, she said. “This is especially important consider- ing that you’re taking a big tent approach because we definitely want to encourage more producers to adopt regenerative practices and be inclusive, and we also want to make sure that the tent isn’t so big that the entire concept of regenerative…is completely watered down,” Brook added. Tim LaSalle, co-founder of the Center for Regenerative Agriculture and Resilient Systems at California State University, Chico, advocated leaving room in policy language for the 99% of farmers who are not organic, to get them on board using practic- es that improve soil health, such as no-till, which is not required in organic farming. “Farmers will move quickly to reduce their input costs as they find they don’t need them,” he said, adding that constrict- ing the framework up front “will keep most farmers away.” Del Norte County farmer Blake Alexandre said even though he’s “an ab- solute believer in organic,” he urged those calling to restrict regenerative to organic to keep an open mind.
“Instead of asking everybody to switch churches and religions all at the same time, I really encourage farmers to consider some of the religious principles of regener- ative ag and start there, and we’ll get them in the organic world eventually because it’s logically what makes sense,” he said. Others such as John Roulac, who found- ed the organic food company Nutiva, said one of the best ways to expand biodiversi- ty in soils and ecosystems is to work with larger-scale farms. “Regeneration offers the potential to help change agricultural practices on tens of millions of acres,” Roulac said. Doug Peterson, a producer in Missouri, challenged the notion that organic equals regenerative, saying, “just because you are organic doesn’t mean you are regenera- tive. Some of the worst farms I’ve been on have been organic.” He urged the state to be cautious in the process, as its actions could set a precedent for other states. Rosie Burroughs of Burroughs Family Farms in Denair spoke in favor of supporting
farmers in transitioning to regenerative farming, as “it doesn’t happen overnight.” “The beautiful part about it is that when farmers get to experience the positive suc- cess using the regenerative practices… they will be able to wean themselves off of the heroin addiction of toxic chemicals,” she said. Doria Robinson, executive director of Urban Tilth who serves on the State Board of Food and Agriculture, invited thoughts on whether regenerative agricultural systems should also include socioeconomic struc- tures such as farmworker treatment as part of the framework. Some certification pro- grams require farmers to meet standards on animal welfare and farmworker fairness. After the five listening sessions, the state board plans to create a work group to con- sider public comments and results from the science advisory panel. The task force will then make a recommendation to the state board by June or July 2024, Robinson said. (Ching Lee is an assistant editor of Ag Alert. She may be contacted at clee@cfbf.com.)
CASH BACK $6,000 or CASH BACK $6,000 or
UP TO 0 UP TO 0
1
% FINANCING FOR 60 MONTHS on PowerStar ™ Series tractors % FINANCING FOR 60 MONTHS on PowerStar ™ Series tractors
2
1
2
Agricultural Market Review Quotations are the latest available for the week ending Dec. 15, 2023 Year Ago Week Ago Latest Week Livestock
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Slaughter Steers – 5-Area Average Select & Choice, 1150–1460 lbs., $/cwt. Hogs – Average hog, 51-52% lean, Iowa-Minn. market, $/cwt. Slaughter Lambs – $ per cwt. 125–175 lbs. National weekly live sales Field crops – basis prompt shipment Cotton – ¢ per lb., Middling 1 3/32” Fresno spot market Corn – U.S. No. 2 yellow $/bu. trucked Alfalfa Hay – $ per ton, quality * , FOB Region 1, Northern Inter-mountain
155.00
169-171
167-170
79.00
67.38
68.95
117-140
180
188
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H elle Farm Equipment, Inc. 1 4155 Route 136, Dyersville, IA 52040 h ttps://www.hellefarmequipment.com 5 55-555-5555
79.37
78.72
77.65
8.85
6.64
6.52
No Quote No Quote 260 (G/F) 475 (P/S)
No Quote
No Quote No Quote No Quote 90 (F/G)
Region 2, Sacramento Valley
310 (S)
H elle Farm Equipment, Inc. 1 4155 Route 136, Dyersville, IA 52040 h ttps://www.hellefarmequipment.com 5 55-555-5555
Region 3, Northern San Joaquin Valley Region 4, Central San Joaquin Valley
No Quote 155 {F/G)
Region 5, Southern California Region 6, Southeast Interior
No Quote 19.50 (P, per bale) 19.50 (P, per bale)
380-400 (P)
250-260 (P)
210 (P)
Rice – Milled #1 Head, FOB No. Calif. mills Medium grain, $ per cwt.
68-72
40-42
40-42
1 For commercial use only. See your participating New Holland dealer for details and eligibility requirements. Cash back applied at time of sale. Offer is nontransferable. Offer ends December 31, 2023. Offer subject to change or cancellation without notice. 2 For commercial use only. Customer participation subject to credit qualification and approval by CNH Industrial Capital America LLC. See your participating New Holland dealer for details and eligibility requirements. Eligible equipment limited to dealer inventory in stock. Previous retail sales are not eligible. Down payment may be required. Offer good through December 31, 2023. Not all customers or applicants may qual- ify for this rate or term. CNH Industrial Capital America LLC standard terms and conditions will apply. This transaction will be unconditionally interest free. Taxes, freight, setup, delivery, additional options or attachments not included in suggested retail price. Offer subject to change or cancellation without notice. ©2023 CNH Industrial America LLC. All rights reserved. CNH Industrial Capital and New Holland are trademarks registered in the United States and many other countries, owned by or licensed to CNH Industrial N.V., its subsidiaries or affiliates.
Provided by the California Farm Bureau as a service to Farm Bureau members. Information supplied by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Market News Branch. * ADF=Acid detergent fiber; (S) = Supreme/<27%ADF; (P) = Premium/27-29; (G) = Good/29-32; (F) = Fair/32-35.
December 20, 2023 Ag Alert 11
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