The USDA launched a new $700 million pilot program to help more farmers adopt regenerative practices and support their transition to conservation ag. We were visiting with Cambridge, Ill., farmer Monte Bottens shortly after the news broke last week. Here’s Monte’s initial take on it.
“So, at this moment in time, we’re about 2 hours after the live stream announcement. You and I know as much about that as everyone else. There’s a lot of devil in the details here.”
“So, what is that going to mean? I don’t know. I like the fact that they’re recognizing soil health is connected to human health, so that’s a point. I like the fact that they’re going to focus on farmer led pilots. So it’s, ‘What is right for that context?’ and let the farmer lead the pilot. I like that.”
“How this is all going to happen could be really interesting because they want to use existing NRCS programs. Using an existing program to get money to a pilot of something that doesn’t ever exist, I’m not quite sure how that’s going to work, but it’s a start. It’s not regenerative as wackadoo. You know, in the long-term, no-till and soil health practices aren’t wackadoo. It’s a recognition of that. It’s a recognition that it can affect human health.”
The announcement didn’t define what regenerative practices will be encouraged. We reached out to the USDA for clarification. Read more about the regenerative pilot program and how to sign up on Strip-TillFarmer.com.
Watch the full version of this episode of Conservation Ag Update.
