Washington, D.C., (April 2, 2020) — USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) today announced a cooperative agreement with the Farm Journal Foundation to provide funds to support key tactics of America’s Conservation Ag Movement — a large-scale public-private partnership raising awareness and adoption across agriculture of a new generation of profitable, planet-friendly farming and ranching practices.
NRCS is the leading federal conservation agency driving improvements across agriculture through robust cost-sharing programs and hands-on assistance from upward of 5,000 NRCS field staff across America.
“This agreement further supports our mission of outreach and education to agricultural producers across the nation that drives resiliency in American farming and ranching operations across the nation,” said NRCS Chief Matthew Lohr.
The $2 million NRCS agreement will help collect and distribute state-of-the-art national workbooks and related educational content for improving agriculture’s impact on water, air and soil. Materials will be widely broadcast throughout all sectors of farming and ranching. The agreement also funds local watershed projects in five states, building peer-to-peer sharing networks to improve farmer adoption of profitable conservation practice changes.
Matching funds and additional support for America’s Conservation Ag Movement are being provided by a broad coalition of leading agribusinesses, food companies and non-profit organizations. Organized by Trust In Food, a Farm Journal initiative, the program is designed to more rapidly scale the adoption, documentation and beneficial outcomes of conservation agriculture while sharing opportunities throughout the value chain for more resiliently produced food. The program builds upon and amplifies the work of USDA’s NRCS and many other public and private groups that have worked for decades to improve the ecological impact of agriculture.
In addition to the Farm Journal Foundation and Farm Journal’s Trust In Food, America’s Conservation Ag Movement partners include American Farmland Trust, Corteva Agriscience, Ducks Unlimited, National Corn Growers Association, National Pork Board, The Nature Conservancy, Sanderson Farms, Syngenta and Valent USA. Other partners from across the agri-food value chain and conservation community will be announced shortly.
About USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service
NRCS plays a crucial role in supporting America’s farmers and ranchers with financial and technical assistance to deliver conservation solutions on a voluntary basis. Its mission is to deliver conservation solutions so agricultural producers can protect natural resources and feed a growing world. Its vision is a world of clean and abundant water, healthy soils, resilient landscapes and thriving agricultural communities through voluntary conservation.
About Farm Journal Foundation
Farm Journal Foundation is an independent, non-partisan organization dedicated to sustaining agriculture’s ability to meet the vital needs of a growing population through education and advocacy. To build support for sustaining American leadership in agriculture, Farm Journal Foundation engages with farmers and other producers, educates young people about agriculture and helps policymakers understand the vital importance of agriculture to the U.S. economy and global stability. To learn more, go to www.FarmJournalFoundation.org.
About Trust In Food
Trust In Food™ is a purpose-driven division of Farm Journal dedicated to rebuilding consumer confidence in the U.S. agricultural value chain by partnering with farmers and ranchers to accelerate conservation agriculture practice adoption and maintenance benefiting land, water, air and the financial health of farm businesses. It advances this mission through data science, research, strategic communications and the omnichannel Farm Journal platform in collaboration with conservation organizations, government agencies, agribusinesses, food companies and retailers, and other food system stakeholders.
About Farm Journal
Farm Journal is the nation’s leading business information and media company serving the agricultural market. Started 144 years ago with the preeminent Farm Journal magazine, the company serves the row crop, livestock, produce and retail sectors through branded websites, eNewsletters and phone apps; business magazines; live events including conferences, seminars and tradeshows; nationally broadcasted television and radio programs; a robust mobile text marketing business; and an array of data-driven paid information products. Farm Journal also is the majority shareholder of the online equipment marketplace, Machinery Pete LLC. In 2010, the company established the non-profit, public charity Farm Journal Foundation dedicated to sustaining agriculture’s ability to meet the vital needs of a growing population through education and empowerment.