Soil…when you stop and think about all the ways which we utilize soil, it’s quite awe-inspiring in my opinion. Soil is a medium for plant growth, it helps to purify our water, acts as habitat for earthworms and microbes which facilitates the breakdown of organic material, and it’s an engineering medium on which we build literally everything. And so, investing in our soils and soil health has been a popular topic at the local level at field days and at the state level by a ton of agencies and organizations. This was highlighted by last week’s Soil Health Summit in Sacramento hosted by the leaders of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the California Department of Food & Agriculture (CDFA), Carlos Suarez and Secretary Karen Ross respectively. People from every part of ag were there: public agencies; private companies; non-profits and NGOs; farmers and ranchers; and the list goes on (Many RCDs, including the ESRCD were there too!). There were well over 100 people filling the auditorium and dozens more in an overflow room, with hundreds more watching on the webinar!
It was an extremely exciting event for us to be a part of, and I had the honor and pleasure of speaking in between our State Soil Scientist, Tony Rolfes, and the leader of the CA Resource Conservation Districts, Karen Buhr, about the compost field trials that I’ve been highlighting in past newsletters. There were not only speakers but multiple panels that included producers, investors, researchers, and more. A generous amount of time was left at the end of the day for public comment, but the entire amount of time was utilized. Folks were encouraged to talk about what they and/or their organization could provide as well as any needs they might have, but many other topics arose as well. Survey forms were also available, and NRCS staff is currently digitizing this data to streamline the feedback assessment process. We will keep you updated on any progressions.
Then this week CDFA held another public meeting, through its Science Advisory Panel, focused on the State Water Efficiency and Enhancement Program (SWEEP) and the proposed framework of the Healthy Soils Initiative. This was more of an informative meeting, so I will just give you some key points I took away from the meeting; however, for a description and the presentation slides that were used, please go to the following address:
Notes from SWEEP
- Mar 14th deadline for submission, announcement in May; then have 12 months to implement your project; then 2-3 mos. for closing out, including a verification
- this is an extension from previous rounds
- a grower noted that the extension is great, esp. when having to collaborate with other entities such as energy companies that run on longer timelines
- RCD projects were highlighted, including technical assistance workshops
- Stated as first program to match water savings and GHG reduction
Healthy Soils
- Reduced till, no-till, and cover cropping are now listed as accepted practices, and their respective quantification methods were discussed
- Compost on Grasslands and Croplands are also accepted practices!
- Demonstration projects and incentive projects are the two main categories
- Oct. 27th start date for incentive program, and most likely for the demo program as well
- CA Against Waste applauded CDFA for adding compost
- Environmental Defense Fund reminded that carbon sequestration takes time to show itself, and mentioned the need to focus on streamlining the data submission process for farmers and ranchers (no duplication!)
- CalCAN asked about logistics for adding practices to the healthy soils program over time
- mentioned how the list of accepted prescribed grazing for achieving carbon sequestration benefits
- Multiple organizations expressed their use for COMET-Planner and cited its current on-the-ground success
- Next meeting for this Science Advisory Panel is March 16 and will also be held in Sacramento
Please let us know if you want to submit a comment, but were unable to attend the meetings, and we can help ensure your voice is heard. Hope everyone is having a happy new year and thanks for reading!
Best, Jeff