Regenerate America’s thousands of farmers, food companies and soil experts urge Biden Administration to utilize the bill’s $20 billion earmarked for conservation to help scale regenerative agriculture for farmer livelihoods, climate resilience, and national security 

Washington, D.C. – In response to the historic Inflation Reduction Act passed by the Senate this past weekend, Regenerate America released the following statement: 

“Regenerate America applauds the Senate’s passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, which includes $20 billion for USDA conservation programs. This allocation recognizes the vital role of farmers and ranchers in addressing climate change and is a tremendous opportunity. However, to tackle both our climate crisis and rural economic crisis with the urgency they demand, we must prioritize practices that rebuild soil through regenerative agriculture. 

Research has found that through regenerative practices, over 20% of annual CO2 emissions (or up to 100% in best case scenarios) could be sequestered annually in U.S. soils. Healthy soils also increase climate resilience to the impacts of flood, drought and fire, while increasing farmer profits, revitalizing rural economies, increasing nutrition and health, and restoring biodiversity and watersheds. 

Over 50% of U.S. soils are heavily degraded. Regenerative farmers and ranchers across the nation are already leading the effort to reverse the devastating erosion of American topsoil, but they need support to expand their efforts. 

We applaud the inclusion of language in the bill that directs USDA to use the $20 billion for conservation practices that directly improve soil carbon or sequester greenhouse gas emissions. We encourage USDA to prioritize practices that build soil health and improve producer profitability, while maximizing climate resilience and ecosystem function. The additional $1 billion in Conservation Technical Assistance will connect more farmers and ranchers to the boots-on-the-ground support necessary to build resiliency on their land. We must also ensure staff and technical assistance providers are trained on leading regenerative management systems to support successful implementation. While the bill more than doubles funding for key conservation programs (assuming current spending levels are maintained), that funding still will not meet all needs. Current conservation programs are oversubscribed by as much as 3 to 1. 

If we fail to direct ample funding from this historic legislative package to regenerative agriculture, we will see continued rapid soil loss, experience unparalleled disruptions to our food supply chains, and miss a once-in-a-generation opportunity to rebuild our soils, our health, and our communities.

We urge the House to pass the Inflation Reduction Act immediately with conservation funding intact. USDA and the Biden Administration should then dedicate an ample portion of those resources to equip America’s farmers and ranchers to do something bold and absolutely vital: scale the rapid and widespread adoption of regenerative agriculture. We will also continue to push for additional support for soil health and regenerative agriculture in the 2023 Farm Bill and beyond.”

Regenerate America is driven by a rapidly growing coalition. Current members include: 

Alec’s Ice Cream

American Resilience Project

American Sustainable Business Network

Ancient Nutrition

Apricot Lane Farms

Applegate

Ben & Jerry’s

Biodynamic Demeter Alliance

Bionutrient Food Association

Brother’s Bond Bourbon

Climate Collaborative

Cooks Venture

Coyuchi

Denver Urban Gardens

Dr. Bronner’s

E2

Earthjustice

Edible Schoolyard

Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance

Farmer’s Footprint

FAVES

Fearless Farmers

Food Tank

Foundation for Regeneration 

Funders for Regenerative Agriculture

GC Resolve

Great Plains Regeneration

Green America

Handsome Brook Farms

Holistic Management International

Holistic Roasters

HowGood

Intertribal Agriculture Council

Izaak Walton League of America

J. Crew/Madewell

Kellogg Garden Products

King Arthur Baking Company

Land Core

Local First Arizona

Mad Agriculture

Minnesota Soil Health Coalition

Nanban Foundation

National Black Farmers Association

National Center for Appropriate Technology

Natural Resources Defense Council

New Mexico Healthy Soil Working Group

The Non-GMO Project

Non-Toxic Neighborhoods

Oatman Farms

Onda Wellness

Other Half Processing SBC

Pennsylvania Farmers Union

People, Food and Land Foundation

Philosopher Foods

Planetary Health Collective

Pocono Organics

Propagate Ventures

Quinn Foods

Regenerative Agriculture Alliance

Regenerative Farmers of America

Regenerative Rising

Responsible Business Coalition

Savory Institute

Soil4Climate

Soil Health Academy/Understanding Ag

Smartwool

Steaz

Steward

Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture

Textile Exchange

Timberland

The Carbon Underground

The Climate Reality Project: Chicago Metro Chapter

The North Face

Thousand Hills Lifetime Grazed

TomKat Ranch

TreeRange Farms

US Composting Council

Vans

White Buffalo Land Trust

White Leaf Provisions

White Oak Pastures

Wynbrandt Farms

Zero Foodprint

Farmer Leadership Council: 

Yadi Wang, Oatman Flats Ranch (Arizona) 

Adam Chappell, Chappell Farm (Arkansas)

Jesse Smith, White Buffalo Land Trust (California)

Wayne (Chipper) Swanson, Jr., Swanson Family Farm (Georgia) 

Will Harris, White Oak Pastures (Georgia) 

Rick Clark, Clark Land & Cattle (Indiana) 

Kyle Apsey, Apsey Farms (Michigan) 

Grant & Dawn Breitkreutz, Stoney Creek Farm (Minnesota) 

Ariel Greenwood, Grassland Nomads (Montana) 

Angela Knuth, Knuth Farms (Nebraska) 

Graham Christensen, Christensen Farms (Nebraska) 

Chili Yazzie, Shiprock Traditional Farmers’ Cooperative (New Mexico)

Phyllis Van Amburgh, Dharma Lea Farm (New York)

Abbie Corse, The Corse Farm Dairy (Vermont) 

Lauren Lovejoy, Blue Horn Farm (Virginia) 

Melony Edwards, Ebony by Nature (Washington)