May 18, 2019 — Thetford, Vermont — Seth Itzkan, cofounder of Soil4Climate, a global movement promoting better agricultural management, including managed grazing, as a climate solution, will be giving a keynote address on Thursday, May 23rd, at the “TRANSFORM Climate, Communities, and Capital” conference in San Francisco.

An emerging body of peer-reviewed studies have found conducting livestock grazing in a way that emulates the movement of wild herds restores fecundity and wildlife habitat to land degraded by conventional agricultural practices such as tilling (plowing), fallowing, the application of synthetic, fossil fuel-based fertilizers and pesticides, and, ironically, poorly-managed grazing.

Farmers throughout the U.S., including Joel Salatin of Virginia, Will Harris of Georgia, and Gabe Brown of North Dakota, among a multitude of others, report higher productivity and profitability as a result of adopting new grazing practices that rapidly improve soil fertility while reducing or eliminating the need for expensive, polluting chemical inputs.

The production of fake meat, whether plant-based or lab-grown, results in greenhouse gas emissions, causing the climate crisis to worsen. By contrast, real — not Impossible (™) ​— meat from real cows captures carbon in soil, empowering agriculture to fulfill its role as the only sector of the economy able to extract billions of tons of carbon dioxide from the air annually.

“Given the severity of the climate crisis, the last thing needed is more factory food that puts carbon dioxide into the air instead of removing it,” stated Itzkan.

Large areas of the world are turning into desert because of a lack of the beneficial ruminant impact with which these grasslands and savannas co-evolved over tens of millions of years. The Southwestern U.S., today mostly barren scrubland, as recently as 150 years ago was home to wildlife-rich tallgrass prairie, kept healthy by enormous herds of bison, antelope, and other grazers.
“Saving civilization requires us to think inside the paddock,” observed Itzkan, a reference to Holistic Planned Grazing (commonly referred to in academic literature as Adaptive Multi-paddock “AMP” Grazing), the biological innovation pioneered by Zimbabwean wildlife biologist Allan Savory. A recently published Life Cycle Analysis of beef production, funded by General Mills, found Holistic Planned Grazing yields a superior environmental outcome when compared to conventional grazing and artificial “meat” production.

Conference organizer Nick Aster said, “We’re really happy to have Seth join us at TRANSFORM. Part of our conference is asking questions that may not have easy answers, and may even rock a few boats. Understanding how meat production can be a regenerative force for the future is a wildly interesting topic. I can’t wait!”

“We’re really happy to have Seth join us at TRANSFORM. Part of our conference is asking questions that may not have easy answers, and may even rock a few boats. Understanding how meat production can be a regenerative force for the future is a wildly interesting topic. I can’t wait!” - Nick Aster, conference organizer

Soil4Climate, a U.S.-based nonprofit, nongovernmental organization, advocates for soil restoration as a climate solution. Soil4Climate promotes regenerative cropping and grazing practices to improve soil fertility, increase the bionutrient density of food, restore wildlife habitat, reduce flooding, replenish dried-up lakes and rivers, revitalize farming and pastoral communities, and lessen international conflict while sequestering atmospheric carbon. Join the 11,000+ scientists, farmers, policymakers, journalists, and concerned global citizens of Soil4Climate at facebook.com/groups/Soil4Climate

Discount tickets to the TRANSFORM conference are available at:   https://www.eventbrite.com/e/transform-2019-climate-communities-capital-tickets-53397260644?discount=Friends88jr1

The description of Mr. Itzkan’s talk is below.

Holy Cow! It’s true. Cows and other large herbivores properly managed really are essential to reversing global warming and saving humanity. They’ll do this by restoring fertility to billions acres of depleted grassland soils around the planet - from New Mexico to South Africa - reversing desertification and helping perennial plants to sequester prodigious quantities of atmospheric carbon - sufficient to cool the planet and change the weather - literally. Seth Itzkan, cofounder of Soil4Climate Inc., an educational nonprofit that advocates for soil restoration as a climate solution, will discuss the science and practices behind this important innovation and invite you to participate in helping to launch their exciting land restoration project with the Maasai in Kenya.
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Media contact:
Karl Thidemann
Soil4Climate
soil4climate.org
karl.thidemann@gmail.com

http://www.greenenergytimes.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/GET_May-2019.pdf
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Healthy Soils Legislation Helps Green New Deal
By Seth Itzkan, Steven Keleti, and Karl Thidemann

Congressional Democrats have offered an ambitious legislative framework for 2019. Titled the Green New Deal, it seeks to tackle impending climate threats while generating innovative opportunities in the energy, transportation, and agricultural sectors.

The Green New Deal includes support of soil health. Between 50% to 70% of agricultural soil has been lost, and rebuilding soil health is crucial for food system security, water quality, and climate change mitigation.
A bi-partisan movement at the state level is calling for what is termed “Healthy Soils Legislation.” Proposed bills nationwide promote good land stewardship through principles and practices that support the aspirations of the Green New Deal by providing practical support for farmers and ranchers, many of whom might not otherwise be supportive of climate efforts.

Speaking to this point, Bill McKibben, founder of the global climate movement, 350.org, stated, "Soil is increasingly taking its rightful and necessary place in the climate fight; this is a battle farmers and ranchers can help the world win."
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"Soil is increasingly taking its rightful and necessary place in the climate fight; this is a battle farmers and ranchers can help the world win." - Bill McKibben

A promising indicator of this comes from New Mexico where a Healthy Soils Act was approved with rare, overwhelming consensus. The House version passed with a vote of 48-6 and the Senate version passed unanimously, 34-0.

Officially titled “An Act Relating to Natural Resources,” the New Mexico law creates a Healthy Soil Program and a Healthy Soil Grant Program in the state’s Department of Agriculture. The purpose of the program is “to promote and support farming and ranching systems and other forms of land management that increase soil organic matter, aggregate stability, microbiology and water retention to improve the health, yield and profitability of the soils of the state.”

It should be noted that the phrase, “increase soil organic matter,” literally means to increase the carbon content of soil. Carbon is naturally accumulated in soil through the photosynthesis process. Conventional farming and ranching practices have greatly depleted soil of its carbon, contributing to global warming and exacerbating the impact of droughts and floods.

Fortunately, improved cropping and grazing methods embraced by environmentalists and producers, and emphasized in Healthy Soils legislative efforts, can reverse this negative trend and increase soil carbon, making these approaches important allies in the climate flight.

It is estimated that improving soil globally can sequester many billions of tons of excess atmospheric carbon annually. Such “drawdown” efforts — that pull carbon out of the air — will be essential as we take measures to bring atmospheric carbon dioxide back down to safe levels.

Commenting on the bi-partisan nature of the New Mexico effort, Jeff Goebel, a management consultant involved in drafting and lobbying for the legislation stated, “We understood that the only people who can actually change the health of the soil on a daily basis are ranchers, farmers, foresters, and gardeners. Therefore, we need to do everything possible to help land managers be successful. We were adaptive (consensual) in the language without giving up the integrity of the legislation.”

"We understood that the only people who can actually change the health of the soil on a daily basis are ranchers, farmers, foresters, and gardeners." - Jeff Goebel

Nebraska recently passed legislation to create a Healthy Soils Task Force to develop a healthy soils initiative and action plan. A Massachusetts bill, “An Act to Promote Healthy Soils,” directs the state to form a Healthy Soils Program that shall “seek to optimize climate benefits while supporting the economic viability of agriculture in the commonwealth…”. With strong bi-partisan support from both chambers, passage is likely. Healthy soils legislation has also been in legislatures in 2019 in the following additional states: Connecticut, Vermont, New York, Illinois, Iowa, Washington and Oregon.

A complete list of state-level healthy soils legislative efforts is available at the Soil4Climate website, www.soil4climate.org.

See full state legislative Google spreadsheet here ​

Comments from Steven Keleti

Connecticut (HB6647)  draft includes definition for “healthy soils practices” and sets up fund for programs; draft not filed, due to full docket – will be submitted for 2020 session.
Illinois (SB1980/HB2737) adds definition for “soil health”, and includes soil health in soil and water conservation districts law – moving forward in both chambers and has broad support.
(HB2819) allows Dept. of Natural Resources to require soil health requirements in leases of state land – tabled in committee
Iowa (HSB 78) provides for tax exemption for planting cover crops – stalled in committee.
(HF 102) provides "for a statewide soil resource health and recovery monitoring system” – stalled in committee.
Massachusetts (SD1438/HD3065) adds definition for “healthy soils practices” and sets up fund for programs, adds expert on healthy soils practices to food policy council – broad bi-partisan support with 37% of legislators co-sponsoring, hearing likely in May.
Nebraska (LB243) creates Soil Health Task Force – signed into law 4/17/2019!
(LB283) funding for creation of climate action plan, including through improvements to soil health – stalled in committee.
(LB729) provides incentives for cover crops  – stalled in committee.
New Mexico (SB218/HB204) sets up healthy soils program – signed into law 4/2/2019!
New York (A02718) provides tax exemption for carbon farming, with exemption based upon the economic value of carbon sequestered – in committee.
Oregon (HB2020) sets up cap-and-invest, allowing funding of agricultural sequestration of carbon – in committee.
Washington (SB 5947/HB 2095) sets up sustainable farm and field program – in committee at end of session.

It is still reasonably possible for legislation to be filed this session in:
Ohio – draft legislation exists, adding definition of healthy soils practices to soil and water conservation districts law and creates fund for healthy soils programs; there appears to be a legislator interested in submitting the bill, yet more support is needed.
Vermont – H903 from last session probably will be taken up again, providing improvements to Vermont Environmental Stewardship Program.
Perhaps another healthy soils bill will also be filed.

It is likely that legislation supporting healthy soils will be before legislatures in 2020 in (east-to-west):
Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Iowa, Oregon, and Washington,
and possible in numerous other states.

Karl Thidemann Reciting "Climate Farming" Poem at Healthy Soils Hearing, Tuesday, May 14, 2019, Boston, MA.


Climate Farming
by Karl Thidemann

So, what's the future?
Is there no hope?
Healing the land
Can help us cope
And grow better food
With less flooding, too
Put carbon in soil
Is what we must do

Draw down the heat
Slow the sea rise
Let birds and bees
Thrive in the skies
Good farming is how
We deal with this mess
Now the climate's fixed
What's next to address?

This was for Massachusetts state legislators at the Joint Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture hearing on the Healthy Soils Act - "An Act to promote healthy soils and agricultural innovation within the Commonwealth" - https://malegislature.gov/Bills/191/S438.
The full testimony is here https://youtu.be/OQvfQcFeofM youtu.be/OQvfQcFeofM

#HealthySoilsAct

Seth Itzkan & Karl Thidemann, Cofounders of Soil4Climate Inc, give testimony to the Massachusetts Joint Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture hearing on the Healthy Soils Act - "An Act to promote healthy soils and agricultural innovation within the Commonwealth," May 14, 2019. - https://malegislature.gov/Bills/191/S438. Includes Karl Thidemann reciting his poem, "Climate Farming." 

​YouTube video is available here. 

Climate Farming
by Karl Thidemann

So, what's the future?
Is there no hope?
Healing the land
Can help us cope
And grow better food
With less flooding, too
Put carbon in soil
Is what we must do

Draw down the heat
Slow the sea rise
Let birds and bees
Thrive in the skies
Good farming is how
We deal with this mess
Now the climate's fixed
What's next to address?

#HealthySoilsAct