On cattle, climate, scientific uncertainty and whether we know enough to make better decisions.

Part 2 of our series on homesteading takes a dive into the scientific literature. We explore a paper in the September issue of Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment on Fences and their biophysical and social impacts. This science helps further unpack some of the problematic aspects associated with the colonial homestead origins of American agriculture, as well as points to opportunities to build greater resilience.

The Inflation Reduction Act includes a big infusion of much needed funds for climate action, but what does it mean for the food & ag sector? Will public funds lead the way, or has the groundwork laid by voluntary corporate action made in the absence of prior public leadership already gotten us on the right path? We dive into where the money’s going, what it will do for climate impacts, and what we think remains to be done to catalyze change in the sector.

A recap of connections between this quarter’s core topics - climate action in ag and IUU action in fisheries - and why I’m excited about how an enhanced traceability framework could enable progress on these large-scale, global challenges.

Regenerative agriculture has been getting a lot of hype. But, when it comes down to it, the practices needed to start regenerating soil are relatively straightforward - growing winter small grains and winter legumes to replace synthetic nitrogen fertilizer. Since 2017, I have been engaged with the Sustainable Food Lab and the Practical Farmers of Iowa’s Feed Chains and Small Grains work. This past year, buoyed by Conservation Innovation Grant funding the group has made some exciting progress in modeling the scale up these basic regenerative approaches. We met yesterday at Target’s headquarters in Minneapolis to review what’s possible on the farm level and what’s needed from the business side from commodity companies to CPGs to support the shift.