{"id":614,"date":"2020-12-23T10:38:27","date_gmt":"2020-12-23T15:38:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/clients.dotgov.com\/esmc\/?p=614"},"modified":"2021-02-03T16:10:03","modified_gmt":"2021-02-03T21:10:03","slug":"december-2020-esmc-monthly-newsletter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/clients.dotgov.com\/esmc\/december-2020-esmc-monthly-newsletter\/","title":{"rendered":"December 2020 ESMC Monthly Newsletter"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n
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Ecosystem Services Market Consortium
\nMonthly Newsletter
\nDecember 2020<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0<\/strong><\/div>\n
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Our Mission<\/strong>: To advance ecosystem service markets that incentivize farmers and ranchers to improve soil health systems that benefit society.<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n
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ESMC News<\/strong>
\nExecutive Director Update<\/strong>
\nDear ESMC Members, Stakeholders and Supporters,<\/div>\n
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As we wrap up 2020, we want to acknowledge what a tumultuous and unprecedented time we have all endured over the past year. The global COVID pandemic has upended many of us and changed our lives in many ways, some in ways that will remain with us and our children forever. Agriculture and food systems have been tested in ways we could not have imagined prior to the pandemic. We have witnessed the tenacity and the grit of workers in the global agricultural and food industries, and the limitations in support that could be offered, as well as the outpouring of support that was offered as a result. Trials bring out the best and the worst of us and our systems and response capacities.<\/p>\n

COVID, climate change, and water, natural resource, and economic concerns all will compete for our time and attention in 2021 and beyond; we will continue to face these challenges and more in the new year. Working together we will better overcome these challenges. This week, an ESMC Board member pointed out the ability of public-private partnerships in delivering two vaccines for COVID in record time and reminded me that public-private partnerships like ESMC\/ESMRC can do the same. It is this spirit and grit and hope and partnership that will make us successful in responding to the challenges in the coming year and delivering ecosystem services impacts at scale. We can make a difference.<\/p>\n

We hope that everyone everywhere receives support and comfort as we end this year and celebrate the start of 2021; we look forward to renewed engagement, commitments, and new successes in the new year.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

From all of us at Team ESMC<\/div>\n
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ESMC Welcomes a New Research Manager, Amanda Raster
\n<\/strong>We are pleased to welcome Amanda Raster as\u00a0ESMRC\u2019s Research Manager<\/a>. Amanda will lead the ESMRC Working Group and Strike Team activities, bringing with her fifteen years of experience in food systems and multi-stakeholder sustainable agriculture initiatives. She previously served as the Science Director at U.S. Farmers & Ranchers in Action, where she led a comprehensive life cycle assessment harmonization project for major U.S. ag commodities and engaged farmers, ranchers, and supply chain partners around the science of sustainable food systems. Amanda grew up on a dairy farm in northern Wisconsin and is currently pursuing a Master\u2019s in Political Science and Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University. Welcome Amanda!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Employment Opportunities at ESMC\/ESMRC<\/strong>
\nESMC and ESMRC, the research arm of ESMC, have several new positions open immediately for individuals looking to join the ESMC\/ESMRC team.\u00a0All positions are posted on ESMC\u2019s website<\/a>; interested applicants should send a cover letter, along with salary requirements, available start dates, and a resume to\u00a0info@ecosystemservicesmarket.org<\/a>. Please include your name in the title of all files (ex. Jane Doe cover letter). All positions will remain posted until filled.<\/p>\n

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Senior Software Engineer<\/strong><\/u>
\nESMRC seeks an experienced, highly skilled, and motivated Senior Software Engineer (FTE contractor) with experience in leading the development of successful technology tools and\/or platforms to join a small and dynamic, fast-paced team environment. The engineer will be responsible for the development, oversight, and coordination of all technical and product aspects of building, launching, and supporting the Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) platform through collaboration with the ESMC team, ESMC members, ESMRC Working Group participants, and other ESMC contractors. The engineer will drive day-to-day development as well as long-term product strategy and vision.<\/p>\n

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Chief Technology Officer<\/strong><\/u>
\nESMRC seeks a highly skilled, motivated, and innovative Chief Technology Officer (CTO) (FTE contractor) with experience in leading the development of successful technology tools and\/or platforms to join a small and dynamic, fast-paced team environment. The CTO will be responsible for the development, oversight and coordination of all technical and product aspects of building, launching, and supporting the MRV platform through collaboration with the ESMC team, ESMC members, ESMRC Working Group participants, and other ESMC\/ESMRC contractors. The CTO will drive day-to-day development as well as long-term product strategy and vision.<\/p>\n

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ESMRC Postdoctoral Researcher\/Research Scientist<\/strong><\/u>
\nESMRC seeks a dedicated ESMRC Postdoctoral Researcher with experience in the agricultural field related to water quality and quantity issues. The Postdoctoral Researcher will be responsible for providing additional research and technical expertise to the Working Groups, R&D projects, and pilots\/field demonstrations. The Postdoctoral Researcher will focus on a topic that relates directly to the impacts of soil health and other conservation practices on ecosystem services outcomes within agricultural systems: water quality and water quantity quantification and modeling.<\/p>\n

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ESMC Policy Director<\/strong><\/u>
\nESMC seeks to recruit and hire a talented Policy Director as part of our growing and dynamic team to develop and implement a strategic policy platform for ESMC. The policy platform will support a flourishing, viable, voluntary, and private market for ecosystem services that pays farmers and ranchers for their impacts. As part of this work, the Policy Director will identify and prioritize national and state rules and regulations that can support or hinder the development of robust ecosystem markets for the agricultural sector, one component of which includes the advancement of soil health.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n
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ESMC in the News<\/strong><\/div>\n
How Carbon-Smart Farming Is Catalyzing the Big Bucks Needed to Transform the Way America Eats<\/strong>
\nGreenBiz (December 21)
\nMany scientists and other experts agree that regenerative practices \u2014 growing diverse crops rather than monocultures; planting cover crops (such as the alfalfa and grasses) on resting fields instead of leaving them bare; minimizing mechanical tillage of the soil; and incorporating livestock into the crop rotation \u2014 lead to environmental and health benefits. Still, it\u2019s regenerative agriculture\u2019s potential as a carbon sink that\u2019s driving millions of corporate and investor dollars into soil-climate initiatives, large and modest. \u201cThese major corporations are putting a lot of money into this, and if we can work with them \u2026 we can scale impact,\u201d said ESMC\u2019s Executive Director Debbie Reed, who believes having standardized, transparent protocols will help hold companies accountable. \u201cIf we don\u2019t work with these companies, and they do it themselves, then we have a patchwork, and it\u2019s really hard to tell [who\u2019s actually successful and who\u2019s not].\u201d Read the full article\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n
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ESMC Member News<\/strong><\/div>\n
The Way We Farm Reflects Our Understanding of the Ecosystem<\/strong>
\nDr. Steve Rosenzweig, Soil Scientist at ESMC Founding Circle Member General Mills, writes in The Guardian that throughout the history of industrialized agriculture, farmers and researchers mainly considered the physical and chemical components of soil. Soil was and largely still is appreciated merely as a vessel for seeds and fertilizers, an inert medium for growing plants. This limited conception of soil has led to its neglect. In this opinion piece, he highlights the opportunities available to improve soil health through regenerative agricultural practices. Read the full article\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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Regenerative \u2013 The Word Defining Global Food and Ag in 2021<\/strong>
\nTriple Pundit (December 11)
\nRegenerative could become the key word that sums up 2021 if the new COVID-19 vaccines are effective and their distribution can be scaled worldwide. But in any event, recent trends in the global food sector suggest regenerative agriculture will become more mainstream in 2021 as both consumers and companies realize we\u2019ve got to find a way to tackle global emissions in the coming decade. The article highlights the work of ESMC Founding Circle Members General Mills and Danone; read in full\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Rabobank Recognizes General Mills, Pepsico for Leadership<\/strong>
\nFood Business News (December 4)
\nESMC Founding Circle Member General Mills, Inc., along with PepsiCo, Inc. and Imperfect Foods were recognized by Rabobank for their leadership in industry stewardship, sustainability, and innovation. The three companies were announced as recipients of the annual Rabobank North America Leadership Awards during the Food & Agribusiness Summit, which was held virtually earlier this month. The awards celebrate both large-scale food & agribusiness corporations and fast-growing emerging companies that are setting examples of industry stewardship, sustainability, and innovation across the region. Read the full article\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Focusing on Regenerative Agriculture and Moving to Renewable Electricity, Nestl\u00e9 Redoubles Efforts to Combat Climate Change<\/strong>
\nNestl\u00e9 (December 3)
\nAs a signatory of the UN Business Ambition for 1.5\u00b0C pledge, ESMC Founding Circle Member Nestl\u00e9 is one of the first companies to share its detailed,\u00a0time-bound plan for Net Zero<\/a>\u00a0and to do so ahead of schedule. The company is taking measures to halve its emissions by 2030 and achieve net zero by 2050 \u2013 even as the company grows. Actions focus on supporting farmers and suppliers to advance regenerative agriculture, planting hundreds of millions of trees within the next 10 years and completing the company\u2019s transition to 100 percent renewable electricity by 2025. Additionally, Nestl\u00e9 is continuously increasing the number of \u2018carbon neutral\u2019 brands. Read the announcement in full\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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The Nature Conservancy Is Hiring a Director, Climate Investment Origination<\/strong>
\nESMC Founding Circle Member The Nature Conservancy is hiring a Director, Climate Investment Origination, to lead the organization\u2019s efforts to scope and originate investments in Natural Climate Solutions, which generate carbon sequestration through ecosystem management, protection and restoration. They will be a member of NatureVest\u2019s Origination Team, reporting to the Deputy Managing Director of Investment Origination and working closely with regional and global strategy staff to identify, structure and close NCS investment opportunities globally. Read the full announcement\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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How to Measure the Profitability of Conservation Agriculture<\/strong>
\nEnvironmental Defense Fund (December 14)
\nPolicy and business leaders across the U.S. agricultural sector are laying out ambitious targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, improving water quality, and building soil health, presenting a growing need to understand the financial value of on-farm conservation practices. To close this information gap, Environmental Defense Fund published\u00a0A Practitioner\u2019s Guide to Conducting Budget Analyses for Conservation Agriculture<\/em><\/a>, developed in partnership with ESMC Funder Natural Resources Conservation Service, ESMC Legacy Partner Members Soil Health Partnership, American Farmland Trust, and Field to Market, as well as K\u00b7Coe Isom, Precision Conservation Management, and Datu Research. Read the full announcement\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Combatting Climate Change on US Cropland<\/strong>
\nAmerican Farmland Trust
\nA new report by ESMC Legacy Partner Member American Farmland Trust focuses on the significant potential of no-till and cover crop practices to increase soil carbon sequestration and reduce nitrous oxide emissions for a net reduction in GHG emissions. This report summarizes the current state of the science surrounding these practices and their impact on soil organic carbon and GHG emissions, including important limitations of our current understanding. Additionally, the authors outline an achievable path toward harnessing the sequestration potential of U.S. soils. Download the full report\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Unique Process \u2018Cleans\u2019 Crop Water Runoff When Using Dairy Manure as Fertilizer<\/strong>
\nAgriLife Today (November 30)
\nDairy manure is a natural crop fertilizer, and ESMC Technical Contractor Texas A&M AgriLife scientists believe they have discovered a way to make sure that the valuable resource stays on crops where it is applied as a fertilizer, and out of waterways, where it is a potential pollutant. Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Tarleton State University scientists are joining forces to develop and demonstrate a biochar-assisted phytoremediation system for enhancing water quality during dairy manure application in some crop production areas. Read the full article\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n
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Other News of Note<\/strong><\/div>\n
Biden Vows to Pay Farmers to Plant Cover Crops and Put Land in Conservation<\/strong>
\nSuccessful Farming (December 14)
\nThe government will help farmers mitigate climate change by paying them to \u201cput their land in conservation\u201d and plant cover crops, said President-elect Biden, providing some details on his campaign call to offset GHG emissions from agriculture. The sector accounts for roughly 10% of emissions nationwide. Read the full article\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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Steps to Cool the Climate Will Improve Water Quality, Too<\/strong>
\nThe Hill (December 9)
\nWhile much of Washington remains mired in partisan gridlock, there is new cooperation in two areas critical to managing climate change: reducing carbon emissions from agriculture and shifting to electric vehicles. This is obviously good news for the climate, and it will help protect the quality of rivers, streams, and coastal waters across the United States. It turns out that what\u2019s good for the climate pays dividends in clean water. Read the full article\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Ecosystem Impacts and Productive Capacity of a Multi-Species Pastured Livestock System<\/strong>
\nFrontiers in Sustainable Food Systems (December 4)
\nRegenerative agriculture principles suggest that modern livestock systems can be redesigned to better capitalize on animals\u2019 ecological niche as biological up cyclers and may be necessary to fully regenerate some landscapes. One example is a multispecies pasture rotation (MSPR) system, which symbiotically stacks multiple animal production enterprises (i.e., chickens, cattle, sheep, and pigs) on one landscape. The authors conducted a whole-farm life cycle assessment of an MSPR in the southeastern United States that was originally converted from degraded cropland and compared the production outputs, GHG emissions, land footprints, and soil health outcomes to a conventional, commodity production system of each respective species. Read the full journal article\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Release: A Progress Report on the California Healthy Soils Program<\/strong>
\nCalifornia Climate and Action Network (December 1)
\nThe California Climate and Action Network recently released a progress report on the first three years of\u00a0California\u2019s Healthy Soils Program<\/a>. Since its launch, the program has invested nearly $42 million in 640 projects on farms and ranches, including 67 demonstration projects. Farmers\u2019 interest in the program has grown significantly, as evidenced by the six-fold increase in farmer demand for funding since the program began. Despite the fact that the most recent application period opened amidst the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic and massive disruption in the agricultural sector, California farmers submitted a record-breaking 614 applications between late February and early May 2020. Read the full article\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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New Book from SWCS Celebrates Past Accomplishments and Offers Insight into the Future of Conservation<\/strong>
\nA new publication from the Soil and Water Conservation Society celebrates progress of the past and explores the future of conservation at a critical time when natural resources are threatened by the imminent impact of a changing climate. In the collection,\u00a0Soil and Water Conservation: A Celebration of 75 Years<\/em>, expert authors describe key developments and offer potential future solutions. Read the article and download a PDF of the book\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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The State of Knowledge of Soil Biodiversity \u2013 Status, Challenges and Potentialities<\/strong>
\nFood and Agriculture Organization of the UN
\nThe 14th Conference of the Parties invited FAO, in collaboration with other organizations, to prepare a report on the state of knowledge on soil biodiversity covering its actual status and defies. As a result, the\u00a0State of Knowledge of Soil Biodiversity \u2013 Status, Challenges and Potentialities<\/em><\/a>\u00a0was officially launched during the World Soil Day global ceremony on 4 December. Over 300 scientists from around the world contributed to the preparation of the report, highlighting the threats and the nature-based solutions that soil biodiversity can provide to current global challenges. Read the full article\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ecosystem Services Market Consortium Monthly Newsletter December 2020\u00a0 Our Mission: To advance ecosystem service markets that incentivize farmers and ranchers to improve soil health systems that benefit society. ESMC News Executive Director Update Dear ESMC Members, Stakeholders and Supporters, As we wrap up 2020, we want to acknowledge what a tumultuous and unprecedented time we have all endured over the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1105,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/clients.dotgov.com\/esmc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/614"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/clients.dotgov.com\/esmc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/clients.dotgov.com\/esmc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clients.dotgov.com\/esmc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clients.dotgov.com\/esmc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=614"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/clients.dotgov.com\/esmc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/614\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":616,"href":"https:\/\/clients.dotgov.com\/esmc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/614\/revisions\/616"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clients.dotgov.com\/esmc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1105"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/clients.dotgov.com\/esmc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=614"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clients.dotgov.com\/esmc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=614"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clients.dotgov.com\/esmc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=614"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}