How the 2023 Farm Bill Aims to Restore Agricultural Soils

The Farm Bill is up for renewal this year, signaling the opportunity to guide a nationwide path towards increasing agricultural-based carbon removal. While Congress members are in the final stages of considering what to include in the next version of the bill, many stakeholders are offering their own prescriptive solutions.

One of the key areas of focus is on ways to increase soil carbon capture and storage in agriculture. Microbial-based agricultural biologicals can play a vital role in this endeavor. Data demonstrates their ability to increase both soil carbon sequestration and carbon capture permanence.

Read on to learn:

• What is the Farm Bill?
• What are the Farm Bill 2023 Priorities?
• Why Biologicals are Vital to the Success of Soil Carbon Priorities in the Farm Bill

What is the 2023 Farm Bill?

The Farm Bill is an omnibus legislation package passed every five years that connects many different aspects of how food is researched, grown, processed, sold, and distributed.

The current Farm Bill, the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, expires in 2023. and the US Congressional agricultural committees are currently considering what to include in the next iteration.

There are 12 titles included in the farm bill, covering topics from natural resource conservation efforts to crop insurance. While the bill is not all-encompassing, each new version becomes more inclusive of key agricultural policy areas.

What are the Farm Bill 2023 Priorities?

A big focus of the 2023 Farm Bill is on soil carbon capture and storage. Agricultural soils have the potential to sequester up to 10% of total greenhouse gas emissions associated with human activities. Drawing from decades of research and data on this topic, lawmakers are investing in regenerative agriculture in a big way.

The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022 allocated $20 billion for conservation and climate-smart agriculture—the largest investment in Farm Bill conservation programs since the Dust Bowl.

Many agriculture and conservation groups are advocating for the 2023 Farm Bill to accelerate the growth of the carbon removal sector through economic incentives such as carbon farming programs. These programs pay farmers additional revenue for providing the service of carbon sequestration. While only 1 percent of farmers are currently taking advantage of carbon credits, farmer interest in joining carbon farming programs is on the rise.

Carbon farming programs generally require farmers to adopt new regenerative practices that increase the capacity of the farm system to capture and store more carbon, such as multi-species cover cropping, low or no till planting, and the holistic management of livestock, among several others.

One tool that is quickly gaining farmer recognition for its ability to enhance soil carbon sequestration, in addition to several other benefits, is the use of agricultural biologicals.

Why Biologicals are Vital to the Success of Soil Carbon Priorities in the 2023 Farm Bill

What are biologicals?

Biologicals is the umbrella term for a diverse group of agricultural products made from living, naturally occurring microorganisms as the primary active ingredients. Biological products leverage the soil microbiome by unlocking the key benefits microbes provide to crops.

When formulated with synergistic strains of microbes, biologicals are proven to improve:

• Root strength and growth
• Nutrient availability and uptake
• Crop yield and quality
• Fertilizer and other input efficiency
• Soil carbon sequestration
• Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions
• Grower ROI

READ MORE: What are Agricultural Biologicals? And Why Use Them?

Microbial-based biologicals are vital to soil carbon sequestration

A new global-scale study published in Nature indicates that creating permanent carbon capture in regenerative agriculture should include the use of microbial-based products, such as biologicals. Specifically, researchers determined that microbial carbon use efficiency is at least four times more important than any other process in the soil carbon cycle when it comes to carbon storage.

READ MORE: Microbes are the MVPs of Soil Carbon Sequestration

Strain specificity matters when it comes to formulating the most effective biologicals. Locus Agriculture (Locus AG) offers a multitude of crop-specific biological products that contain superior microbial strains. Each strain is strategically selected for its ability to increase nutrient uptake, enhance soil carbon sequestration, improve soil quality, and boost yields and grower ROI.

These crop-specific formulations are third-party verified and proven to increase soil carbon sequestration and storage and build soil organic carbon stocks.

READ MORE: Locus AG Crop-Specific Biologicals 

Biological use in carbon farming programs

Farmers are already using biologicals for increasing soil carbon capture and storage in Locus AG’s industry-changing carbon farming program, CarbonNOW®. It is the first US carbon program to incorporate biologicals as an approved practice change for grower eligibility.

In addition to the guaranteed annual payment of $12 per acre, farmers enrolled in CarbonNOW can receive performance bonuses based on additional carbon capture proven through soil sampling.

CarbonNOW farmers have been paid over $3.4 million to date, as they accelerate soil carbon sequestration, increase yields and boost grower ROI.

Biologicals are sure to become an increasingly popular solution to support the carbon sequestration goals of future farm bills. While it’s unclear what the next Farm Bill version will include, biologicals should be a vital part of any carbon capture and storage initiative. Farmers can start reaping the many productivity, profit, and carbon sequestering benefits of biologicals on their farm today.

Want to learn more about how biologicals support CarbonNOW growers in boosting yields, ROI, and soil carbon sequestration? Contact us using the form below.