A project of CalCAN, the Midwest Agriculture Conservation (MAC) Network launched officially in October of 2024. Our first in-person meeting took place recently in Des Moines, Iowa from January 15-17th.
Lead partner organizations from Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin came together to discuss how to bring smaller-scale, diverse, organic, and underserved producers not only to the door of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) but help them to be successful in implementing climate-friendly practices. Funded in part through a first-of-its-kind NRCS regional cooperative agreement and through strong investments by private philanthropy, the MAC network is a unique public/private model.
In addition to building the staff capacity of these farmer-serving organizations, the project will include a state outreach and engagement planning process, connection to revolving loan funds to help offset up-front implementation costs for limited resource producers, and translation and mentoring services. The goal goes beyond outreach and engagement to provide one-on-one navigation support from application through practice implementation.
MAC State Lead Partners Include: Renewing the Countryside, Missouri Rural Crisis Center, Iowa Valley Resource Conservation and Development Council, Kansas Rural Center, and Marbleseed.
Timing both critical and precarious
The launch of the MAC Network comes at a time of heightened uncertainty. The farm bill has been extended for the third time, and the combination of a new administration and Congress all controlled by one political party could portend major changes. The Continuing Resolution funding the government expires in mid-March which means creating a regular budget to fund the government will be a priority issue for the new Congress.
Shortly after returning from a very motivating gathering, the new administration took office with a flurry of new Executive Orders, one of which called for a pause in the implementation of IRA funding. While the OMB Memorandum which directed agencies to freeze federal grant payouts has since been rescinded, the underlying Executive Orders still stand. Meaning, the threat also remains. If this continues to move forward it will have negative implications for farmers and ranchers across the country. For decades many lawmakers vociferously opposed regulatory policy opting for voluntary approaches. The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) are voluntary programs in high demand. As documented by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy three of every four farmers who apply are turned away. Pulling IRA funding from working lands conservation will only exacerbate this problem of more demand for voluntary conservation than funding available.
This presents us with an important opportunity in the weeks and months ahead as Congress discusses a new budget, prepares for the budget reconciliation process, and potentially a new farm bill. All members of Congress need to hear from farmers, ranchers, and conservation advocates and the message is clear: “Demand for voluntary conservation on farm and ranchlands is overwhelming. Protect conservation funding” Heeding this call will contribute to more profitable businesses, healthier communities and long-term fiscal responsibility.
If you are concerned about the future of conservation funding, please contact your members of Congress and let them know how it will impact you and your community. You can find their website by searching here.
Articulating Success
So as we proceed with implementing the MAC Network and building systems to support farmers across the country, we are creating and implementing a vision of what success looks like. That includes changes that will lead to USDA providing better service to producers who don’t fit the mold of what predominant operations look like. Just as diversity is good for the ecosystem, markets, and communities benefit from farmers that raise and grow a wide variety of agricultural products with different scales and management systems.
RAFI USA recently published a report detailing findings from two years of work helping underserved farmers access USDA programming. They found:
- Small-scale and Historically Underserved Farmers and Ranchers who proactively manage their impact on the natural resources of their working lands are insufficiently receiving NRCS services and benefits.
- New or improved customer service training and protocols are needed to best serve small-scale and Historically Underserved Farmers and Rancher producers and successfully enroll them in the appropriate NRCS Program(s).
- Individualized technical assistance funded by NRCS Cooperative Agreements is essential for increasing small-scale and Historically Underserved Farmers and Ranchers’ access to NRCS services and benefits.
- Generalized outreach is insufficient for increasing small-scale and Historically Underserved Farmers and Ranchers’ engagement and success with NRCS.
RAFI’s work and analysis illustrates why efforts such as the MAC Network are needed and helps us create programming to fulfill a vision of service and policy advocacy that will lead to practices on the ground in the near term as well as policy and program recommendations to improve longer-term access and utilization of NRCS conservation programming.
With this pilot program, we know that we will learn a great deal through the process and our partners. Please reach out to [email protected] if you would like to learn more or have expertise to share.
