From Kansas to the High Plains: A Summer of Soil and Stories
(An excerpt from ‘The Dirt”: SCI’s Monthly Farmer Newsletter)
Hope you're all handling this busy season well despite weather and market challenges.
I'm in the middle of my annual farm tour. It’s my 4th summer on the road - getting out to meet people in person and see regenerative agriculture at different stages across the country.
No two farms are alike. Even next-door neighbors face different realities based on their soil, climate, goals, and reasons for caring about soil health.
These visits are about building our network. What SCI brings to the table is connecting farmers to farmers and to the broader alliance doing this work. We're good at sharing information, facilitating ideas, building relationships.
📸 Left to Right: Nick Faessler, Jerry & Jen Volenec, Michael Thompson, Colby Stegman
Above are a few photos of a few of my stops so far... at poultry farms Kansas and Arkansas... crop and cattle operations in the High Plains... in attendance at Jerry Volenec's field day in Wisconsin... breakfast with Nick Faessler. Next I'm headed to see sunflower growers participating in our Seven Sundays project.
My goal is to see everyone eventually! If I haven't visited your farm yet, it's just a matter of time.
Farmers, don’t forget to join us for our monthly Office Hour on Thursdays at 4pm ET.
As always, don’t hesitate to reach out.
🌾 Taylor Herren, Senior Manager, Farm Transition Services
FARM PROGRAM ANNOUNCEMENTS
FarmLab Migration & Verification-Ready
We're working one-by-one with farmers to get everyone onto FarmLab, complete farm plans, and build our acre bank.
Our goal this year is getting all SCI farmers to a point where they are "verification-ready".
Not verifying for the sake of it, but collecting all your data, field information, and evidence so you don't have to do the legwork alone. We can get forms 90% done together on a call. Reach out to me to schedule a call!
Newly Published: SCI Verification Standard 3.0
Information Session on August 28 at 4pm ET
Office Hour this month will feature SCI Verification Director, Kristen Efurd, who will present Version 3.0 of our Soil & Climate Health Commitment & Verification Standard. We'll discuss what this new version means for you as a SCI farmer and share how our team is working to develop markets and build an "Acre Bank".
Since 2022, SCI has grown a program that includes 165 farms representing 350,000 acres. The new Verification Standard was developed to simplify and clarify the verification requirements based on the feedback from farmers and companies and other stakeholders.
To accompany the SCI Verification Standard, we recently published new and/or updated Guidance Documents to support your regenerative transition journey:
As an SCI farmer, your participation has been essential to the success of this program. Thank you for helping shape its future and for your continued hard work on the farm to support soil health.
Look out for a calendar invite with a Zoom link to join us on August 28.
UPCOMING EVENTS
2025 Premier Soil Health School
July 29 - 30 | Redwoods Falls, MN
Join SCI's Taylor Herren at this summer's Premier Soil Health School at Grant and Dawn Breitkreutz’s Farm in Redwood Falls, MN.
Featured speakers include:
Lance Gunderson, Founding member and President of Regen Ag Lab
Ray Archuleta, Renowned Soil Scientist
Rick Bieber, Successful No-till Farmer
Learn from experts on soil testing, nutrient cycling, biomimicry, epigenetics and more.
This is an in-depth, hands on opportunity to deep dive into soil biology. Meet like-minded farmers and connect with a mentor!
WEBINAR: Mending the Stress Fence
August 7 at 12pm CT | Virtual
It is important that we all learn how to manage our stress levels and reduce the effects of unwanted stress.
Business owners, managers, farmers, and ranchers are no exception to experiencing stress. In fact, stress seems to be prevalent in rural communities at times. Too much stress can make us more accident-prone, and it can affect our overall health. This program, led by University fo Nebraska - Lincoln, Department of Agricultural Economics, provides information on identifying common stressors, recognizing stress symptoms, and managing stress. Program objectives include:
Building awareness of the signs and symptoms of stress in rural communities.
Learning the eight dimensions of wellness.
Learning how to ask open-ended questions to recognize someone’s stress levels.
Improving awareness of the warning signs of suicide and learn about available resources to help support someone in need.
Beyond the Yield
August 13-14 | Kearny, NE
Join the Beyond the Yield hosts—Soil Regen and Regen Ag Lab—as they take you through the full regenerative journey. From soil testing and practice implementation to marketing and making it all happen, this series covers every step toward successful regenerative agriculture.
This event bridges the gap between conventional and innovative farming practices, while honoring our agricultural heritage and building community resilience.
The Big Soil Health Event
December 8-9 | Cedar Fall, IA
Hosted by Soil Regen, this event will provide farmer-first education, training, and networking assistance to increase soil health and function, quality of life, and ROI.
Through community support and producer empowerment, we aim to improve generational family farming and ranching while regenerating the lands on which they operate.
Located at the Bien Venu Event Center in Cedar Fall, IA.
RESOURCES
5 Ways Farmers Can Protect Honeybees from Pesticides
Sometimes it’s not possible to avoid pesticides on farms, and this is a concern for beekeepers. Understanding the harm pesticides can do to bees is important; even more important is knowing how to protect them.
Article by: Sarah Jay, modernfarmer.com