Soil Archives - US Nature4Climate

Lightning Creek Ranch: A Win-Win Climate Solution for Ranchers

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Soil
Biodiversity
Livelihoods

Learn about a win-win climate solution for ranchers.

Growing up on a ranch in Eastern Oregon, Dan Probert did all of the things other ranching kids did, such as joining 4H and the Future Farmers of America, to learn about the livestock business. However, when he first started ranching on his own, he had a sense that to be profitable and sustainable, he needed to question traditional methods of ranching. This eventually led him to The Nature Conservancy (TNC). In 2017, Dan and his wife Suzy agreed to, in effect, sell the carbon in the soil on their Lightning Creek Ranch to TNC with a conservation easement.

Native grasslands store significant amounts of carbon in the soil. The Probert family is keeping 55,000 tons of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere by improving grazing management practices and preventing the conversion of native grasslands to residential, cropland or energy development improving grazing management. Not only are the Proberts contributing to the fight against climate change, they have improved water quality, prevented soil erosion, and created a new source of revenue for their ranch.

Protecting the soil carbon in grasslands is both an important natural climate solution and a good business opportunity for ranchers. Lightning Creek Ranch is serving as valuable a case study for utilizing carbon offsets to fund grassland protection efforts.

“Because of this conservation easement, Lightning Creek Ranch will always remain a working ranch while also protecting some of the most beautiful and ecologically important lands in the country.” said Dan Probert. Thanks to the Proberts’ innovative leap of faith, their neighbors are also considering carbon easements as a way to protect their land, preserve ecosystems and generate income.

To learn more about grassland carbon storage potential: Can Grasslands, The Ecosystem Underdog, Play an Underground Role in Climate Solutions?

Did You Know? Avoiding the conversion of grasslands to cropland can help reduce carbon emissions by up to 107 million metric tons a year – the amount of carbon emitted by 23 million cars in a year.

Black Horse Flag Farm: A Productive Partnership for Healthier Soils and a Cleaner Environment

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Soil
Livelihoods

Through their nearly 30-year partnership, Trey Hill and Joe Hickman have shown that no-till farming, cover crops, and nutrient management can dramatically improve soil health — leading to a cleaner environment, a healthier financial bottom line, and climate change mitigation.

Trey Hill is a man of many talents. As a seasoned farmer, he collaborates with 60 landowners to increase the productivity and the sustainability of their land.

Since 1992, Trey has leased land from Joe Hickman of Black Horse Flag Farm in Maryland. By working together to improve soil health and effectively manage nutrients, their successful partnership has shown that farms can be productive, profitable and environmentally sustainable. “It’s really a collaboration between the farmer and the landowner,” says Trey. “If we fail with the crops then neither one of us makes any money.”

Trey and Joe have reaped the benefits of implementing a no-till system, managing nutrients, and planting increasingly diverse cover crops. Not only has their work saved them money by reducing fertilizer costs, they have improved the soil health and water quality of the land and locked more carbon into the soil. Natural Climate Solutions have been a win for both Black Horse Flag Farm and for the environment.

Like a ripple effect, the biodiversity of the region has flourished too. Large fish nurseries, horseshoe crabs, and dolphins are now a part of the ecosystem, heralding a healthy working relationship between the farmland and nature.

Most landowners do not even meet the farmers working on their land, but Joe Hickman has realized that close collaboration is the key to success, both for nature and sustained success. “Farms are a long-term play, the more you keep at it the more you realize you have to care about soil health, conservation and the environment,” says Hickman. By working together to understand the processes and practices that keep the farm healthy and vibrant, Joe Hickman and Trey Hill are headed for an even brighter future.

Learn more about Black Horse Flag Farm

Link to video: www.nature.org/mdruralsolutions

Did you Know: According to The Nature Conservancy’s reThink Soil report, each 1% of U.S. cropland adopting an adaptive soil health system could deliver $37 million of on-farm value through greater productivity.

Schmitt Family Farm: Proving That Carbon Smart Farming Can Improve Farmers’ Bottom Line

Water
Soil
Livelihoods

Learn about one farmer’s attempt to merge scientific management techniques with regenerative farming practices to improve soil health, enhance the economic viability of his farm and contribute to solving climate change.

For more than 150 years, the Schmitt family has been growing vegetables on their 250-acre farm on Long Island. But growing dozens of different crops year-round takes its toll on the soil. The Schmitts have experienced first-hand how degraded soils can have a negative effect on farm productivity – leading to erosion, nutrient loss and poor drainage of their land. By addressing poor soil management, the Schmitts have not only improved the health of their farm, but made their land a part of the solution to climate change.

To improve his soil, Phil Schmitt began soil management techniques like cover crops, compost and reduced tillage, along with nutrient management practices like controlled release of nitrogen fertilizer (CRNF). As a result of his work, Phil has since witnessed a 6-fold increase in the percentage of soil organic matter on his land, which also helps capture and sequester atmospheric carbon and put it back in the earth. With the help of American Farmland Trust (AFT), Phil helped other farmers learn about the benefits of these practices by hosting a Long Island Soil Health Field Day on his property.

In 2018, AFT studied the economic benefits Phil’s new practices had on his 75-acres of sweet corn and found an increased financial return of $2,503 compared to conventional farming methods. “In just one year I saw a positive change,” said Phil. “I had better infiltration and decreased run-off and erosion in my sweet corn fields following heavy rains.” Farmers and ranchers manage nearly one billion acres – about 60 percent of the land in America. This land can act as a natural carbon “sink” by absorbing vast amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and storing it in plants and soil. With cases like Phil’s, AFT hopes it can encourage other farmers in the U.S. to adopt similar soil health management techniques for the betterment of their farmland and livelihoods.

Read about more Schmitt Family Farm

Read the full economic case study

Read how the agriculture practices on the Schmitt farm help mitigate climate change

Did You Know? Improved management of nitrogen fertilizers on US farms can prevent the equivalent of between 46 and 144 million metric tons of dioxide from being released into the atmosphere.