USA - Nationwide partnership advances regenerative agriculture in cotton

Date:05-30-2024

Opportunities to advance sustainable cotton farming in the United States are growing thanks to a nationwide partnership led by the Soil Health Institute's United States Regenerative Cotton Fund (USRCF).

The fund's holistic approach to advance economic insights, soil health measurement, and education has made significant progress in the U.S. Cotton Belt since its establishment, engaging more than 1,000 cotton farmers and their advisors. Its efforts support adoption of management systems to improve soil health, the foundation for regenerative agriculture.

"The soil health benchmarks SHI is providing are a great way to help farmers set realistic soil health goals and measure their success," said fifth-generation cotton farmer Zeb Winslow, who hosted a recent USRCF field demonstration at his farm in North Carolina. "Reaching farmers where they're at is important if we're going to continue the soil health movement."

Launched in 2021, USRCF is a farmer-facing, science-based initiative to support long-term, sustainable U.S. cotton production, with the goal of eliminating one million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent from the atmosphere by 2026. Active in Alabama, Arkansas, California, Georgia, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Texas, the fund's work is made possible by boots-on-the-ground partnerships with U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol, Cotton Incorporated, agricultural extension, local technical specialists, advisors, and cotton farmers.

Notable successes include:

• Economic Insights: By assessing 19 farms representing 108,000 acres in Texas, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, and South Carolina, researchers found farms implementing soil health management systems reduced production costs by an average of $53 per acre, increasing net farm income by an average of $150 per acre in their cotton rotations.

• Soil Health Measurements: Benchmarks established on more than 2 million acres in Texas and Arkansas provide personalized soil health reports to farmers, describing the health of their soils, opportunities for improvement, and implications for carbon and water storage. These benchmarks can empower farmers and advisors to set science- and place-based soil health goals for their farms.

• Experiential Learning for a Resilient Future: Eleven interns from Historically Black Colleges and Universities received first-hand experience translating science into action.

• Farmer Education: USRCF organized over 25 field demonstrations and workshops led by SHI educators, farmer mentors, and technical specialists, tapping into trusted networks of local peers to help more than 1,300 farmers and advisors across seven states to improve soil health.

The USRCF was initiated through a founding grant from The Ralph Lauren Corporate Foundation. Walmart Foundation, The VF Foundation, Levi Strauss & Co., Hearst Foundations, and Cotton Incorporated are also supporters of the fund.