Just three years after the New Mexico Healthy Soil Act was approved by lawmakers, the Land of Enchantment is boasting more "soil health champions" than any other state, according to the Soil Health Champions Network.

The Act authorized the New Mexico Department of Agriculture to provide financial assistance to help residents implement conservation projects focusing on one or more of five "healthy soil" principles.

Robb Hirsch, co-founder of the Healthy Soil Working Group and education director at the Climate Change Leadership Institute, said urban and rural New Mexicans, both consumers and producers, benefit from better soil health.

"Ninety-five percent of the food we eat comes from out of state," Hirsch pointed out. "We could increase the amount of food we consume from our local ranchers and farmers, and if we do that, we can grow our economy in a very regenerative way."

Last month, New Mexico lawmakers approved $1 million in funding for the soil program.

A major healthy soil principle is keeping the ground covered, which typically means cover crops, planted to "cover" the soil rather than for harvesting. While cover crops are common in the Midwest, Hirsch noted they are also critical in arid and semiarid regions like New Mexico, because they can prevent or reduce soil erosion and enhance soil health.

"When you cover the soil and cover the ground, and you have biodiversity at work," Hirsch explained. "You have a soil that actually infiltrates and captures the little water that we do get, instead of running off with flooding."

Three years ago, the World Resources Institute ranked New Mexico first among U.S. states facing extreme water stress due to climate change. Hirsch added it is all the more reason to advocate for healthy soil.

"Soil is a most precious life force, fundamental to our well-being," Hirsch contended. "We should invest majorly in it here in the Land of Enchantment."

The New Mexico Department of Agriculture recently announced its Healthy Soil Program will accept grant applications from farmers and ranchers for funding to help them manage their working lands using these principles. Applications will be accepted from March 18-May 12.

Michigan farmers say the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) new, billion-dollar investment in projects by "climate-smart" farmers, ranchers and forest landowners will make a big difference in the fight to protect the environment.

The program, Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities, encourages producers and landowners to implement practices that either reduce greenhouse gas emissions or sequester carbon. It will also measure the impact of these practices and develop markets to promote the products.

Bob Thompson, president of the Michigan Farmers Union, said the funding will be welcome, especially for smaller operators.

"Practices where you're going to plant trees, or plant buffer strips along waterways, or create wetlands where appropriate, that all costs money," Thompson pointed out. "And when you're trying to eke out a living, something has to give."

The USDA is now accepting applications for pilot projects. Public and private entities from small businesses to tribal governments to colleges can apply.

Michigan has nearly 10 million acres of farmland, and the food and agriculture industry contributes more than $100 billion annually to the state's economy.

Thompson noted methods like using cover crops and low-till or no-till practices have been growing in popularity across the state.

"We have a number of farms that are using those principles and practices that, if it were more widespread, it would be certainly more beneficial to climate activities," Thompson emphasized.

He added climate-friendly practices do more than fight climate change. They can boost sustainability on the farm as well. Cover crops, for instance, help sequester carbon and prevent groundwater contamination, but also improve soil health and prevent erosion.

Chesapeake Bay states have until 2025 to implement watershed pollution-reduction practices, and a new report shows "climate-smart" farming in Maryland can help prevent farm runoff.

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation report found that using regenerative farming practices, from rotational grazing to planting forest buffers along streams, can reduce pollution from animal waste and soil erosion.

Rob Schnabel, the foundation's Maryland restoration biologist, said Maryland is a leader in farmers' use of cover crops to improve soil health - but more ranchers could be on board, with strategies such as rotational grazing.

"Animals grazing, rotating through these pastures, is like a probiotic to the soil microbes, greatly accelerating carbon sequestration in the form of soil organic matter," he said. "This restores the soil sponge, which will reduce flooding during storm events, as well as make these farms more resilient during times of drought."

A multi-year study found that converting Bay watershed farmland to rotationally grazed pastures led to an average reduction of 42% in net greenhouse-gas emissions.

Fair Hill Farms, an organic dairy farm in Kent County, converted 200 acres to rotationally grazed pasture in 2016, and a model estimate found that nitrogen pollution from the farm in nearby waterways decreased by 96%.

Beth McGee, the foundation's director of science and agricultural policy, said it's time for state and federal investment to help farmers make these transitions.

"The Chesapeake Bay region's farmers have shown a willingness to adopt these conservation practices, but they often lack the technical and financial resources to do so," she said. "We estimate that these buffers would remove roughly 173,000 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere annually."

Maryland has achieved 86% of its commitment to the Chesapeake Bay Clean Water Blueprint to planting trees next to waterways. The foundation is advocating for the U.S. Department of Agriculture to create the Chesapeake Resilient Farms Initiative, to direct more federal conservation funds to Bay states.

Chesapeake Bay states have until 2025 to implement practices to reduce watershed pollution, and a new report shows "climate-smart" farming can help prevent farm runoff.

In the Chesapeake Bay Clean Water Blueprint, roughly 80% of the remaining pollution reduction must come from agriculture - and Pennsylvania is farthest behind among the Bay states. The Chesapeake Bay Foundation report said implementing regenerative farming practices, from rotational grazing to planting forest buffers along streams, can reduce animal waste and soil erosion.

Bill Chain, the foundation's senior agriculture program manager, said Pennsylvania has a lot of farm conservation work to do.

"Farmers are ready to adopt conservation practices, but need funding," he said. "Both the state and federal conservation funding fall woefully short of what's necessary to make that investment with family farms in improving water quality."

He said one step the state could take is to establish an Agricultural Conservation Assistance Program, which would fund best-management practices such as planting streamside trees and cover crops.

The report included real-life examples of farms that have converted to rotational grazing, including Blue Mountain View Farm in Lebanon County. Research has shown that nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment pollution in local waterways decreased significantly after the farm made the switch.

Beth McGee, the foundation's director of science and agricultural policy, said these steps can have economic benefits for farmers, too.

"Adoption of these practices can also reduce the use of fertilizer," she said. "If we put less nitrogen on the ground, either in the form of manure or synthetic fertilizer, we will reduce the amount of nitrous oxide that is produced - and nitrous oxide is a very potent greenhouse gas."

The report said Pennsylvania needs an estimated $3 billion in agricultural funding to meet the 2025 Blueprint requirements.