COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Succession is an inevitable process for Ohio farmers, and it can also be an opportunity to re-imagine the land.

Vicki Harder-Thorne is steward to 80 acres in Ottawa County, farmed for nearly a century. Her grandfather felt modern agricultural practices did not account for the wildlife that depended on land used for farming, and so her mother eventually returned the land to wildlife through the Conservation Reserve Program.

After her mother's recent passing, Harder-Thorne examined and researched the best stage for the untilled land and had a vision for regenerative practices, and managing the farm specifically for habitat and biodiversity.

"You can have that combination of conservation and agriculture," Harder-Thorne asserted. "There is a different way to farm. My biggest concern has always been what's the next best step for the evolution of the land? How can we best help with climate change? How can we help restore the environment?"

With the help of the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association's succession planning, Harder-Thorne is opting for conservation over farming, and sharing the farm as ecological habitat on the Great Black Swamp. She added building climate-change considerations into the transition will provide an opportunity to mitigate hazardous algal blooms.

To make her vision a reality, she applied for the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program, which helps protect environmentally sensitive lands by keeping them out of farm production.

"We're waiting for a contract right now for an enhanced program that will include more wetland area and an area of trees," Harder-Thorne explained. "Playing up what's really rich in that area: lots of red oaks, lots of different birds."

There are also plans to incorporate eco-education and ecotourism, so she is working with local university researchers, birding groups and partners to figure out the next best steps.

"You can dream and make it happen by reaching out to your community, reaching out to your local politicians, and your local agriculture, and conservation groups and see what you can put together," Harder-Thorne outlined. "And some of it will be for pay and some of it will be for love."

Harder-Thorne emphasized she is pleased with her decision to preserve the land for nature because it honors her mother's and grandfather's legacies.

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 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.