#130 | Community-Driven Conservation: Bridging Gaps, Building Resilience

24/06/2025 29 min Episodio 130
#130 | Community-Driven Conservation: Bridging Gaps, Building Resilience

Listen "#130 | Community-Driven Conservation: Bridging Gaps, Building Resilience"

Episode Synopsis

We're diving deeper with Ruth McCabe, Heartland Co-Op Conservation Manager, to explore how Heartland Co-Op is tackling gaps in federal funding for ag conservation. Learn about their sustainability-linked loans and a new non-profit fund designed to empower tenant farmers and fund local conservation projects. We'll also discuss the growing demand for state-led alternatives to programs like CRP, and which practices are making farms more resilient to extreme weather.Chapters:00:00 Introducing the Heartland Conservation Fund00:22 Resilient Soil: A Conservation Benefit01:04 Heartland Co-op's Expanding Team & New Loan02:08 Funding Tenant Farmers Through the Non-Profit03:32 Partnership-Based Funding Model04:26 Private Solutions Amidst Federal Shifts05:22 Alternative to CRP: A Local Approach06:42 The Power of Local Community & Engagement08:19 Farmer Perspectives: Seeing Conservation Results09:26 Weather Patterns and Insurance Impact11:18 Conservation for Resilience, Not Just Yield14:13 Tailored Solutions for Every Farm15:17 Heartland's Micro-Level Innovations16:33 Iowa's Macro-Level Conservation Leadership18:19 Collaborative Federal Agency Support19:06 Iowa's Unexpected Conservation Success20:32 Overcoming Obstacles: Pushing Past "No"22:10 Public Land Access vs. Private Land Opportunity23:51 Hunting Leases and Landowner Benefits25:19 Building Relationships Through Access26:06 The Nuance of Conservation and DialogueRelated content:#129 | The Tipping Point: Accelerating Agricultural Water Quality and Soil Retention#128 | Bridging the Divide: Tenant Farmers, Landowners and Conservation Decisions#127 | Cover Crops and No-Till: A Conservationist’s PerspectiveHeartland Co-opFind us on social media!Facebook Twitter InstagramListen on these podcast platformsApple Podcasts Spotify YouTube MusicYouTubeVisit our website to explore more episodes & water management education.

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