Boots in the Soil: RIPE On the Ground Summer 2025
In Summer 2025, RIPE planted our Boots in the Soil across the United States, meeting with producers and producer groups to amplify our mission and advocate for producer compensation for voluntary conservation across rural America. We know that regenerative agriculture creates several benefits for the ecosystem and for human health alike - and we want to see producers be compensated for the benefits created by these voluntary conservation efforts.
Our Coalition is the lifeblood of our organization. It is composed of our Steering Committee, Farmer Advisory Network (FAN), and Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access (IDEA) Committee. Each group serves a unique purpose toward a shared vision - ensuring RIPE’s policies and priorities accurately reflect the needs of all producers, regardless of geographic location or economic status.
Our summer meetings and outreach events allowed us to connect with different members of our Coalition, meet some new faces, and learn about the latest research and emerging technologies in the regenerative agriculture space. Scroll on for recaps about the different places we put our Boots in the Soil this summer.
NCGA ACTION TEAM MEETINGS AND CORN CONGRESS | WASHINGTON, DC
In the middle of July, our Director of Industry Engagement Morgan Wrich had the opportunity to participate in the National Corn Growers Association Action Team meetings and Hill visits with our Government Affairs and Policy Advisor Reece Langley. Morgan currently sits on the Trade, Transportation, and Animal Ag Action Team, so the meetings she attended were heavily focused on those topics. Updates on the first day included the potential review of the U.S. Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA), the World Trade Organization, and the current tariff landscape. On the second day, speakers from external organizations were invited to give updates on issues their organizations are working on. This included the U.S. Meat Export Federation and their work to differentiate U.S. raised meat from others; the Waterways Council and the funding issues our 12,000 miles of commercially navigable waterways are facing; the National Pork Board and their work to reduce GHG emissions by 40% by 2030; the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and their work to combat the New World Screw Worm issue (which would be devastating to the cattle industry if it gets across the border from Mexico); and USAPEEC and their work to contain Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza including the potential for a vaccine in the future.
After the meetings concluded, Morgan, Reece, and Grace Price, our Policy and Research Associate, spent time on the Hill visiting with Senate and House Ag Committee staffers about the potential for a Farm Bill ‘lite’ this fall and the outlook for conservation funding. They also visited with the offices of Congressman Smith from Nebraska and Congressman Riley from New York.
PA NO-TILL ALLIANCE SOIL HEALTH FIELD DAY | ELIZABETHTOWN, PA
Later in July, Grace and Melissa Willhouse, Director of Communications & Marketing, attended the PA No-Till Alliance Soil Health Field Day at Hershey Farms in Elizabethtown, PA. This was an exciting day wherein our team heard from some prominent voices in the no-till community and observed soil health demonstrations alike. We also got to enjoy some free local milkshakes, courtesy of the event organizers. At the Field Day, we ran into some old friends from the Stroud Water Research Center (recall our blog from July 2024) and made some new connections too.
JASON LEWIS FARM TOUR | HENDERSON, NE
On July 24, Morgan had the opportunity to visit with Jason Lewis, a row crop farmer from Henderson, NE. Jason farms mainly corn and soybeans with his father-in-law. After spending time in California where he was a college professor in the horticulture department, he returned home to the farm when his father-in-law was elected to the Nebraska state legislature. In addition to row crop farming, they also custom harvest soybeans for others in their county. While they do not have any livestock themselves, they incorporate manure from nearby livestock operations onto their fields as fertilizer. Jason and his wife Kori live in town while the farm base is located on his in-laws’ property. Jason is heavily involved in advocating for the corn industry and serves on the Nebraska Corn Growers Association board and the National Corn Growers Association board.
SLEDGE TAYLOR FARM TOUR | COMO, MS
On July 24th, RIPE staff had the pleasure of visiting with FAN member Sledge Taylor in northwest Mississippi to better document his transition toward a wholesale regenerative ag production strategy. After lunch in the small but culinary-rich town of Como, MS, Sledge took RIPE Executive Director Trey Cooke on a tour of his farm. As a cotton, corn, and angus producer, Sledge highlighted his transition to no-till in the mid-1980s, his more recent adoption of cover crops, and his evolving strategies to improve soil health in his pastures. Key takeaways from the visit include Sledge’s concern that farmers looking for excuses not to transition to regenerative systems will always have an excuse…but he has learned that regenerative farming doesn’t reduce yields or income, it only reduces his investment of time, stress, equipment, and labor. Sledge was also pleased to host the NRCS Chief Aubrey J.D. Bettencourt on a tour of his farm the very next Thursday, July 31st. You can find more about Bettencourt’s visit to Sledge’s farm here and be on the lookout for Sledge’s full story from RIPE this fall on our Producer Profiles Hub. In the meantime, follow Sledge’s regenerative agriculture journey on his LinkedIn page.
JIM WHITAKER FARM TOUR | DERMOTT, AR
On July 25th, RIPE Staff met with Ted Talk alum, rice farmer, and conservation advocate Jim Whitaker on his farm near Dermott, AR. Jim is also a member of RIPE’s Farmer Advisory Network (FAN). The Whitaker family has been farming for generations, but Jim and his brother Sam Whitaker began farming on their own and have now built a conservation-forward farm that produces regeneratively-grown rice, cotton, and other commodities. The Whitaker brothers started their conservation journey by focusing on how they could cut costs, to ultimately afford to keep farming. Irrigation efficiency and water management became their first focus, land-forming their fields to better control water and implementing conservation practices to reduce water use and associated energy costs without impacting yields. They were successful, and quickly learned that they had created a new ecosystem service commodity they could sell in addition to their crops in the form of documented methane emission reductions. The Whitakers have since added cover crops and other practices which help them meet regenerative standards set by some of their commodity buyers.
FIELD-TO-MARKET IN-PERSON BRIEFING | WASHINGTON, DC
On July 29th, RIPE Director of Strategy and Partnerships, Sophie Brauns, and Grace Price attended Field to Market’s launch of their Regenerative Agriculture Guidance Version 1.0 and received an update on the forthcoming Fieldprint Platform Version 5. The new Guidance provides a systems-based framework for defining and delivering regenerative outcomes across the value chain, offering practical tools for implementation, alignment with other frameworks, and a case study illustrating adoption on the ground.
The event also previewed Fieldprint Platform Version 5, expected in mid-2025, which will introduce redesigned metrics on energy use, greenhouse gas emissions, and soil carbon—enhancing transparency, precision, and global alignment for sustainability reporting.
In attendance were leading value-chain actors including Bayer, Syngenta, and Cotton USA. During the discussion, Sophie raised the critical question of what standards exist for producer payments under this framework. While Field to Market did not provide a clear response, a representative from Cotton USA stood up and affirmed that Sophie’s question was “the most important in the room.” This exchange highlighted both the urgency of addressing farmer compensation and RIPE’s role in elevating the issue at national industry forums.
Key takeaways:
The Guidance emphasizes five core regenerative principles: minimize disturbance, maintain living roots, ensure continuous soil cover, maximize diversity, and integrate livestock.
Fieldprint Platform V5 will strengthen measurement and accountability, providing sharper tools for farmers and supply-chain partners.
Industry momentum is coalescing around shared definitions of regenerative agriculture, but equitable producer payments remain a major gap—one that RIPE continues to champion.
NBGC FIELD DAY @ KWB FARMS | MEMPHIS, TN
The National Black Growers Council held one of its 6 summer field days in north Mississippi, just south of Memphis, TN on August 1st. The tour was hosted by third generation farmer Keith White-Brown on his farm, where he grows corn, soybeans, and yellow field peas in Tunica County near the small communities of Robinsonville and Walls. Attended by RIPE Board Member Loston Rowe, the dialogue was focused on the very topic all farmers are concerned with…the farm economy. After three consecutive years of poor commodity prices and high input costs, many farmers are hanging up their hats….while the rest keep trying to hang on. And Brown’s situation, along with many producers in the midsouth region, has been even more compromised due to a wet spring and poor planting conditions this year. Emphasis was placed on the importance of strong farm policy to provide protections for farmers.
ALLIANCE TO ADVANCE CLIMATE-SMART AGRICULTURE SUMMIT | RICHMOND, VA
The Alliance to Advance Climate-Smart Agriculture convened its 2nd all-hands annual meeting in Richmond, VA on August 5th - 6th. The $80M project is now 1 of 15 remaining Climate-Smart Commodity Grant projects authorized to proceed by the USDA from the 141 that were originally approved in the fall of 2022 due to its direct support of farmers and ranchers adopting key voluntary conservation practices. RIPE is extremely pleased to report that the project it originally developed has enrolled 1,811 producers to date, delivering $16.2M in Year One payments. When completed, the project will include 4,400 producers and deliver over $57M in conservation incentive payments. RIPE is extremely excited about the pending finalization of the Climate-Smart Certificate which will document part of the environmental impact of the project while providing enrolled producers with a certificate identifying their reductions in GHG emissions which can be used to generate added incentive payments from the private market.
ICYMI: Check out RIPE’s blog about the Alliance meeting in Arkansas in Summer 2024.
NSHC DAY OF LEARNING | BLADEN, NE
On August 13, Morgan attended the Nebraska Soil Health Coalition’s Day of Learning. Over 60 attendees from across the state came together to share and learn about soil health. There were representatives from University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension, as well as healthcare organizations, community foundations, farmers, ag tech companies, and ag input companies. One highlight of the day included the NRCS rainfall simulator that showed the difference between different conservation practices and non-conservation practices when rainfall events occur. Another highlight was the opportunity to visit with like-minded individuals on how we can get more farmers and ranchers to participate in conservation activities. The NSHC is going to be highlighting success stories on their website in the near future.
MN STATE FAIR | MINNEAPOLIS, MN
If you have never been to the Minnesota State Fair, prepare to be impressed…and tired! From the crowds of people, to the impressive food options, to all of the exhibits and booths, there is something for everyone. Morgan had the pleasure of joining our board member Eunie Biel for a walk around the fairgrounds to talk RIPE’s roadmap with other Minnesota agricultural organizations. We stopped and visited with the MN Lamb and Wool Producers, the Minnesota Farm Bureau, RIPE Steering Committee Member Minnesota Farmers Union, Minnesota Pork Board, and the Minnesota Turkey Growers Association. Our trip would not have been complete without a stroll around the Creative Arts building where we found the beautiful king-size quilt Eunie entered into the competition. Morgan also had the opportunity to do an interview with Ingstad Media about the work RIPE is doing in the conservation, sustainability, and regenerative agriculture space. Over the course of her day at the fair, she clocked over 13,000 steps, which was low compared to what other fairgoers could tout! Before leaving Minnesota, Morgan stopped at the Farmers Kitchen + Bar, a restaurant owned by the Minnesota Farmers Union, to interview Anne Schwagerl, the Minnesota Farmers Union Vice President for RIPE’s Producer Profiles campaign. Anne and Morgan had a great conversation about farming, family, and making things work in 2025.
As Anne said, “everything is on the table but paying farmers." She’s right and that’s why RIPE is working so hard on behalf of farmers and ranchers to advance voluntary conservation while paying them for their efforts. Won’t you join us?
Thank you to the event organizers and fellow event attendees for helping to make our summer as engaging, enjoyable and educational as possible. We look forward to continuing to put our Boots in the Soil across the country this fall. To stay up-to-date on RIPE’s mission and outreach success, subscribe to our newsletter or check us out on social media (we are on Facebook and LinkedIn). Check out future meetings and events on RIPE’s horizon on our Events page, and learn more about how you can get involved with RIPE.
