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

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 Fund
00:22 Resilient Soil: A Conservation Benefit
01:04 Heartland Co-op's Expanding Team & New Loan
02:08 Funding Tenant Farmers Through the Non-Profit
03:32 Partnership-Based Funding Model
04:26 Private Solutions Amidst Federal Shifts
05:22 Alternative to CRP: A Local Approach
06:42 The Power of Local Community & Engagement
08:19 Farmer Perspectives: Seeing Conservation Results
09:26 Weather Patterns and Insurance Impact
11:18 Conservation for Resilience, Not Just Yield
14:13 Tailored Solutions for Every Farm
15:17 Heartland's Micro-Level Innovations
16:33 Iowa's Macro-Level Conservation Leadership
18:19 Collaborative Federal Agency Support
19:06 Iowa's Unexpected Conservation Success
20:32 Overcoming Obstacles: Pushing Past "No"
22:10 Public Land Access vs. Private Land Opportunity
23:51 Hunting Leases and Landowner Benefits
25:19 Building Relationships Through Access
26:06 The Nuance of Conservation and Dialogue

Related 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 Perspective
• Heartland Co-op

Find us on social media!

• Facebook 
• Twitter 
• Instagram

Listen on these podcast platforms

• Apple Podcasts 
• Spotify 
• YouTube Music
• YouTube

Visit our website to explore more episodes & water management education.