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Vol. XV No. 5

September / October 2021

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NEWS

Sheep, Goats Helping to Mitigate Wildfires

hen the Sleepy Hollow Fire Protection District and Fire Safe Marin wanted to reduce the impact of wildfires in Marin County communities north of San Francisco, they brought in a unique crew from Star Creek Land Stewards to remove fire fuel. Some 1,200 goats and sheep from Star Creek grazed hundreds of acres, removing fire fuel including non-native invasive plants. “This approach proved cost-effective and gentle on the land, reducing the fuels for fire, restoring native grasslands where firefighters can more easily control fires, limiting greenhouse gas emissions, and creating pastoral fuel breaks in the open spaces between communities,” noted Fire Safe Marin, a nonprofit working to reduce fire hazards, promote fire safety awareness, and help residents prepare for wildfires in Marin County. The Marin Community Fire Protection Plan of December 2020 reported that herds of goats and sheep have been used since 2016 to graze in open space areas as part of a large-scale fire hazard reduction project spearheaded by local landowners. “The goat grazing program has been a collaborative effort to address key locations for fuel reduction to reduce the impact of wildfires in Marin communities,” it said. Bianca Soares, project manager at Star Creek L a n d S t e w a r d s, said use of sheep and goats for land management and wildfire mitigation is nothing new. It is, she says, something that sheep and goat ranches do daily; the difference now is that while those ranches may have been involved with traditional markets for meat or wool,

By p.j. heller

many of today’s sheep and goat ranchers are in the service industry, providing herds of animals for grazing lands to reduce the threat of wildfires or to improve land quality. “I think just acknowledging this whole industry — not just grazers but sheep and goat ranchers in general — is removing these fire fuels every single day of the year whether they get paid for it or not . . . I think that’s really important to keep in mind,” Soares said. The difference, she added, is that service businesses such as Star Creek have to be much more strategic compared to typical sheep or goat ranchers. Concerns include being able to move animals quickly through a site to avoid overgrazing; determining whether sheep, goats or a combination of the two should be used on a site, and the number of animals required. Star Creek, based in Los Banos, CA, was started in 2014 by Soares’ m o t h e r, A n d r é e (Talbott) Soares, a third-generation California rancher. Bianca Soares says her mother

never differentiated between whether Star Creek would provide land management or wildfire suppression. “It was all one and the same,” she said. “By providing the land management service we were also helping to provide fire fuels management. We were doing both land restoration and management as well as fire fuel suppression.” Star Creek has approximately 3,500 goats and 1,500 sheep. It employs as many as 13 herders from Peru, although that number has dropped recently due to travel restrictions caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The company will normally take on projects from about 10 to 500 acres. A typical herd of 400 sheep and goats can graze about 1.5 acres per day; they often graze in steep and dense areas that humans could not access. Before a job is started, Soares will visit the site and based on her findings determine whether a herd of sheep, goats or a combination of the two is required. Sheep would be used for grass, sheep and goats for a mix of brush and grass and just goats for a dense project of mostly brush. “I’m going to make a decision based on what the vegetation looks like,” she explained. “Sheep are grazers and prefer nose level and down; goats are browsers and are nose level and up. They spend more time on two legs that they do on four.” Continued on page 4

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Sheep, Goats Helping to Mitigate Wildfires Continued from page 1

Electrical fencing will be installed around 2 or 3 acres before the herd arrives. Herding dogs are used to move the animals around a site; some herds also have a Great Pyrenees to protect them from predators. The grazing season is usually April 1 to September 1, she said. Star Creek is one of a growing number of grazing companies offering services to both private landowners and public agencies, including schools, park services and city, state and federal entities. “In the past two to three years, a tremendous number of grazers have started up,” Soares said. “A lot of new people are getting involved in the industry. It’s a really booming industry for sure.” Among the newcomers is Cuyama Lamb, which started in 2018 on California’s central coast. When the Santa Barbara (CA) Fire Department wanted to reduce fire fuel in a section of a 35-acre park in the northern part of the city, it contracted with Cuyama Lamb to bring in 100 sheep to graze the site. In Colorado, the nonprofit Goatapelli Foundation launched in 2020 to “educate, train, re-train, re-skill, and support goat graziers, landowners, land managers, federal and state agencies who are responsible for taking care of the land in weed and fire management in the era of climate change.” The Goatapelli Foundation is an offshoot of Goat Green, founded by Lani Malmberg who has been herding for more than two decades. Services provided by the grazing companies have been especially critical this year, as drought conditions have helped fuel deadly wildfires across the West. “In a really good rain year, there’s a lot of vegetation. You have tall grass, really thick grass. There’s more fire fuel,” Soares said. “In a year like this, a drought year, there may not be quite as much grass that grew up but what is there is going to get drier earlier so you’re going to have a longer fire season. The drought has definitely changed things.” As of Oct. 1, there were 54 active fires, charring nearly 3 million acres, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. Those fires were in Idaho, California, Montana, Oregon, Wyoming, Washington, Nevada, Colorado and Oklahoma. Since the beginning of 2021, there have been

46,279 fires, which have burned 5.9 million acres, the NIFC reported. The University of California Cooperative Extension says grazing can help mitigate some of those fire threats. “Well managed grazing can be beneficial in reducing the risk of a catastrophic w i l d f i r e, m a i n t a i n i n g a n d enhancing habitat for many native grassland plants and animals, and maintaining the open character of our iconic grasslands and oak savannas, also known as rangelands,” it said. “In the recent fires, grazed rangelands burned less severe than areas not previously grazed.” Soares and others add that the four-legged firefighters do more than just help reduce wildfire risk. “Goats and sheep have been used for countless years as land management tools and are a popular alternative to the conventions of mowing, disking, and burning,” noted Living Systems Land Management of Coalinga, CA. “Managed grazing takes into account multiple levels of ecology and environment including: vegetation types, soil types, watershed functions, plant recovery mechanisms, nutrient flow and energy cycling. All can be managed, monitored and improved with proper management procedures.” Among other benefits are improved soil conditions, removal of invasive species and clearing the way for the regrowth of native plants. The Goatapelli Foundation noted that “goats have a diverse diet and appetite for all vegetation that makes up the fire fuel ladder. The goats eat and recycle flammable materials in situ to organic matter—or what we like to call ‘pure gold’ that feeds the soil.” Soares added that “the whole carbon cycle is happening there. The manure gets worked gently into the soil with their hooves . . . it’s totally beneficial for the soil. It increases the water holding capacity, which is crucial living in these drought times that we’re in. It’s absolutely the more natural healthy way to manage land. “By doing more grazing, we’re improving soil and land health everywhere, which is not only lessening the fire risk but is creating better environments for both our grazing animals but also the native land species that are living there, the deer and elk and other animals,” she added. “It’s a pretty exciting industry to be involved in.”

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PUBLICATION STAFF Publisher / Editor Rick Downing Contributing Editors / Writers Bonner R. Cohen • P. J. Heller Ken McEntee • Sandy Woodthorpe Production & Layout Christine Mantush Advertising Sales Rick Downing Subscription / Circulation Donna Downing Editorial, Circulation & Advertising Office 6075 Hopkins Road, Mentor, OH 44060 Ph: 440-257-6453 • Fax: 440-257-6459 Email: downassoc2@oh.rr.com Subscription information, call 440-257-6453. Soil & Mulch Producer News is published bimonthly by Downing & Associates. Reproductions or transmission in whole or in part, without written permission of the publisher, is prohibited. Annual subscription rate U.S. is $19.95. Outside of the U.S. add $10.00 ($29.95). Contact our main office, or mail-in the subscription form with payment. ©

September / October 2021 Soil & Mulch Producer News

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President Biden Proposes ‘Preserving’ 30 Percent of the United States by 2030 By Bonner R Cohen

ne section of President Joe Biden’s Executive Order (EO) 14008, “Tackle the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad, Create Jobs, and Restore Scientific Integrity across the Federal Government,” calls on the United States to “achieve the goal of preserving at least 30 percent of our lands and waters by 2030.” A Department of Interior (DOI) “fact sheet” on Biden’s “30 by 30 Plan” stated “only 12 percent of lands are permanently protected,” adding only 23 percent of the nation’s waters are permanently protected.

‘America the Beautiful’

he federal government currently owns approximately 27 percent of the nation’s land. Yet Biden said only 12 percent of the United States is permanently preserved for environmental purposes. Accordingly, the White House directed several federal agencies with land and environmental policy management responsibilities to produce a plan to implement the administration’s 30 by 30 proposal. In response, with DOI as the lead author, the agencies produced a 22-page document, titled “America the Beautiful.” Rather than providing a detailed plan, or even an outline, concerning how to reach Biden’s 30 by 30 goal, the document limited itself to discussing the importance of biodiversity and the urgency of confronting climate change, through land management.

Western Caucus Letter

of Congress from Western states have expressed unease about Members the 30 by 30 plan. In a March 16 letter to Biden, 64 members of the Congressional Western Caucus (CWC) expressed their concerns about the initiative. Their letter pointed out that 90 percent of the 640 million acres the federal government owns is west of the Mississippi. “Western states will be disproportionately impacted by policies set in place to achieve the 30 by 30 goal, which we fear will impact revenues derived and jobs that depend on multiple-use public lands,” CWC’s letter said. “Our lands and our waters must remain open to activities that support our rural economies and help us achieve our agriculture, timber, recreation, energy, and mineral needs.” CWC sent its letter to the White House shortly after Biden’s DOI, on February 11, revoked a Trump era rule requiring that state and local governments have direct input into any additional federal land acquisitions or land status changes on federal lands within their borders.

Governors Question Authority

from 15 states, ranging from Alabama and Tennessee in Tletterhethegovernors Southeast to Idaho and Alaska in the Northwest, signed an open to the White House expressing their belief the federal government lacks the authority to implement Biden’s 30 by 30 plan. “[We] are not aware of any statutory or constitutional authority for the President, the U.S. Department of Interior, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, or any other federal agency to set aside and permanently preserve 30 percent of all land and water in the United States,” the governors’ letter said. “Nowhere in the laws of our nation is the authority 4

Soil & Mulch Producer News September / October 2021

delegated to the President or executive branch agencies to unilaterally change the policies governing land use in America. “Obtaining the 30 percent goal would require your administration to condemn or otherwise severely limit the current productive uses of such lands, infringing on the private property rights of our citizens and significantly harming our economies,” wrote the governors.

Paths to 30 X 30

xpanding the already substantial Ethrough federal estate could be accomplished new land acquisitions funded by the Land and Water Conservation Fund. Alternatively, restrictions on land use – both public and private – can be brought about through rigorous enforcement of the 1973 Endangered Species Act (ESA), or through expansive agency interpretations of the Federal 1972 Clean Water Act (CW) authority. For example, on multiple occasions in the past, critical habitat designations for a threatened or endangered species have been so stringent that property owners have been unable to develop their properties. Adding new protections for the sage grouse throughout the West, expanding the habitat of grizzly bears in Montana, or creating habitat for jaguar in the mountains of Arizona and New Mexico are all possibilities under the ESA. Arguably, the worst possibility to reach the 30 by 30 goal would be simply to restrict all uses of existing public land, says former Montana state Sen. Jennifer Fielder, CEO of the American Lands Council. “Perhaps the most egregious of all is the possibility of a total prohibition of all human activity on the 640 million acres of federally controlled public lands,” said Fielder. “This would bring 27 percent of America’s land mass into so-called ‘protected’ status.” “But protected from what?” asks Fielder. “Hikers, hunters, skiers, and beneficial economic activity perhaps, but certainly not from the greatest threat of all – environmentally destructive wildfires, a danger that would only be exacerbated by a hands-off management approach.”

‘Totally Unnecessary’

iden should count private property already being conserved towards B his nationwide goal, says Jane Shaw Stroup, who manages the Liberty and Ecology blog for the Goodman Institute. “The 30 percent figure is unrealistic as well as totally unnecessary,” said Shaw Stroup. “However, since Biden is going to make a push in that direction he should count as preserved the many examples of private conservation throughout the country. “An inventory of such projects should be taken, as was done by the White House Council on Environmental Quality during the Reagan administration,” Shaw Stroup said. Bonner R. Cohen, Ph.D., (bcohen@nationalcenter.org) is a senior fellow at the National Center for Public Policy Research and a senior policy analyst with the Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow. This article was reprinted with permission from heartland.org, a product of The Heartland Institute (https://heartlanddailynews.com/2021/09/president-biden-proposespreserving-30-percent-of-the-united-states-by-2030/).

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California Treated Waste Wood Disposal Restrictions Lifted

What Biofuel and Green Chemical Researchers are Learning from Cows

ACRAMENTO, CA – On August 31, 2021, Governor Newsom signed Assembly Bill 332, allowing preservative-treated wood waste to be disposed of in approved Class 2 and 3 landfills, according to an article on the state Department of Toxic Substances Control’s (DTSC) website. The law restores the Alternative Management Standard (AMS) for the disposal of TWW that were in place since 2008, nullifying all treated wood waste variances issued by DTSC since March 2021. The variances are no longer necessary because they have been replaced by the AMS. The new AMS are similar to the rules that applied under the variance program, except that no variance is required. TWW comes from old wood that has been treated with chemical preservatives that help protect from insect attack and fungal decay while it’s being used. Examples of chemically treated wood include fence posts, sill plates, landscape timbers, pilings, decking, retaining walls and highway guardrails. The AMS expired last year when Newsom vetoed a bill that included its extension. After the AMS expired, disposal of treated wood was only authorized at a hazardous waste landfill until March 2021, when the California Dept. of Toxic Substance Control (DTSC) created a variance program where those disposing of treated wood could purchase variances allowing disposal in approved composite-lined landfills per the provisions of the AMS. The restrictions created a burden for highway transportation contractors who must dispose of old wooden guardrails. AB 332 allows contractors to use Class 2 and 3 hazardous waste landfills, increasing the number of Class 2 or Class 3 landfills from 1 to about 50 that can accept TWW. Highway construction businesses expressed satisfaction with the passage of AB 332, noting the huge win for homeowners, contractors, builders, environmentalists and infrastructure. Many projects were at high risk for shutdowns or scheduling changes, which often meant that workers could be sent home, a treated wood representative told ENR California.

tellenbosch, South Africa — Investigating how cows so efficiently digest the grains and grasses they consume is helping researchers see if the process can be replicated in smallscale biofuel production, according to a new case study published in the peer-reviewed journal, Catalysts. Researchers from the University of Stellenbosch Department of Microbiology have been looking at how microorganisms in the four-stomach digestive systems of cows break down feed. A ruminantbased carboxylate platform based on mixed or undefined anaerobic co-cultures of rumen microorganisms can be used to convert the carbohydrates to biofuels or green chemicals, they say. The process could be applied to organic waste streams abundant in the South African agricultural sector. Yeast and fungi can convert the simpler carbohydrates (such as the sugars and malic acid in grape and apple pomace) to ethanol and highvalue carboxylic acids, such as lactic, fumaric, succinic and citric acid. The ruminal carboxylate platform and native or recombinant yeasts could be used to feasibly recycle biomass waste by producing higher-value organic acids with various applications. Some 83 million metric tons of agricultural, municipal and fruit waste produced in South Africa annually. So long as fossil-based fuels remain cheap, upscaling biofuel production is not commercially viable. The huge capital costs of large-scale cellulosic ethanol plants and the associated technological challenges are cost prohibitive. One alternative is to recycle the organic waste into green chemicals instead. By suppressing the latter part of the digestion process and using the microbial hosts, industrial chemicals, such as acetic, propionic, butyric and valeric and caproic acids could be made from agricultural wastes.

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Turning Fungus and Wood Waste into Construction Materials

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ONDON, England — A UK-based biotechnology and design company is teaming up with a commercial construction company to trial a building insulation product processed from mushrooms and timber, reports Construction Manager Magazine. The product is the invention of Valentina Dipietro, a 26-year-old materials designer, researcher and graduate of the Royal College of Art in Textiles and NABA Milan. Her company, Mykor, creates a carbon-negative and entirely compostable, foam-like material that has thermal and acoustic insulation properties and is also a fire retardant. It is also easily recyclable. DiPietro is one of 64 recipients of an Innovate UK £5,000 Young Innovators’ Award (~$6770 USD) this year. Supported by the grant money and Innovate UK coaching, she expects to produce enough of the novel material for experimental use. The first application will be in the high-rise residential/commercial towers development, One Nine Elms, being built in London by Multiplex. Mykor makes the insulation by inoculating pasteurized waste timber with mycelium (a network of fungal threads). The material is then bagged and goes through a two-week growth period at 25 degrees Celsius. Afterward, it is placed in a mold to form a variety of different products, including cavity wall insulation, acoustic insulation and structural insulated panels (SIPS) for modular construction. It also can be used to 3D print home décor such as bowls and vases. Following the One Nine Elms trial, Multiplex says it is considering using the technology on other projects. Over the next few years Mykor hopes to repurpose more than close to 10,000 tons of timber waste through a pilot factory. The manufacturing process produces 96 percent less carbon than XPS foam.

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Mulch and Soil Producers Strive to Meet Labor, Transportation Challenges By Ken McEntee

ike most businesses across the country, mulch and soil producers count the inability to hire workers among their greatest current challenges, said Robert LaGasse, executive director of the Mulch and Soil Council, of Shallowater, Texas. In the wake of the council’s annual conference, held in September in Memphis, Tennessee, LaGasse said the national trucking shortage and supply chain disruptions round out the three most prominent concerns of the industry. “Labor is the biggest problem right now,” LaGasse said. “There are people offering $25 an hour jobs and they still can’t fill them. Nobody wants to take the jobs.” Transportation, he said, is another issue that is challenging mulch and soil producers. “Getting independent drivers or trucking companies or getting drivers to drive your own trucks is difficult,” LaGasse said. Before the pandemic, he said, the U.S. was short by about 80,000 truck drivers. During pandemic, more than 3,100 trucking companies went out of business, representing about 50,000 trucks, he said. That has made a terrible situation worse. “Last year, we were very successful in getting ourselves exempted from the hours-of-service regulations during the high season,” LaGasse. “But that doesn’t help if you can’t get a driver.” Because of supply chain disruptions, LaGasse suggests that producers stock up on any equipment parts they might need for production. “You need to be sure you’re doing your maintenance, make sure that you’re doing it early and make sure you can get that $50 sprocket that’s

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holding up your production without waiting six weeks for it,” LaGasse said. “You really have to plan ahead. Our members are already putting in a lot of orders for equipment now for next season and hoping that it arrives in time. Parts you got in a week two years ago may take a month or more to arrive now. Unfortunately, you can’t predict what that’s going to be, because that doesn’t seem to be a rhyme or reason to what’s happening. If it’s coming from overseas on a container ship, you’re screwed. If you need it tomorrow, you got a problem. And we don’t see a light at the end of the tunnel anytime soon.” Strong demand for soil products during the pandemic has helped producers to ride out the challenges, LaGasse said. The lockdowns of 2020 are believed to be responsible for an increased interest in home projects and activities – including gardening - which boosted demand for soil and mulch products. “We had a tremendous growth - some companies’ sales were up 25 to 40 percent,” LaGasse. “People were locked down and they had to do something. Plus, there was the concern about food shortages. People figured if they wouldn’t be able to buy vegetables, they would need to grow their own, so they started doing their vegetable gardening early.” Although members’ sales numbers for the second quarter of 2021 had not been accumulated as of this writing, LaGasse said they appear to have fallen off compared to last year. “The strong first half of 2020 carried through the rest of the year, and we thought it was carrying through into 2021,” he said. “But about the time the travel restrictions ended, and people started moving around the country, Continued on page 12

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Mulch and Soil Producers Continued from page 10

which would have been late April to early May, sales seemed to drop off, from the reports we’re getting. We think that when people were able to leave their homes, they shifted their priorities and their spending. Fortunately, a lot of cash was generated in 2020 and through the first quarter of 2021, so most of our members have been able to ride out the challenges.” Even with an apparent downturn in sales following that strong first quarter, LaGasse said he is optimistic about 2022. Citing a conference presentation by Luke Custer, manager, consumer insights and analytics for Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, LaGasse said millennials saved up money during the pandemic and are now beginning to buy homes – often older homes, which they will be rehabilitating, including patios, landscaping and gardens. The millennial consumer marks a change from the traditional soil product consumer, LaGasse said. “Traditionally, our market has historically been the boomers - the 40- to 50-yearold female who does gardening and throws a two cubic foot bag of soil in the back of her Toyota truck,” he said. “Millennials are about a decade past the age of traditional home ownership, but they’re starting to move in. They are more accustomed to working from home and they’re using home spaces differently. They’re now moving into that path of home ownership and building out their personal spaces, which is very good sign for us.” Meanwhile, LaGasse said the council’s annual conference set an attendance record of 175 attendees. The 2020 conference – a hybrid meeting held both in person and online – drew 80 physical attendees and 20 virtual attendees. “Until the pandemic our attendance had been trending upward,” LaGasse said. “This year’s conference drew a lot of non-members, many of whom are now becoming members. It was a very successful meeting in terms of the program, but more importantly, it filled the need for people of like mind to congregate together and share information face-to-face with people who know what they’re talking about and understand what they do day to day to share problems and how they dealt with them. That’s extremely important.”

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Lehigh Valley Mulch Company Receives Permit After Years of Delays

ower Mount Bethel Twp., PA — The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has granted a company a mulch-grinding permit after years of delays, reports McCall.com. In 2008, Gravel Hill Enterprises, Inc. (GHE) bought at auction a 126-acre farm where mulching and composting had been brought to a halt by the township in response to neighbor complaints. Residents took issue with noise, piles of imported tree stumps, and fires on the property. They rose in opposition again when GHE applied for a township zoning variance in 2014. Now, after seven years of court filings and DEP processes, the company will begin making wood, timber, leaf and yard waste into saleable compost. “The approved processing is limited to size reduction (grinding), screening, mixing, biological decomposition of wood waste prior to beneficial use as a landscaping material; and processing and beneficial use of leaf and yard waste limited to screening and blending,” the DEP permit allows. Approval “is contingent on Gravel Hill Enterprises operating as described in the approved application, complying with the enclosed permit conditions and ... applicable provisions of the municipal waste management regulations,” the permit states. GHE also will be required to continue periodically sampling on-site monitoring wells for any potential groundwater contamination.

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Cargill Unveils Incentive Program to Encourage Soil Health Practices

innetonka, MN — Cargill Inc. has enrolled hundreds of farmers in a scheme that pays them to adopt methods to increase and monitor carbon sequestration in their soil and sav, a Star Tribune article reports. By planting cover crops and adopting reduced- or no-tillage practices, farmers in Cargill’s “Regen Connect” program will be helping to convert 10 million acres of U.S. farmland to regenerative practices within a decade. Such farming methods are not new. They’ve been around since the 1940s, following the devastating “Dust Bowl” days. No-till farming involves growing crops or pasture without plowing the soil. Because the practice decreases soil erosion of certain soils, especially sandy and dry soils, it allows planting on sloping terrain without terracing. The practices also require less fuel, energy, equipment and time. Consumer pressure has been accelerating the transition to sustainable large-scale farming. A Cargill spokesperson says the company developed the incentive program to align with its own sustainability pledge, and also with food companies, who want to offer consumers the assurance their food production isn’t harming the planet. Regen Connect lifts some of the economic burden shouldered by farmers, while at the same time providing useful data on soil health. Cargill uses a predictive modeling technology from Regrow, a carbon measurement firm, to forecast precisely how much additional carbon an individual farmer could absorb on any given field by implementing these regenerative processes. Cargill then puts a price on that based on the carbon-trading markets. The company pays the farmer 50% of that upfront and the rest of it at the end of the growing cycle after the soil’s carbon level is measured and verified. The Soil Health Institute, supported by Cargill, conducted a survey of 100 farmers who have been using regenerative practices for close to 20 years and reported that their costs were lower and revenue higher as a result. Most responded that they saw yields and profits increase while the average cost to grow corn and soybeans decreased by $24 and $16.57 an acre for corn and soybeans, respectively. Cargill’s program is focused solely on carbon. Other soil health indicators include nutrient cycling, water cycling, water infiltration and storage vs. water runoff. The U.S. Department of Agriculture also offers assistance to farmers who want to commit to sustainable practices.

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The center is named in honor of, and The center is named in honor of, and a chaired by, Arthur B. Robinson, Ph.D., chaired by, Arthur B. Robinson, distinguished chemist, cofounderPh.D., of thea distinguished chemist, cofounder of the Oregon Institute of Science and Medicine Oregon Institute and Medicine (OISM), and editorof ofScience the influential (OISM), andAccess editor of influential newsletter to the Energy. newsletter Access to Energy.

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t the Arthur B. Robinson Center on Climate t the Arthur B. Robinson Center on Climate and Environmental Policy at The Heartland and Environmental Policy at The Heartland Institute, we are producing the research and Institute, we are producing the research and conducting the effective advocacy needed to help conducting the effective advocacy needed to help restore sound science and common sense to restore sound science and common sense to efforts to protect the environment. efforts to protect the environment. The Center promotes pro-energy, proThe Center promotes pro-energy, proenvironment, and pro-jobs policies based on sound environment, and pro-jobs policies based on sound science and economics, not alarmism or ideology. science and economics, not alarmism or ideology. Through events, publications, social media, and Through events, publications, social media, and government relations programs we have changed government relations programs we have changed public opinion on climate change and other public opinion on climate change and other environmental topics. We have changed public environmental topics. We have changed public policy not only in the United States but in other policy not only in the United States but in other countries as well. countries as well. In 2017 and onward, we are focusing on In 2017 and onward, we are focusing on winning the global warming war and repealing winning the global warming war and repealing bad legislation and regulations adopted during the bad legislation and regulations adopted during the height of the global warming scare. height of the global warming scare. With your help, we can win the global warming With your help, we can win the global warming war. Please contact us at 312/377-4000 or war. Please contact us at 312/377-4000 or think@heartland.org, or visit our website at think@heartland.org, or visit our website at www.heartland.org/Center-Climate-Environment heartland.org/Center-Climate-Environment. FREEDOM RISING heartland.org/Center-Climate-Environment.

Soil Health and Carbon Smart Farming Study Launches in Kansas

IBERTYVILLE, IL — Valent BioSciences LLC and Kansas State University (KSU) have partnered to conduct research on soil health and carbon smart farming, according to a KSU news release. The collaborative research effort will investigate carbon and nitrogen cycling, as influenced by the soil microbiome. Led by Kansas State University Distinguished Professor of Soil Microbiology, Dr. Charles W. Rice, and researchers from KSU and Valent’s parent company, Sumitomo Chemical Company, aim to explore ways to reduce carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere. The overarching goal is to study the complex interactions that control soil carbon stability and carbon and nitrogen dynamics. The joint research team will evaluate how MycoApply® brand soil inoculants (containing arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi) and soil conservation management practices together influence soil health. They suggest that healthy agricultural soils can reduce the impacts of “climate change” and offset greenhouse gases by stabilizing nitrogen and carbon. Soil cores from the Kansas State University studies will be evaluated and analyzed at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center in St. Louis, Missouri, using the organization’s state-of-the-art imaging technologies. Valent BioSciences maintains an ongoing collaboration with the Danforth Center to further define and shape the science of soil health. Scientists at the Danforth Center are using X-ray imaging equipment and computer learning to pioneer new techniques that shape the way we observe interactions between plant roots and beneficial soil microorganisms within the rhizosphere.

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Maverick Environmental Columbus Equipment Company Adds CBI Equipment Joins Morbark Dealer Network Equipment Line

INN, MI — October 1, 2021 — Morbark, LLC, recently announced that Maverick Environmental Equipment has been selected as a Morbark® Industrial Products dealer for Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, and Western West Virginia. Morbark is a leading manufacturer of tree care, forestry, sawmill, and wood recycling equipment. “We’re very familiar with the Morbark product line as well as the management at Morbark, so this partnership was a natural progression,” said Tim Smith, Managing Partner at their Ohio North facility. “We see exciting things happening with Morbark and share in their commitment to ensuring our customers’ success.” “Morbark Industrial Products are excited with the new partnership between Morbark, LLC and Maverick Environmental Equipment,” said Wally Robison, Regional Territory Manager. “This young group, while firmly planted in the markets, brings with them a lot of experience and hands-on knowledge of overall Morbark Products from both the Sales and Service side of the industry. We look forward to continued success in the marketplace with Maverick and their forward-thinking approach!”

OLUMBUS, OH — Columbus Equipment Company will now represent Terex’s CBI equipment line for the states of Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Kentucky, and Missouri. Columbus Equipment will assume all responsibilities for sales, parts, and service of the CBI range in their territory. Columbus Equipment is a family-owned business that has been serving the heavy equipment industry for more than 65 years. With more than ten locations and a team of trained service experts, Columbus Equipment offers world-class product support throughout a machine’s lifecycle. CBI and Terex Ecotec have been rapidly growing distribution to meet the rising demand of environmental recycling markets in the United States,” said George Wilcox, director of sales and marketing for CBI and Terex Ecotec. “Columbus Equipment has long been a leading distributor for grinders and chippers in the Midwestern United States and can be seen as the premier distributor in the United States. We are thrilled to have Columbus Equipment as part of the CBI team.” CBI manufactures a complete line of horizontal grinders, industrial woodchippers, flail debarkers, screeners, stacking conveyors, and attachments for the forestry, recycling, and organics markets. Learn more at www.terex.com/cbi.

Product / Equipment Profiles Colorbiotics Launches New GEM Studio v4 Coloring Technology

olorbiotics recently introduced its new Global Equipment Management (GEM) Studio v4 coloring technology, available on Colorbiotics® Sahara® X Series equipment. The Colorbiotics GEM technology works with Sahara systems to provide more control over the coloring process, done directly on the machine’s touchscreen or remotely from a phone or tablet. There are many variables in mulch colorant, including wood species, moisture content, grind size, colorant recipes and more, so the GEM system adjusts water and colorant application to match speed of production, which can reduce waste and increase accuracy. GEM Studio v4 offers several enhanced features over previous GEM systems, functioning 200 times faster with 300 times data-storage capacity. It also enables unlimited color recipes (compared to eight with the previous GEM), has better control displays, and gives users quick access to real-time data, including alarm and diagnostic information, and production-efficiency reports. Plus, GEM Studio v4 is user-centered and intuitive, making it easy to learn for new operators. For more information on Colorbiotics GEM technology and Sahara equipment series, visit colorbiotics.com or call 888‑663‑6980.

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Rotochopper Adds 365R Tracked Radial Stacking Conveyor to Equipment Offering

otochopper has added the 365R Tr a c k e d R a d i a l Stack ing Conveyor to their product offering. The addition of the 365R Conveyor is just one of the products that Rotochopper has recently added as they continue to expand the equipment they offer to meet the material handling needs of their customers. The 365R allows for effortless stacking of product with a radial on timer and automatic oscillation to smoothly blend the pile. The radial stacking along with easy tracked positioning creates efficiencies and time savings by minimizing repositioning needs. The 365R features a 36” wide belt with a 65ft radial and a 30ft discharge height. Minimize the need for additional handling and supporting equipment with the 365R Tracked Radial Stacking Conveyor. Also available is the 480R Conveyor, which is equipped with an 80ft radial stacker and 48” wide belt. For more information about Rotochopper’s Conveyor equipment, visit www.Rotochopper.com or call 320-548-3586.

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VOL. XV NO. 5

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Inside This Issue

Sheep, Goats Helping to Mitigate Wildfires PAGE 1 President Biden Proposes ‘Preserving’ 30 Percent of the United States by 2030 PAGE 4

What Biofuel and Green Chemical Researchers are Learning from Cows PAGE 6 Mulch and Soil Producers Strive to Meet Labor, Transportation Challenges PAGE 10 Cargill Unveils Incentive Program to Encourage Soil Health Practices PAGE 14 Soil Health and Carbon Smart Farming Study Launches in Kansas PAGE 16

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