Date:

Introduced in 2019
Re-introduced January 2020
Passed the House and Senate with amendments March 2020 Signed by Governor April 3, 2020
Effective date June 11, 2020

Legislation:

Built under SB 5947 (details under the “Sustainable Farms and Fields Grant Program”)

Washington Soil Health Initiative Act

Sponsors:

Senator McCoy
Senator Schoesler
Senator Palumbo
Senator King
Senator Salomon
Senator Warnick
Representative Walsh
Representative Shewmake
Representative Dye
Representative Springer
Representative Shea
Representative Peterson
Representative Chapman
Representative Fitzgibbon
Representative Eslick
Representative Corry

Agencies Involved:

Washington State Conservation Commission, Washington State Department of Agriculture, and Washington State University.

Rule Making Processes:

N/A

Description:

The Washington Soil Health Initiative (WaSHI) was codified into law in 2020 with overwhelming support from the Washington State Legislature. WaSHI was born from the broad, bipartisan recognition that “healthy soil is a cornerstone of a high quality of life on earth and that soil health is integral to supporting agricultural viability, promoting positive environmental outcomes, and ensuring the long-term availability of nutritious food” (RCW 15.145 Soil Health Initiative). The statute listed three state agencies as WaSHI partners: The Washington State Conservation Commission (SCC), the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA), and Washington State University (WSU). Together, agencies were tasked with implementing “collaborative soil health research, education, demonstration projects, and technical assistance activities designed to identify, promote, and implement soil health stewardship practices that are grounded in sound science and that can be voluntarily and economically implemented by farmers and ranchers across Washington’s diverse agricultural communities, climates, and geographies.”

Soil Health Definitions:

“Soil health” means the continued capacity of the soil to function as a vital living ecosystem that sustains plants, animals, and humans.

Stated Goals:

The goals and objectives of the soil health initiative are to improve:
(a) Agricultural viability, by improving farm profitability; and by helping agricultural producers implement good soil health practices that build soil organic matter, reduce soil erosion, soil compaction and production costs, and improve nutrient management, soil tilth, moisture infiltration, moisture retention, drought resilience, disease suppression, and the beneficial activity of microbes, fungi, earthworms, and other organisms;
(b) Nutrition, by increasing health-promoting nutrients, micronutrients, and microbial processes of agricultural soils; and by improving nutrient uptake, thereby expanding access to nutritious food and improving human health;
and(c) Environmental function, by reducing soil erosion, runoff, and leaching of nutrients and pollutants, thereby improving water quality; and by promoting strategies to store carbon and build soil organic matter and other beneficial properties, thereby enhancing the environmental functions of agricultural soils.

(3) In addition to the joint responsibilities established for the collaborative agencies in this section and the primary responsibilities established for each collaborating agency in RCW 15.145.030 through 15.145.050, the collaborating agencies may pursue any action designed to improve soil health and promote complementary improvements to agricultural viability, nutrition, and environmental function. The collaborating agencies must jointly:
(a) Support and supplement current Washington soil health advisory committee membership to promote effective implementation of the soil health initiative. Committee members must be qualified and knowledgeable regarding soil health stewardship. Membership may include agricultural producers, soil scientists or specialists, and representatives of governmental, nongovernmental, and tribal organizations interested in soil health as it pertains to agricultural viability, nutrition, or environmental function. The collaborating agencies must convene, staff, and develop agendas for each Washington soil health advisory committee meeting and appoint committee members and subcommittee members as appropriate. No appointment is effective unless all collaborating agencies concur in the appointment;
(b) Assess programmatic needs and build the capacities of the collaborating agencies to fill gaps in scientific research, economic assessment, staffing, technical assistance, grants administration, project implementation, data management, and monitoring tools to improve the reach and effectiveness of the soil health initiative;
(c) Prioritize in-state sourcing of needed soil health initiative resources including, but not limited to, testing resources, seeds, compost materials, supplies, and equipment;
(d) Employ adaptive management to support the improvement and long-term viability of the soil health initiative, including modification of soil health metrics, priorities, and activities to maximize complementary net benefits for agricultural viability, nutrition, and environmental function. To the extent practicable, metrics chosen to assess changes from baseline environmental function must be measured per unit of production;
(e) Submit a biennial Washington soil health initiative progress report to the governor and appropriate committees of the legislature by October 1, 2020, and every even-numbered year thereafter. The report’s recommendations must include an assessment of success in meeting the soil health initiative’s goals and objectives, a biennial work plan detailing any proposed legislation, budget requests or administrative rules, and a prioritized list of proposed actions needed to fulfill each collaborating agency’s responsibilities for programmatic components and advance soil health initiative goals and objectives in the upcoming biennium.

(4) The soil health initiative shall operate within the appropriations provided for the program.

Program Required Measurements:

N/A

Tools & Guidance:

Resources Map

Financial Resources and Incentives

WaSHI Tool Gallery

WaSHI Soil Health Ambassadors

WaSHI Soil Health Roadmap

Founding Source/s:

MyLand Announces $4.8M Program to Enhance Soil Health in Washington State 

STAR, which is intended to generate economic value for producers who use conservation practices; 

The Compost Reimbursement Program, which reimburses growers 50% of compost costs, up to $10,000; and 

Sustainable Farms and Fields (SFF), which received an additional $30 million through the CCA, largely to support climate-smart livestock projects.  

Funding Type/s:

N/A

Practices Eligible for Funding:

N/A

Date:

Introduced in 2019
Re-introduced January 2020
Passed the House and Senate with amendments March 2020 Signed by Governor April 3, 2020
Effective date June 11, 2020

Legislation:

SB 5947/ HB 2095

Sponsors:

Senator McCoy
Senator Schoesler
Senator Palumbo
Senator King
Senator Salomon
Senator Warnick
Representative Walsh
Representative Shewmake
Representative Dye
Representative Springer
Representative Shea
Representative Peterson
Representative Chapman
Representative Fitzgibbon
Representative Eslick
Representative Corry

Agencies Involved:

Overseen by the Department of Agriculture and the Washington State Conservation Commission (SCC) 

The Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR)

Washington Natural Resources Conservation Service 

Advocate Organizations:

115 farms and organizations signed a joint letter of support, including:

• Wilcox Farms
• Carbon Washington
• Taylor Shellfish Farms
• Tilth Alliance
• The William D. Ruckelshaus Center 
• The Washington Farm Bureau 
• The Nature Conservancy 
• The Washington Cattlemen’s Association 
• Washington Association of Wheat Growers
• Washington Farmer Veterans Coalition
• Washington State Dairy Federation
• Washington Young Farmer Coalition

Rule Making Processes:

The Department of Agriculture will build out this program in consultation with Washington State University, the State Conservation Commission, the United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service, and State Department of Natural Resources.  

Description:

The Bill was conceived as a means to help farmers become more profitable while achieving Washington’s climate action goals. It creates a grant program to incentivize farmers and ranchers to reduce fossil fuel inputs and increase sequestered carbon. 

The WA Department of Agriculture, in consultation with Washington State University, the State Conservation Commission, the NRCS, and the Washington Department of Natural Resources must create a system to estimate, measure, and verify outcomes for the sustainable farms and fields grant program. 

The Bill requires that 80% of the funds go directly to producers in the form of grants for farming processes that reduce emissions, increase organic matter, and build healthy soils. The remaining funding covers educational campaigns and technical assistance to grant applicants.

Soil Health Definitions:

Carbon dioxide equivalent emission:

“A metric measure used to compare the emission impacts from various greenhouse gases based on their relative radiative forcing effect over a specified period of time compared to carbon dioxide emissions.”

Carbon dioxide equivalent impact:

“A metric measure of the cumulative radiative forcing impacts of both carbon dioxide equivalent emissions and the radiative forcing benefits of carbon storage.”

Stated Goals:

To enhance soil health by adopting precision agriculture and regenerative agriculture practices that increase soil organic carbon levels, and to store carbon in standing trees.

To provide financial assistance to voluntary farmers and ranchers who adopt practices that reduce fossil fuel inputs in their operations and increase the quantity of carbon stored on their land.

Program Required Measurements:

Biennial report to the legislature and the Governor, prepared by the commission.

Public

Tools & Guidance:

The Bill specifies that funding be made available to develop tools to help farmers implement grants.

The bill directs the commission in consultation with the universities to “evaluate and update the most appropriate carbon equivalency metric to apply to the sustainable farms and fields grant program”.

Founding Source/s:

Unspecified in the Bill but expected to come from the General Fund. 

Funding Type/s:

N/A

Practices Eligible for Funding:

• Efficiency measures that reduce the quantities of fuel, electrical, fertilizer, pesticide, or water inputs 
• Regenerative agricultural practice such as:
  • No-till
  • Cover-cropping 
  • Manure 
  • Biochar additions
  • Integrating trees into management
• Agroforestry
• Carbon farming

Practices include, but are not limited to

• Cover cropping;
• No-till and 13 minimum tillage conservation practices;
• Crop rotations, manure 14 application;
• Biochar application;
• Compost application;
• Changes in grazing management;
• Increasing the quantity of organic carbon in aquatic soils;
• integrating trees, shrubs, seaweed, or other vegetation into management of agricultural and aquacultural lands;
• Reducing or avoiding carbon dioxide equivalent emissions in or from soils;
• Reducing nitrous oxide and methane emissions through changes to livestock or soil management;
• Increasing the usage of precision agricultural practices.

Projects that benefit waterways, fish and wildlife habitat are being prioritized.

The Bill initially had substantial bipartisan support and moved through the Senate, but was held up in the House due to stakeholder opposition. While farmers broadly supported the bill, the Farm Bureau and the Potato Commission opposed the bill, citing concerns over competition for funding with the Voluntary Stewardship Program.  

The climate change language written into the Bill was its most contentious point.  

Date:

VSP created in 2011

Growth Management Act adopted in 1990

Legislation:

Growth Management Act is a  is a series of state statutes primarily codified under Chapter 36.70A RCW

VSP specifically created through House Bill 1886 / Senate Bill 5713

Sponsors:

• Senator Dean Takko
• Senator Jan Angel
• Senator Barbara Bailey 
• Representative Steve Tharinger

Agencies Involved:

Washington State Department of Ecology 

Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA)

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW)

USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)

Rule Making Processes:

Shared responsibility by the Conservation Commission and the counties that choose to participate in VSP. 

Description:

The Voluntary Stewardship Program (VSP) was created as a response to the Growth Management Act (GMA) which required all counties in WA to develop plans to prevent urban sprawl by identifying and protecting critical areas, including agricultural lands. VSP allows counties to create their own plans to achieve the goals of the GMA while preventing regulation that was unpopular with landowners. Each VSP plan must protect critical areas while maintaining agricultural viability. All other VSP plan requirements are unique to their region and set of circumstances. 

VSP provides education and funding to help farmers install watershed-based, conservation practices to protect critical areas. The Washington State Conservation Commission oversees the program and distributes funds (appropriated via the General Fund) amongst the participating counties for implementation. Each county then chooses how to allocate funding to farmers and implement their plan. 

VSP has three phases:

1. Development
   1. Local stakeholders create a workgroup and develop a plan to implement best management practices in their county. 
   2. The Conservation Commission reviews plan for approval. 
2. Implementation
   1. Technical assistance providers create and help implement stewardship plans for participating in agriculture landowners. 
3. Monitoring
   1. The workgroup monitors progress and delivers a status report to the Conservation Commission every two years. 
   2. The VSP Technical Panel and Statewide Advisory Committee review each county every 5 years to determine their ability to achieve the goals and objectives of the plan. 
   3. If the goals and objectives of the VSP plan are not met, the Conservation Commission creates incentives to support implementation. 

Soil Health Definitions:

As defined by the NRCS, “…  the continued capacity of soil to function as a vital living ecosystem that sustains plants, animals, and humans.” This is also the definition used by the University of Washington’s Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources.

Stated Goals:

To support the adoption of watershed-based, conservation practices that will protect critical areas while maintaining agricultural viability

Program Required Measurements:

VSP workgroups develop measurements and benchmark specific to each county

Tools & Guidance:

Agricultural Viability Toolkit 

Guidance and tools specific to each county

Founding Source/s:

VSP receives funding through the General Fund, specifically from the Public Works account 

Funding Type/s:

Dependent on the plan the county creates. Funding could come in the form of grants, cost-share, or loans.

Practices Eligible for Funding:

Practices that protect critical areas while maintaining agricultural viability. Due to the flexibility of this program that is designed to be unique to each participating county, there aren’t specific eligible practices. 

N/A

House Committee:

Senate Committee:

Washington State University, Organic Farming Systems and Nutrient Management; “Current and past experiments include the Organic Farming Systems experiment, cover crop trials, climate change gas experiments, food safety, pastured poultry, and improving no-till and minimum tillage methods.” (Land-grant university)

University of Washington’s Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources

Washington State University: Land-grant university  

American Farmland Trust 

Washington Association of Conservation Districts (WACD)

Washington State Conservation Commission

Washington NRCS

American Farmland Trust 

Washington Association of Conservation Districts (WACD)

The William D. Ruckelshaus Center 

The Washington Farm Bureau 

The Nature Conservancy 

The Washington Cattlemen’s Association 

Vashon Fibershed

Bipartisan Group of Legislators Backs Sustainable-Farm Bill (Carbon Washington)

Op-ed: The Climate Bill with Bipartisan Support (Washington State Wire)

FARMING TO HELP THE CLIMATE: TWO BILLS IN OLYMPIA PROMOTE “REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE, Investigate West 02/20/2020

Stakeholders Unite To Support Sustainable Farms and Fields, Carbon Washington 02/10/2020