September/October 2022 - 16

BIOCONTROLS & BIOPESTICIDES
Regenerative remedies
House ag committee holds hearing on
regenerative agriculture
VGN staff reports
The U.S. House Committee on
Agriculture held a hearing on soil
health and regenerative ag practices
in mid-September.
Witnesses included Jeff Moyer,
CEO of the Rodale Institute, an
organization dedicated to organic
agriculture research.
" (America's food system) is too
reliant on unstable foreign supply
chains, chemical inputs and government
subsidies for foods that aren't nutritious
for your constituents or profitable for
American farming families, " Moyer said
during his testimony. " Conventional
agriculture models are also degrading
American farmland.
" We have the tools and the time to
fix this and set our farms on a positive
track, and regenerative organic
agriculture is our path forward. "
Ken McCarty, a dairy farmer at
McCarty Family Farms in Kansas,
sells milk to Danone North America
for yogurt products. He addressed
the committee on changes his
organization has made over the years.
" Practices such as cover crops,
reduced tillage, improved nutrient
management and excellent animal care
practices under one coherent vision
can optimize the performance and
sustainability of our farms, " he said.
McCarty also told the committee
about the challenges of changing
production methods.
" We have the tools
and the time to fix
(America's food system)
and set our farms
on a positive track,
and regenerative organic
agriculture is our
path forward. "
− Jeff Moyer, Rodale Institute
" When considering USDA
propagation trays with results
conservation programs, budgets
are just one barrier to greater
adoption. Challenges, such as EQIP
backlogs, rigid contract structures,
cumbersome applications and
burdensome follow-up reporting,
create additional strain, " he said.
McCarty added that Danone
offers financing and incentives to
his organization for regenerative
implementation.
Other witnesses included Steve
Nygren, founder of Serenbe, a
" wellness " community in Georgia
that integrates agriculture, housing
and retail, cattle farmer Rick Clark
of Indiana, and Rebecca Larsen of
the Western Sugar Cooperative
in Denver.
Following the hearing, Ag
Committee Chairman David Scott
16 | VegetableGrowersNews.com
(D-Georgia) said soil health, or lack
thereof, will have detrimental effects
on our food supply and the economy.
" Supporting our soil health
is nothing new for the federal
government, " Scott said. " The hard
lessons our industry and country
learned through the Dust Bowl led to
the creation of the Soil Conservation
Service - now the Natural Resources
Conservation Service. We cannot
ignore the importance of soil health
in this way again. As we face evergrowing
climate challenges, managing
soil health is one of the most effective
ways farmers can increase crop
productivity and profitability while
protecting natural resources. "
KitoZyme biopesticide
receives EPA approval
KitoZyme has been granted
approval for its KitoGreen products
by the U.S. Environment Protection
Agency as biopesticides for multiple
applications and crops.
KitoGreen is a technology that
has been developed by KitoZyme
to offer more sustainable options
for farmers who are looking for
greener antibacterial, antifungal or
nematicide alternative products.
KitoGreen is patented and it is based
on the valorization of co-products
of the food industry, as well as being
100% non-animal, non-GMO, vegan
and non-toxic for the environment.
" This is a very important milestone
for our company, as it clearly
marks the start of a new business
area for our technologies, besides
our key pillars in winemaking and
health, " said François Luthers, chief
operations officer.
http://bpgrower.com http://www.VegetableGrowersNews.com
September/October 2022

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