In this week’s AcreForward Podcast, Tom Buman joins the conversation to talk conservation, AI-driven sustainability and how Taranis is changing the game for farmers looking to enroll in conservation programs. Hosted by Taranis’ own Cory Edge, Buman discusses his new role on the Taranis team as the Director of Sustainability and the program he hopes to build out as conservation services within the company grow.
Buman brings more than three decades of experience to the role both as an NRCS employee and entrepreneur. Throughout his career, Buman has helped farmers navigate agricultural challenges. The self-described “farm kid from Iowa” is excited about the opportunities in conservation.
“I think now we’re entering one of the most exciting periods of conservation that I’ve seen,” he shares. “And that’s because we’ve really seen technical assistance and substantial financial assistance become available to farmers.”
The Evolution of Conservation Programs
The landscape of conservation funding has evolved significantly since Buman’s role on the NRCS team. Initially focused on providing technical support, most programs have expanded to financially incentivize farmers to adopt and implement conservation practices.
The introduction of programs like the Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP) and the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) has opened new doors for farmers.
“By 2026, we will triple our baseline funding available to farmers to sign up for programs,” Buman projects, and adds that the increase in funding is largely due to the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022. The IRA allocated significant resources towards climate change mitigation efforts within agriculture and has been a mainstay of the Biden administration.
The IRA has opened doors for funding practices that directly address climate change mitigation, many of which farmers are already doing. These include cover crops, no-till farming practices and nutrient management among several others.
Taranis is also focused on pest management and conservation cropping systems to maximize both the conservation benefit and profit for farmers. Taranis captures a digital record of the practices farmers already engage in that both validates and quantifies the practices – and the potential payment opportunity.
Taranis’ Commitment to Conservation
The primary goal of the Taranis conservation program is to ease the burdens associated with the application process.
“At Taranis, we really want to help a farmer understand what is available, what the different programs mean, and then how they can become involved,” Buman shares. “What we really want to do is make the process simple for them.”
Taranis support doesn’t just include application assistance. Practice selection and ongoing support with reporting and documentation throughout the implementation process is also provided. The success rate speaks volumes about this first of its kind conservation service with farmers seeing an incredible 75% success rate (the average funding rate is around 20%).
Beyond the Application
Buman says that farmers choose the programs that work for their operations and the financial incentive is just that, an incentive. Farmers know and understand the importance of conservation; after all, they are the original conservationists.
“Building a healthy soil that can hold more water in times of drought or heat stress, both of which are becoming more common, is really important. I was raised by a dad who believed in soil conservation and believed in water quality,” Buman offers.
Stewardship is about leaving a legacy of land that is better for the next generation.
To hear more of the conversation, listen to the full episode, and to learn more about how Taranis’ conservation program can make a difference for the acres you farm, visit taranis.com/conservation.
