The pilot project's four-pronged focus will help to improve both the nation's food security and food affordability, point out WSSA leaders. However, the program's success will largely hinge on how well it provides farmers with technical support to achieve its goals while also optimizing weed control.

"Weed control is what will make regenerative agriculture possible, as practices that help to improve soil health and water quality will also minimize reliance on tillage," points out Lee Van Wychen, WSSA Executive Director of Science Policy. "Without tillage, weed control can become quite challenging, and farmers will need technical help from weed scientists and weed-science research to succeed."

While individuals have not yet been named to the program's 15-member council, at least one member should have weed science expertise, adds Van Wychen. "We'd like to see at least one science-based representative on the council who can advise on incentivizing the best weed control practices to achieve agricultural regeneration goals. We'd also like to see a clear definition of agricultural regeneration for this program, based on science."

Government efforts to support these initiatives could prove extremely beneficial to success if programs are easy to understand, simple to apply for, and, most importantly, are economically adoptable, emphasizes Stanley Culpepper, Ph.D., WSSA past president. "Implementing practices to improve soil health and farm sustainability are a priority for family farms as they strive to better the farm for the next generation," he says. "Including an applied weed scientist in the development and implementation process would help address these challenges and ensure weedy pests are not overlooked."

WSSA stands ready to assist USDA NRCS to implement the new project, but other existing organizations would be excellent resources as well. "For example, GROW (Getting Rid of Weeds) has already been doing the exact work that needs to be done to successfully implement a regenerative ag pilot program," says Van Wychen. "Their Weed Management Planner is the perfect resource on which to begin."

The GROW network's website covers a range of regenerative and integrated weed management tactics, such as cover crops, harvest weed seed control, weed electrocution, precision sprayers and more. Farmer-led education, such as Farmer Forums and Farmer Case Studies, have proved a popular way to introduce these concepts, says GROW Director of Outreach & Extension Emily Unglesbee.

"The goal is to provide science-based and Extension-vetted tools to farmers and also to help farmers learn from each other when trying out new sustainable, or regenerative weed control practices," she says.

To learn more about the Regenerative Pilot Project, visit this USDA webpage. To learn more about WSSA, visit:  https://wssa.net/, and to learn more about GROW, visit: https://growiwm.org/.

About the Weed Science Society of America 
The Weed Science Society of America is a nonprofit scientific society, founded in 1956 to encourage and facilitate the development of knowledge concerning weeds and their impact on the environment. The Society promotes research, education and extension outreach activities related to weeds, provides science-based information to the public and policy makers, fosters awareness of weeds and their impact on managed and natural ecosystems, and strengthens cooperation among weed science organizations across the nation and around the world. For more information, visit www.wssa.net.