{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"The Regenaissance Podcast","title":"Former USDA Insider's Plan to Fix Conservation From Outside The Government @ Jason Hanson | Ep #122","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":3533,"description":"Who's Jason?\nJason Hansen spent 14 years with the NRCS watching conservation rules bend for bigger, better-connected operators, and running cost-share programs structurally set up to fail the farmers they were meant to help. In 2018, he left USDA and founded Yield Unlimited.\nWhat is Yield Unlimited?\nYield Unlimited is Jason Hansen's nonprofit that pays farmers directly, long-term, to run five core conservation practices - crop rotation, no-till/strip-till, cover crops, nutrient management, and (for a higher payout) prescribed grazing.\nThe model:\n- Farmers apply for a land rental contract (30-second application, Jason's goal)\n- Up to $2,000/acre over 10-30 years, 50% paid upfront\n- Funded by donations, not federal money - pitch is $5/person/month covers the country\n- Treasury notes lock in and grow the later payouts (years 10 and 20)\nWhy it matters:\nUSDA cost-share caps at 5 years, right when farmers hit the yield dip during transition.Yield Unlimited's long-term contracts are built to carry them through this period.\n__________________________________________________________________________\nKey Topics\n14 years inside the NRCS, wetlands to DC headquarters\nUneven enforcement of drainage rules for connected operators\nWhy USDA's 5-year contracts fail farmers mid-transition\nThe 2018 moment that led to founding Yield Unlimited\nThe model: up to $2,000/acre, 10-30 year contracts\nFunding it outside the federal system\nTimestamps \n00:00 — Intro\n02:15 — Jason's background\n08:40 — Certifying wetlands in ND\n15:20 — Drainage enforcement issues\n24:00 — Utah, then district conservationist\n31:10 — The moment with his daughter\n36:30 — Why the RCPP grant failed\n44:15 — Hawaii, then DC headquarters\n50:00 — Leaving USDA, founding Yield Unlimited\n55:30 — How the model works\n1:01:00 — Funding conservation nationwide\n1:07:00 — Where to follow along\nConnect with Jason\nWebsite\nX\nLinkedin","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/al8BwjjnR2m8I-3vEq0Iyx2E0FqQ9QB0aLPF4D6flnY/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS81YzE3/NmFmYjZiNmRkZDdm/Y2MwYzk5ZjI5ZjRj/YzgwZi5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}