Former USDA Insider's Plan to Fix Conservation From Outside The Government @ Jason Hanson | Ep #122

Who's Jason?
Jason 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.

What is Yield Unlimited?
Yield 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.

The model:
- Farmers apply for a land rental contract (30-second application, Jason's goal)

- Up to $2,000/acre over 10-30 years, 50% paid upfront

- Funded by donations, not federal money - pitch is $5/person/month covers the country

- Treasury notes lock in and grow the later payouts (years 10 and 20)

Why it matters:
USDA 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.

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Key Topics

• 14 years inside the NRCS, wetlands to DC headquarters
• Uneven enforcement of drainage rules for connected operators
• Why USDA's 5-year contracts fail farmers mid-transition
• The 2018 moment that led to founding Yield Unlimited
• The model: up to $2,000/acre, 10-30 year contracts
• Funding it outside the federal system

Timestamps 

• 00:00 — Intro
• 02:15 — Jason's background
• 08:40 — Certifying wetlands in ND
• 15:20 — Drainage enforcement issues
• 24:00 — Utah, then district conservationist
• 31:10 — The moment with his daughter
• 36:30 — Why the RCPP grant failed
• 44:15 — Hawaii, then DC headquarters
• 50:00 — Leaving USDA, founding Yield Unlimited
• 55:30 — How the model works
• 1:01:00 — Funding conservation nationwide
• 1:07:00 — Where to follow along

Connect with Jason

Website
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