SWOF Partner Spotlight: Eocene Environmental Group

Doug McCorkle, Vice President of Science and Technology at Eocene Environmental Group

In each Tune Up Newsletter, we profile one team member, partner, or other Soil and Water Outcomes Fund (SWOF) affiliate to better understand their contribution to the program. In this edition, we’re spotlighting Doug McCorkle, Vice President of Science and Technology at Eocene Environmental Group.

To provide the highest level of credibility to our Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) process, SWOF utilizes third-party outcomes quantification to validate results. Eocene Environmental Group is a leader in the sustainability marketplace providing industry leading quantification and practice verification services. Eocene delivers quantification outcomes for erosion, water quality, carbon, and greenhouse gases from the field level to the county level. Eocene works globally with over 45 different crop species, including row crops and specialty crops, in addition to animal systems such as dairy, pork, poultry, and beef.

Tell us a little bit about yourself and your work at Eocene.

As Vice President of Science and Technology I work with a team of about 30 people to ensure we are meeting the standards and requirements that are set forth by our clients, developing technology to meet those requirements. I reside in Iowa and have a PhD in mechanical engineering from Iowa State University. I’m very proud of the team I work with at Eocene. We have a very unique group of people with a blend of skills and capabilities. My colleagues are comprised of PhDs, agronomists, environmental scientists, and agriculture engineers, and together we collectively work with producers and industry leaders to improve their environmental footprint.

There are two things that I think make Eocene unique in the marketplace. The first is that we have no investment or interest from any corporate entities that are selling into the agricultural supply chain, enabling us to provide a truly independent third-party outcome to clients like SWOF.

And the other piece is that we can run a whole suite of environmental performance models across large geographies, and we can do it very efficiently and very quickly. In the U.S., we use the full suite of NRCS models to assess environmental outcomes. This includes RUSLE2 and WEPS to measure erosion from both wind and water, and we’re now implementing the WEPP model specifically for water erosion. For greenhouse gas (GHG) outcomes, we rely on COMET-Farm, with additional capabilities from the APSIM model. We’re also onboarding a new model focused on GHG analysis. To monitor nutrient runoff and water quality, we utilize the Nutrient Tracking Tool.

Why is running all these models in tandem so important?

Running these models enables us to provide our clients with a full picture of what's happening in field environmentally. It’s all too easy to get focused on a single environmental outcome at the expense of others. By running a full suite, we can provide our clients with a look across all the environmental outcomes, which enables them to help their farmers make well-founded decisions on how to best manage their operations.

At the end of the day, what does all that mean for farmers?

For SWOF specifically, we provide an outcome for the nitrous oxide emissions and the soil organic carbon change related to the farmer’s management practices. We also provide outcomes about how nitrogen and phosphorus are moving in their soil. With that information, SWOF can better empower farmers to make management decisions to achieve both their environmental and financial goals.

The models are very good at providing insight into what the future looks like. By combining that and validating it with what the farmer is seeing on the ground and the infield quality control that Corey [SWOF Program Operations Lead] and the rest of the SWOF team carry out, SWOF is better able to provide that collective source of truth and insight into a very complex system.

This is one of the reasons we value our relationship with SWOF. Eocene shares a few important goals with SWOF, and it’s great to see how well they align between our organizations. First, we both want to advocate for farmers, and that mission is core to each of us. We’re also committed to supporting the adoption of new practices and we want to help farmers tell their stories. SWOF does an excellent job with all of these, which really resonates with the agricultural community as well as with food and beverage companies that rely on farmers.

Your team has worked with SWOF for several years. Tell us about the progression you’ve seen and what excites you moving forward.

Our work with SWOF first started as a pilot of 10,000 acres in Iowa in 2019. It’s been great to work with the SWOF team, and it’s impressive to watch the footprint and impact of the program continue to multiply! With new geographies and new crops, the work that SWOF is doing is truly benefiting the broader agricultural community and the broader science community.

As we look to the future, I think reviewing the three shared goals excites me and the team at Eocene. Sustainability needs to be an action, and SWOF is making sustainability happening. That is exciting! It’s measurable change that affects the natural resources we all need and enjoy. These types of broad level impacts from this work across Iowa and beyond keep our teams motivated. Just like at Eocene, SWOF has a great group of people with connections at various intersections in the marketplace. And finally, we believe SWOF is serving farmers well and is a very positive voice for what's actually getting done on the ground, so it’s fun to be a part of that.

Personally, my motivation to do this work comes from my kids and a love of the outdoors. I want them to have a healthy and sustainable Earth to enjoy. Farming is a huge part of that. This positive community engagement that encourages our local farmers to succeed is an important pathway to ensuring our land remains healthy.