Actor, author, and woodworker Nick Offerman has taken on an unconventional role to support regenerative agriculture.
The “Face Plant” campaign, conceived by Incredible Beast founding partner Sandra Itkoff and brought to life by creative agencies Upshot and AMP Agency, aims to educate and inspire both the public and Congressional leaders about the significance of cover crops and climate-friendly agriculture within the Farm Bill. To learn more about these vital issues, the campaign invites individuals to visit nrdc.org/soil.
The campaign’s central message revolves around the importance of cover crops in regenerative agriculture. Cover crops help build soil health, sequester carbon from the atmosphere, prevent soil erosion, protect waterways from pollution, enhance soil fertility, and reduce the need for harmful chemicals and synthetic inputs. Currently, only about 5% of cropland in the United States utilizes cover crops.
Offerman, who hails from a farming family in Minooka, Illinois, steps into the role of a lifetime as he becomes the face of the “Face Plant” campaign. Directed by Morgan Sackett, known for his work on popular series like Veep, Hacks and The Good Place, Offerman delivers a compelling message as he portrays the dirt, with only his scraped and pallid face visible. Watch below:
NRDC’s COVER Act proposes offering farmers a $5-per-acre savings on their crop insurance bills as an incentive for planting cover crops, similar to how auto insurers reward good drivers with discounts.
“I am grateful to finally exploit my talents as a dirty man of the soil to encourage the use of cover crops in pursuit of restoring the health of our nation’s fields,” said Offerman. “We have a long way to go, and many more regenerative steps to take, but supporting this effort is a very good beginning.”
“Incredible Beast’s goal is to not preach to the choir but to present strong, optimistic, entertaining narratives that show the power of food and farming to address food security and climate issues—and pull large amounts of legacy carbon from the atmosphere,” noted Sandra Itkoff.
The campaign is set to launch during Climate Week NYC on September 20, and will reach audiences across various social media platforms. Michael Rivera, Chief Creative Officer at AMP and Upshot, expressed the campaign’s aim to ignite conversations about sustainable farming practices and the value of planting cover crops.
“Agricultural policy issues can really get in the weeds, pun intended, so we are enormously grateful to have Nick Offerman bring his talent, witty humor, and unique perspective to this piece,” said Arohi Sharma, Deputy Director, Regenerative Agriculture, Nature Program at NRDC. “Cover crops are one of the best tools we have to improve soil health and fight climate change on farms, and this new video couldn’t be better timed. Congress made historic investments in climate and agriculture through the Inflation Reduction Act, and by including the COVER Act in the next Farm Bill, we can supercharge those investments and help farmers become climate champions.”
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