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The latest request for proposals, which has just been released, is a communications RFP designed to solicit an agency of record to support the ESM program. The selected firm will help the ESM program develop its branding and positioning strategy and help devise outreach campaigns to ranchers and farmers, key stakeholders, investors, buyers, and program supporters.

A quick high level update on a number of activities pertinent to the Ecosystem Services Market program. Thanks to those active ESM members for their continuous contributions to this ambitious effort.

Since the Noble Research Institute announced the creation of the new voluntary ecosystem services market Feb. 21, the steering committee and eight working committees guiding the effort have been exceptionally busy. This week, a request for proposals will be released to select companies to solicit an agency of record to support the ESM program.

The ESM team has continued with collaborative engagement activities across the full range of the agricultural supply and value chains, including with farm and ranching communities, commodity groups, and potential corporate partners.  Work also continues on technical issues, including development of the technical and logistical requirements of a platform to collect and store data and track progress of the overall program.

In August, the Noble Research Institute hosted the third in-person steering committee meeting, which was focused on the advancement of the go-to-market business plan and the economic assessment of the aggregate value of ecosystem services. 

We are preparing for our fourth in-person steering committee meeting to be held in Washington, D.C., on Oct 18-19. We will spend a fair amount of time reviewing the protocol team’s progress on the draft protocol and decisions informing the go-to-market strategy.

Within the Noble Research Institute core values exist three simple words: "Never fear challenges." We will not let the threat of failure or the perceived size of a task deter us from venturing into the unknown. This perspective changes how we approach problems and unleashes our ability to solve them.

The Ecosystem Services Market team convened a meeting with some of the major food and beverage firms in Chicago on November 1st to walk them through a draft modules of the ESM protocol. The meeting was well attended and we received terrific feedback that is being incorporated into the final protocol set for completion by year end.

In November we offered a preview of the ESM protocol to a number of food and beverage firms to seek feedback to incorporate into the final draft version of the methodology. We are teeing up another meeting with those corporate leaders in the spring of next year to share the final draft version of the protocol.

As Bill Buckner steps off the stage as president and CEO of the Noble Research Institute, he knows there is still much left to do for agriculture before he calls it a career.