climate change

Agriculture’s Role in Addressing Climate Change Discussed at NYC Climate Week

Dan Agri-Business, Climate Change, Environment, Greenhouse Gas

Agriculture is in the spotlight as a component of addressing climate change, with recognition ofits potential to provide solutions beyond reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Speaking at aNew York Climate Week session hosted by FoodTank, John Piotti, CEO of American FarmlandTrust (AFT), presented a systems-based approach to agricultural climate solutions, focusing onregenerative practices, farmland preservation, and farmer support. According to Piotti, …

food waste reduction

USDA Opens Application Period for Composting and Food Waste Reduction Cooperative Agreements

Dan Conservation, Environment, Greenhouse Gas, USDA-NRCS

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced it is accepting applications for Composting and Food Waste Reduction (CFWR) pilot projects for fiscal year 2024. The cooperative agreements will use remaining funds from the American Rescue Plan Act. Selected projects will develop and test strategies for planning and implementing municipal compost plans and food waste reduction plans and are part of USDA’s …

Agriculture Greenhouse Gas Emissions Lower

Dan American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), Environment, Greenhouse Gas, This Land of Ours, USDA-EPA

Agriculture again reduces its greenhouse gas emissions. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. New data released this month from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) shows agriculture decreased its greenhouse gas emissions in 2022. The EPA recently released the Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2022. American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) Economist Danny Munch explains the results. …

USDA Helping Small Farms

Dan Agri-Business, Conservation, Economy, Environment, Funding, Greenhouse Gas, This Land of Ours

How the USDA is helping small farms. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Testifying before the House Agriculture Committee Wednesday, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack listed several ways the USDA is helping small and mid-sized farms. “Climate Amart Agriculture Commodity initiative helping smaller-sized producers get a value-added proposition. Having farmers qualify for ecosystem service markets and when they do …

USDA Sees Record Interest in Conservation and Clean Energy Programs

Dan Agricultural Conservation Easement Program – Wetland Reserve Easements (ACEP-WRE), Biofuels/Energy, Climate Change, Conservation, Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), Environment, Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), Greenhouse Gas, Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP), USDA-NRCS

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has seen record interest in the conservation and clean energy programs that received funding from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The IRA made nearly $20 billion available over five years for USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to address continuous high demand for popular conservation programs. This will help farmers and ranchers implement expanded conservation practices …

USDA Announces Projects to Boost Access to Green Space for Millions

Dan Agri-Business, Environment, Forestry, Funding, Greenhouse Gas, USDA

Historic funding from President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act will increase urban tree cover, boost equitable access to nature, and improve climate resilience in communities covered by the Justice40 Initiative (USDA/WASHINGTON, Sept. 14, 2023) — Today, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Forest Service is awarding more than $1 billion in competitive grants to plant and maintain …

Manure Recycling on the Farm

Dan Beef, Biofuels/Energy, Cattle, Dairy, Environment, Equine, Fertilizer, Greenhouse Gas, Livestock, Pasture, Pork, Poultry, Sheep-Goats, This Land of Ours

It’s another type of recycling on the farm. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Farmers who utilize manure as a fertilizer mostly get the aromatic livestock byproduct from their own operations. New data from USDA’s Economic Research Service shows most manure applied to U.S. cropland, 78 percent, comes from animals raised on the same operation. Meanwhile, 14 percent …

USDA Investing to Expand Measurement and Monitoring of Soil Carbon on Working Agricultural Lands

Dan Environment, Greenhouse Gas, Soil, USDA-NRCS

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing $8 million in four regional partnerships across the nation to support and expand measurement and monitoring of carbon in soil on working agricultural lands and to assess how climate-smart practices are affecting carbon sequestration. Here in the Southeast, USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will be working with American Climate Partners on a regional …

NCBA Applauds Protect Farmers from the SEC ACT in Senate

Dan Cattle, Environment, Greenhouse Gas, Legislative, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), Regulation

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) supports the Senate version of the Protect Farmers from the SEC Act, a companion bill to legislation introduced into the House of Representatives by Oklahoma Republican Frank Lucas. “The Securities and Exchange Commissions’ overly broad rulemaking has the potential to increase burdens on cattle producers by requiring data that’s impossible to provide,” says NCBA …