We don’t have a day to waste’ on climate mitigation, says Vilsack U.S. agriculture faces a triple imperative — market, environment, and income — in responding to climate change, said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Thursday, his first day on the job. “We don’t have a day to waste on… Continue reading
The template for climate mitigation is soil conservation, says farm-enviro alliance The new era of climate mitigation on the farm would look like a beefed-up version of longstanding USDA conservation programs, augmented by a carbon bank that sets a floor price for carbon sequestration and reductions in greenhouse gas emissions,… Continue reading
House panel approves debt relief to minority farmers The House Budget Committee approved an estimated $4 billion of debt relief for minority farmers on Monday as part of a $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package on Monday, with one member protesting that the aid was unfair. More adherents to voluntary… Continue reading
You cannot do climate on the backs of the American farmer’ Farmers expect to be paid for climate mitigation, and not at the expense of the traditional farm subsidies, said the president of the largest U.S. farm group during a discussion of President Biden’s goal of an agriculture sector that… Continue reading
Record corn and soybean crops possible as farmers chase high prices Responding to strong exports and expectations of a U.S. economic recovery, farmers will plant 92 million acres of corn and 90 million acres of soybeans this spring, pointing to a record soybean crop and possibly the largest corn harvest… Continue reading
Pandemic boost for grocers: $6 billion a month When the pandemic closed schools and restaurants last winter, Americans went to the supermarket to stock up on food for the stay-at-home weeks. Grocery sales skyrocketed by 32 percent last March and have remained strong, averaging $6 billion a month above pre-Covid… Continue reading
Ethanol, facing slow recovery, rebrands as climate-friendly fuel Battered by the pandemic, the ethanol industry labeled itself on Tuesday as the climate-friendly automobile fuel of the future. Officials said it could be a year or more before straggling biofuel sales recover fully from the coronavirus. Ready cash sends farmland… Continue reading
Strongest farm outlook in years, say ag bankers Farm income and land values surged in the closing months of 2020, lifted by higher commodity prices and large federal payments, according to farm lenders across the Midwest and Plains. With the commodity rally expected to persist, the farm economy was in… Continue reading
Need a quick catch up on the news? Here’s some agricultural news you might have missed this week. 1. Agriculture accounted for 9.9% of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions in 2018, according to an analysis from the Environmental Protection Agency. Emissions increased from 2017 to 2018 by 3.1%. – Farm… Continue reading
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