To reduce carbon emissions, use more ethanol, says biofuel group
The EPA should rewrite the Renewable Fuel Standard to give corn ethanol a larger share of the gasoline market in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from cars and trucks quickly, said the head of the Renewable Fuels Association on Tuesday. “As the only existing federal law on the books today that requires the use of lower-carbon renewable fuels, the RFS should continue to serve as the bedrock for our nation’s decarbonization efforts,” said Geoff Cooper, RFA chief executive.
Conservation Reserve shifts toward working lands
With 22.1 million acres enrolled, the Conservation Reserve is often described as the largest federal land retirement program, paying landowners an annual rent in exchange for taking fragile land out of crop production for 10 or 15 years. “Over time, it has evolved more toward a working farmland program,” said four university economists at the farmdoc daily blog.
Today’s Quick Hits
Black farmers legislation: A bill in the Illinois legislature would respond to the declining number of Black farmers by creating a system of land grants of up to 100 acres apiece to eligible individuals, with priority going to socially disadvantaged farmers. (Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting)
Commodity prices surge: Driven by fears of armed conflict in Ukraine, U.S. wheat futures prices leaped to their highest level in nearly three months and corn futures were the highest since last June. Russia and Ukraine are major wheat exporters. (Reuters)
4-H gets $50 million: The National 4-H Council said the gift of $50 million by philanthropist MacKenzie Scott will be “transformational” for the nonprofit organization dedicated to youth development programs. (Associated Press)
Water follows fires: Large forest fires result in higher, and potentially destructive, stream flow, says a UCLA-led study in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. (Los Angeles Times)
Reynolds to reply: Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, who opposed mask and vaccine mandates as Covid-19 cases rose in her state, will deliver the Republican response following President Biden’s state of the union address next Tuesday, said GOP leaders in Congress. (Associated Press)
