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News Updates
From WRI: Carbonshot:
Federal Policy Options for Carbon Removal in the United States
The
United States needs to make large-scale investments in carbon removal in the coming years if the country is to achieve carbon neutrality by midcentury. This working paper identifies a consolidated set of high-priority, near-term, federal policy
options for advancing terrestrial carbon removal—including an-depth section on agricultural soil carbon management.
From Morning Consult:
Farmers Are Poised to Tackle Climate Change with Technology and Innovation
American
farmers know all too well the effects of our changing climate. If it’s not flooding, it’s drought, then flooding again. But American farmers — whether they know it or not — have also been quietly fighting the effects of climate change for decades
through innovations in land use and management. And if policymakers provide the right kinds of support, farmers can do much more to address climate impacts, protect their livelihoods and maintain our nation’s food supply.
From Fern's Ag Insider:
Young Farmers Face Heightened Risks from Climate Change
With
this season’s severe flooding, raging wildfires, and delayed planting, many of the country’s farmers are struggling to adjust as climate change sets in. Yet young and beginning farmers face unique challenges, farmers and advocates say, with tenuous
finances, relatively small operations, and little government support to help them deal with the new, erratic normal.
From the Hill:
Iowans Push 2020 Candidates to Focus on Climate Change
A
year of historic flooding and a farm demographic eager to protect crops from extreme weather have made climate change a major issue for Iowa voters in the 2020 presidential race. While climate change has been given short shrift on the debate stages,
it’s been widely discussed as the state races toward its first-in-the-nation caucuses.
From Forbes:
This Is How Two Companies Are Making Better Soil for Crops
Carbon
is the fuel source for microbial activity in the soil, which digests nutrients for plants. And, the stable form of carbon that can amend the soil is called biochar, or charcoal. A 2015 study from the University of Washington reported that the use
of biochar in the soil had increased soil carbon levels between 32-33%.
From Forbes:
Can Vegans and Ranchers Work Together to Rebuild the World’s Soil?
The
agriculture sector is one of the biggest emitters of CO2. A 2018 study published in Nature concluded that Americans need to eat 90% less beef and 60% less milk to keep global warming under 2 degrees Celsius. But as awareness spreads around the benefits
of a plant-based diet on the environment, a growing regenerative agriculture (RA) movement says livestock is integral to shaping farming practices that will save the planet.
From USA Today:
'Wine Is Like the Canary in the Coal Mine.' Climate Change Is Threatening Our Wine Supply
Many
of the world's prime wine-growing regions could shrink dramatically due to human-caused climate change,
a recent study suggests. This is because wine grapes are extremely sensitive to the changes in temperature and season that come with climate change.
From Aberdeen News:
Governor Noem Proclaims Feb. 21 Is Soil Health Awareness Day
Improving
soil health is a mission many South Dakotan’s take seriously, including Governor Kristi Noem, proclaiming February 21 Soil Health Awareness Day in South Dakota. “South Dakota’s farmers and ranchers are deeply committed to stewardship,” Noem said.
“Soil health is a crucial component to ensuring the land that grows our food remains productive for future generations.”
From Lincoln Journal Star:
Nebraska Farmer Buys His Own Quarter to Show Benefits of Soil Health Practices
Joe
Sack grew up on the family farm that his dad and uncles began working on nearly 50 years ago. During those formative years, Sack learned the value of hard work and developed an eye for how to make things better and more efficient. Years later, Sack
would find himself back on the land that shaped his youth, with more information and a quest for soil health — a passion that he’s passing onto the next generation of American producers, too.
From the Washington Post:
Project Seeks to Convert Dairy Farm Manure to Natural Gas
Harmful
emissions from the agriculture sector are increasingly scrutinized as the climate changes. Now, energy companies want to help dairy farmers reduce emissions. Virginia-based Dominion Energy and Vanguard Renewables Ag of Massachusetts have announced
a $200 million partnership to convert methane from cow manure into renewable natural gas.
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