The Trump administration is launching a $700 million initiative, potentially supplemented with corporate funding, to help farmers adopt regenerative agriculture practices. The pilot program will use $400 million from the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and $300 million from the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) and will also leverage private funding.
Conservation
Trump Admin Touts Farm Conservation, Says No Pesticide Crackdown
The loss of topsoil on American farms is threatening the country’s food supply and demands a new commitment to conservation, Trump administration officials said Tuesday. They also say the White House has no plans to crack down on pesticides in farming.
USDA Releasing $20 Million of Frozen Conservation Funds
Reuters’ P.J. Huffstutter reported that “the U.S. Department of Agriculture will release approximately $20 million in funding for previously approved contracts that had been frozen by the Trump administration’s push to overhaul the federal government, the agency said late on Thursday.” “The sum represents a tiny sliver of program funding the USDA suspended after the […]
Ogallala Aquifer Dropped More Than a Foot in Kansas in 2024
The Kansas Reflector’s Allison Kite reported Tuesday that “aquifer levels in parts of western Kansas that rely on groundwater for everything from drinking to irrigation fell more than a foot last year, Kansas Geological Survey scientists said Tuesday.” “The Kansas Geological Survey earlier this month completed its annual campaign to measure the Ogallala Aquifer, which […]
Democratic Platform Calls for Net-Zero Ag Emissions by 2050
Farm Progress’s Joshua Baethge reported Tuesday that “Democrats are vowing to reduce agriculture emissions to net-zero by 2050. The declaration is part of the party’s 2024 platform released Monday to coincide with its national convention. It calls for expanded federal programs to help farmers, ranchers and forest landowners pursue ‘high-productivity, lower-emission, and generative agricultural practices,’ […]
EPA Finalizes Endangered Species Herbicide Strategy
Agri-Pulse’s Steve Davies reported Tuesday that “EPA’s final herbicide strategy, designed to protect more than 900 species listed as threatened or endangered, includes more options for growers and reduces the burden on applicators compared to the draft released last year, the agency said Tuesday.” “EPA identified a handful of mitigation measures that, when used on […]
Iowa Regulators Approve Summit Carbon Pipeline Permit
The Des Moines Register’s Kevin Baskins reported that “after a 2½-year process filled with controversy, the Iowa Utilities Board on Tuesday approved Summit Carbon Solutions’ request to build a carbon capture pipeline across Iowa.” “In perhaps the most controversial part of its decision, the board said Summit will be able to use eminent domain to […]
EU Adopts ‘Nature Restoration Plan’ Despite Ag Opposition
The Associated Press’ Samuel Petrequin reported that “European Union countries on Monday gave final approval to a major and long-awaited plan to better protect nature in the 27-nation bloc, a divisive issue after months of protests by farmers who argued that EU environmental and climate laws were driving them toward bankruptcy.” “After surviving a razor-thin […]
US Ag Emissions Lowest Since 2012
The American Farm Bureau Federation’s Daniel Munch reported Tuesday that a new study from the US Environmental Protection Agency showed that “U.S. agriculture represents just under 10% of total U.S. emissions when compared to other economic sectors. Overall U.S. greenhouse gas emissions increased from 2021 to 2022 by 1.3%, though agricultural emissions dropped 1.8% – […]
Ogallala Aquifer Depletion Threatening Rural Communities & Ag
The Kansas Reflector’s Allison Kite and Kevin Hardy reported Monday that “disappearing water” in the Ogallala Aquifer, which stretches from South Dakota to Texas, “is threatening more than just agriculture. Rural communities are facing dire futures where water is no longer a certainty. Across the Ogallala, small towns and cities built around agriculture are facing […]
Summit Carbon Pipeline Adds More Plants
Reuters’ Leah Douglas reported that “POET LLC, the world’s largest ethanol producer, on Monday said it will partner with Summit Carbon Solutions to capture carbon dioxide emissions at 17 of POET’s U.S. Midwest ethanol plants as part of Summit’s multi-state pipeline project.” “Summit will capture and store 4.7 million metric tons of CO2 from 12 […]