Vilsack describes new USDA climate initiatives ByChristine Souza
stimulus package he said relates to food-supply resilience and emissions, and the proposed American Jobs Plan, an infrastructure package Vilsack said would invest in climate-smart agricultur- al practices and offer farmers tax credits. “There are a variety of opportunities within those two pieces of legislation that complement the budget the pres- ident has put forward,” Vilsack said. “Whatever is done, it has to be struc- tured and implemented in a way that is beneficial to producers.” In addressing the administration’s goal of agriculture having net zero emissions by 2050, Vilsack said, “I think agricul- ture is ready for this. If we are thoughtful about it, and if we reassure folks this isn’t going to jeopardize or compromise our ability to domany of the thingswe’re cur- rently doing that farmers and ranchers rely on, they will see that there’s signifi- cant financial benefit to agriculture.” USDAalso announced $21.7million in research funding to improve soil health, climate-smart agriculture and forestry. Regarding expansion of the CRP, Vilsack said the programwill have high- er payment rates, new incentives and a more targeted focus on its role in cli- mate-change mitigation. “We are looking forward to adding 4 million acres to that program,” he said. “There’s an opportunity for us to also
expand significantly wildlife habitat, which also encourages additional eco- nomic opportunities.” “Any discussion about conservation must begin with the recognition that farmers and ranchers are leaders in this space and have been for decades.”
lation to his goal to conserve 30% of the nation’s land and water by 2030. In the letter, AFBF President Zippy Duvall askedtheadministrationtoprovide clarity on the 30-by-30 initiative, to recog- nizevoluntaryconservationeffortsalready underway, and for the administration to seek input from farmers and ranchers. Noting that American farmers and ranchers have already enrolled more than 140million acres of private land into federal andother conservationprograms, Duvall said, “Any discussion about con- servationmust beginwith the recognition that farmers and ranchers are leaders in this space and have been for decades.” Pointing out that about 28% of the na- tion’s land is held in federal ownership, andanother 8%is ownedby states, Duvall said farmers and ranchers want to be as- sured “that multiple-usemanagement of federal lands as well as actively managed andworking lands instateor privateown- ershipwill be recognized for their conser- vation and open space benefits.” The letter concluded by urging the administration to swiftly clarify the 30- by-30 goals and, when that happens, to invitepublic comment, “because farmers and ranchers are leaders in conservation and deserve to have their voices heard.” (Chr i s t ine Souza i s an ass i s tant editor of Ag Alert. She may be contacted at csouza@cfbf.com.)
As part of the Biden administration’s focus on climate policy, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced millions of dollars in investments related to rural water, energy and infrastructure, research intended to improve soil health, climate-smart agriculture and forestry, and also announced the expansionof the Conservation Reserve Program. The U.S. Department of Agriculture character ized the investments an- nounced last week as part of a govern- ment-wide approach to address the cli- mate crisis and conserve and protect the nation’s lands, biodiversity and natural resources, including soil, air and water. “There is a concerted effort to address the importance of climate change, to in- vest in climate-smart agricultural prac- tices, to create new opportunities for biofuels, to look at ways in which we can innovatively sequester captured carbon, ways in which we can invest significant resources in better forest management, reducing the risk of catastrophic wild- fire—all designed to aid in agriculture and forestry’s contribution to the overall goal of reducing emissions,” Vilsack said. During a call with reporters, Vilsack mentioned two pieces of legislation as possible avenues for accomplishing President Joe Biden’s climate goals: the American Rescue Plan, the COVID-19
— Zippy Duvall AFBF President
Coinciding with the secretary’s news conference,USDAannouncedinvestments in partnerships to increase climate-smart agriculture, including $330 million in 85 Regional Conservation Partnership Programprojects and $25 million for on- farmconservation innovation trials. Vilsack said more climate-related ef- forts will be announced in the coming weeks andmonths. Ina relateddevelopment, theAmerican FarmBureauFederationcalledon the ad- ministration to act responsibly in conser- vation efforts. AFBF wrote to President Biden in re-
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6 Ag Alert April 28, 2021
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