House members openly asking for input on agriculture’s role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Jacqui Fatka, Policy editor

September 18, 2019

6 Min Read
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FARMER-FRIENDLY CLIMATE BILL: Senate passes by a 92-8 vote the Growing Climate Solutions Act to help solve entry barriers for farmers who want to participate in carbon markets.MacXever/iStock/Thinkstock

The agriculture industry is most at risk from increasingly volatile weather patterns, and although the sector has been pointed to as a source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, many in agriculture are looking to reiterate the role the industry can play in offering a solution, affirming the role the sector plays in sequestering carbon.

For those in the industry, there appears to be some desire to have agriculture at the discussion table with requests from House members.

The House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis has launched a formal request for information from stakeholders as it drafts policy recommendations for Congress. Among the panel's questions for stakeholders -- posted at climatecrisis.house.gov/inforequest -- are some specifically related to agriculture and forestry.

The North America Climate Smart Agriculture Alliance (NACSAA) said it will be organizing a team to develop a draft submission and also urged member organizations to submit information relative to their own fields.

“We have long argued that those who work the land must be involved in the debate at all levels over how the ag and forestry sectors can move forward to meet the climate challenge," NACSAA chairman Fred Yoder said. "This request from the House Select Committee is a remarkable opportunity for us not only to contribute to the discussion but also to have a genuine voice in the development of policies that can underscore our contributions to stemming climate change."

Related:State ag departments adopt climate policies

The committee's deadline for submission is Nov. 22 by email to [email protected].

Specifically, the committee is asking those who work the land what policies Congress should adopt to reduce carbon pollution and other GHG emissions and maximize carbon storage in agriculture. The committee also wants feedback on possible policies Congress might adopt to help farmers, ranchers and natural resource managers adapt to the impacts of climate change.

Among the questions that affect agricultural and forest lands is one asking how Congress should update the laws governing management of federal lands and forests to accelerate climate adaptation, reduce GHG emissions and maximize carbon storage.

Green New Deal support

Rep. Chellie Pingree (D., Maine), who considers herself an organic farmer, said, “Farmers are our allies in the fight against climate change. For them, change is already at their door, and they’re feeling the effects. Farmers and ranchers have a critical role to play in mitigating the devastating effects of greenhouse gas emissions. As this Congress prioritizes bold solutions to the climate crisis change, we must remember to bring farmers to the table.”

Related:Climate change focus heightens

Pingree is a Congressional Advisory Committee member of a new coalition representing farmers in support of the Green New Deal for agriculture. Pingree is joined by Reps. Jim McGovern (D., Mass.), Jared Huffman (D., Cal.), Earl Blumenauer (D., Ore.) and Pramila Jayapal (D., Wash.).

The coalition said it is committed to working with Congress to ensure that farmers and ranchers have a seat at the table when it comes to defining and finalizing the specific policies and programs that will form the basis for achieving the goals outlined in the Green New Deal Resolution. In the lead-up to the Sept. 20 Climate Strike and New York City Climate Week, representatives of the national coalition representing almost 10,000 U.S. farmers and ranchers held a press conference Wednesday in Washington, D.C., to announce the delivery of a letter to Congress urging support for the Green New Deal and calling on lawmakers to make agricultural policy reform a priority for addressing the climate crisis and the economic crisis facing independent family farms.

The coalition, a joint organizing effort of Regeneration International and the Sunrise Movement, said it believes the Green New Deal’s goal of net-zero emissions by 2030 is achievable, but only if the resolution includes policies that spur two large-scale transitions: the transition to renewable energy alternatives and the transition to regenerative agriculture and land use practices.

“We stand ready to help achieve all of the goals outlined in the Green New Deal, but we need Congress to work with us to develop food and agriculture policies that support climate-friendly organic and regenerative farming, ranching and land-use practices,” the coalition said in its letter.

Garrett Blad from the Sunrise Movement has farmed in northwest Indiana for three generations and blames current government policies from limiting farmers from doing more.A Green New Deal must break the stranglehold corporations have on farmers and empower them with the tools and financial support to be the good stewards they are. With a Green New Deal, we have a historic opportunity to break corporate control of farming, invest in rural America and stand behind the hard-working people who grow our food every day,” Blad said.

The Organic Consumers Assn., American Sustainable Business Council, American Grassfed Assn., Institute for Ag & Trade Policy, Organic Farmers Assn., Women, Food & Agriculture Assn., Savory Institute, Indiana Farmers Union, Northeast Organic Farming Association of New Hampshire & Commonwealth Urban Farm and Community Farm Alliance are among the nearly 50 organizations that signed the letter to Congress.

Public/private partnerships

NACSAA leaders recently held a series of courtesy briefings and listening sessions in Washington, meeting with USDA officials, top farm trade group leaders and key lawmakers and sharing updates on the government's role in supporting climate smart agriculture. NACSAA, along with commodity groups like the U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance, have taken a more proactive message lately regarding how agriculture can adopt farm methods to sequester carbon or reduce emissions.

Yoder, NACSAA committee member Ray Gaesser and alliance coordinator Ernie Shea met with USDA deputy secretary Steve Censky, USDA undersecretary for trade Ted McKinney, National Farmers Union president Roger Johnson, and Ana Cohen-Unruh, the staff director for the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis.

In another recognition of the government partnership with those at the farm level, the heads of the states' agricultural departments acknowledged last week the necessity of adapting to a changing climate to protect and enhance the nation's natural resources while also building a resilient agricultural and food supply chain. The National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) adopted a new climate resiliency policy at the organization's annual meeting in New Mexico.

"We're elevating our united voice on resiliency and climate-smart solutions," NASDA chief executive officer Barb Glenn said. "We must accelerate our work on supporting environmental stewardship within the agricultural and food industry. Joined together as agricultural leaders with the authority and responsibility to cultivate positive change in their states, NASDA members can make a lasting impact for the nation's environment."

NASDA's policy asserts that addressing climate resiliency in agriculture requires a comprehensive approach and encourages the collaboration of governments, corporations and philanthropic communities to develop incentive-based programs and pursue research that helps agriculture adapt to the effects of a changing climate.

A new NASDA partnership with the Environmental Defense Fund was announced at the meeting, emphasizing the importance of additional and creative funding sources. Organization officials say a co-published report -- "Innovative State-Led Efforts to Finance Agricultural Conservation" -- demonstrates success stories of state-led conservation programs funded through unique sources.

About the Author(s)

Jacqui Fatka

Policy editor, Farm Futures

Jacqui Fatka grew up on a diversified livestock and grain farm in southwest Iowa and graduated from Iowa State University with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communications, with a minor in agriculture education, in 2003. She’s been writing for agricultural audiences ever since. In college, she interned with Wallaces Farmer and cultivated her love of ag policy during an internship with the Iowa Pork Producers Association, working in Sen. Chuck Grassley’s Capitol Hill press office. In 2003, she started full time for Farm Progress companies’ state and regional publications as the e-content editor, and became Farm Futures’ policy editor in 2004. A few years later, she began covering grain and biofuels markets for the weekly newspaper Feedstuffs. As the current policy editor for Farm Progress, she covers the ongoing developments in ag policy, trade, regulations and court rulings. Fatka also serves as the interim executive secretary-treasurer for the North American Agricultural Journalists. She lives on a small acreage in central Ohio with her husband and three children.

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