U.S. EPA Administrator Michael Regan spoke to the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) hybrid annual meeting this morning and pledged to work with them on rewriting the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule. “Normal farming, silviculture and ranching activities, as defined by the Clean Water Act, will not require a permit,” said Regan. “We are pledging …
NCBA Tackles Environmental Issues
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) continues to advocate on behalf of cattle producers when it comes to environmental policies regarding climate change and the nation’s waterways. “At the end of the day it’s opposing overburdensome regulation of the cattle industry, and supporting the science,” said Scott Yager, NCBA chief environmental counsel. “Making sure we have good common strategy and …
Colorado Ranch Receives Environmental Stewardship Award
Beatty Canyon Ranch in Kim, Colo., was named the national winner of the 2020 Environmental Stewardship Award Program (ESAP) on Tuesday evening at the 2021 Cattle Industry Convention and NCBA Trade Show in Nashville. The annual award recognizes the outstanding stewardship practices and conservation achievements of cattle producers. Owned and operated by Steve and Joy Wooten and Brady and Arin …
Global Launch of Agoro Carbon Alliance
Just recently Yara announced the commercial launch of the Agoro Carbon Alliance, a global business created for farmers to earn additional revenue through positive climate action. The company held a virtual launch event today which with participants from all over the world. The event featured speakers from all parts of the alliance including farmers who are adopting carbon cropping practices …
ZimmCast 672 – Farmers Edge Smart Carbon Program
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast. Carbon seems to be the big (C) buzzword lately. In the last couple weeks I’ve lost count of how many announcements I’ve received on this subject in my inbox. One of those was from Farmers Edge that announced the company’s new Smart Carbon program. You can find the announcement and more about this program …
Choose Real Leather to Reduce Waste
The Leather and Hide Council of America has just released an infographic that highlights the issue of how the use of products made from plastics and other non-renewable sources is harming the environment. Real leather made from livestock hides is one of the oldest forms of recycling and can help play an important part in solving this problem. Zero-waste pledges …
Report Shows How U.S. Farmers Can Fight Climate Change
A new report commissioned by Farm Journal Foundation finds U.S. farmers have the potential to significantly reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and become part of the global solution to climate change. U.S. agriculture contributes about 10% of the total greenhouse gas emissions of the entire national economy, but farmers could greatly reduce those emissions if they were provided with the …
Daugherty Water for Food Podcast Episode 8
This episode of the Daugherty Water for Food podcast features Qiao Hu, a Ph.D. student studying natural resource sciences at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, who discusses his research using drones (UAVs) and artificial intelligence (AI) for wetlands management. Qiao’s faculty advisor and DWFI Faculty Fellow Zhenghong Tang is a professor in the Community and Regional Planning Program and Landscape Architecture …
USDA Expands CRP and Funds Rural Infrastructure
As President Biden opened a two-day virtual climate summit on Earth Day, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack discussed the role USDA and agriculture will play in the administration goal calling for U.S. emissions to be 50% to 52% lower in 2030 compared to 2005. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has announced USDA will open enrollment in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) …
Daugherty Water for Food Podcast – Episode 7
This episode of the Daugherty Water for Food podcast features Nebraska state climatologist Martha Shulski for a discussion on the impact of climate change on society and the environment and how to talk about it. Shulski is also a DWFI Faculty Fellow, associate professor of Applied Climate Science at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, director of the Nebraska State Climate Office …