Environment

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A bill that would lay the groundwork for ag carbon markets by putting USDA in charge of certifying farm advisers and credit verifiers won easy Senate approval Thursday in a defeat for some progressives and fossil fuel advocates on opposite sides of the climate issue.

New animal rights agendas in Western states are threatening to curtail livestock production there as animal rights groups latched onto an environmental platform that calls for cutting back or eliminating meat consumption altogether to help slow climate change.

Honey bee pollination services are worth between $250 million and $320 million annually, Economic Research Service said in a new report, which also valued the honey production market at about $330 million per year.

CME Group is launching a new futures contract Aug. 1 that will be tied to the value of nature-based carbon credits, including those generated from agriculture.

The beef industry will face scrutiny this week from senators who are under pressure to curb the pricing power of big meatpackers, while the full Senate is nearing a vote on a bill to accelerate the development of ag carbon markets.

The Iowa Supreme Court has rejected a legal effort by environmental groups to force the state to adopt mandatory measures to protect the Raccoon River watershed, the source of drinking water for about a half million Iowans.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack told senators Tuesday that his department is working on measures that will “significantly” increase U.S. meatpacking capacity, a top priority of producers who believe industry concentration is depressing livestock prices.

The Biden administration’s climate goals are bringing attention to the role of forests in storing carbon and the need to offer incentives to private forest owners to manage their trees sustainably.

A newly constructed barge terminal for loading and unloading on the Missouri River in western Iowa should provide a new marketing option for Midwest corn and soybean producers, and local officials hope it could become an example for future facilities along the River.

Walmart has announced it will phase in new guidelines for its fresh produce and flower suppliers including reducing their use of certain pesticides, even as both the Environmental Protection Agency and the California Department of Pesticide Regulation complete re-evaluations of the same chemicals.