Items Tagged with 'nitrous oxide'

Proponents of conservation drainage management got a bit of good news recently about the $19.5 billion allocated in the Inflation Reduction Act: The Natural Resources Conservation Service said CDM practices could be eligible for some of that money.

A new farm operating loan will come with a lower interest rate to producers who achieve certain climate change and water quality benchmarks.

Multinational food companies raced to set pledges to slash the carbon emissions in their supply chains, and now those firms are scrambling to recruit the farmers needed to meet those targets, even as it remains unclear who’s going to foot the bill.

Increased availability of high-speed internet in rural areas can help boost crop yields and lower fertilizer, seed, and fuel costs, according to a Federal Communications Commission study.

A first-of-its kind study will pull together massive amounts of USDA farm data to assess the impact of conservation practices, and the department is separately considering a new crop insurance product designed to encourage growers to limit nitrogen usage.

With farmers under pressure to cut their environmental footprint, global agribusiness giants as well as small tech startups are rushing to come up with ways to slash farm pollutants and make it possible for producers to cash in on carbon credits and other new forms of income.

A dizzying array of ongoing research projects, with sponsors ranging from the Energy Department to multinational food industry giants, may determine whether carbon credit markets can become a reliable, meaningful source of income for farmers.

Multinational giants in retail, agribusiness, meat processing and food manufacturing, along with the largest restaurant chains and leading apparel brands, want U.S. farmers and ranchers to produce food and fiber more sustainably. This is the first of a five-part Agri-Pulse series that looks in-depth at how reductions in greenhouse gas emissions could have far-reaching effects on American farmers and ranchers.

Senior political leaders at USDA, which has been accused of downplaying the climate issue, say helping farmers address climate change is a priority for the department, asserting that sustainably increasing food production to feed a growing global population is a matter of “world security.”