We can?t go a day without discussing climate and agriculture. It is a hot-button topic that has come to the forefront more extensively with each passing week. Environmentalists are targeting agricultural practices, and farmers are showing the work they are already doing. Farmers are looking to have a dialogue on environmental concerns and what improvements can be made, without having to feel like they are under an ambush.
Even when these discussions are had rationally, there is still a big concern for farmers. How do we pay for these changes? How do we implement them? If I am changing practices on fields, or taking some acres out of production, how do I generate enough income to make those acres pay for the taxes and other expenses they will still be incurring?
This is something that has been talked about extensively with the Biden Administration and their push on environmental issues. Now, the National Farmers Union (NFU) is calling on the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to help support the farmers who are making climate-based decisions and change to their operations.
Rob Larew is President of the National Farmers Union, and he says that farmers have always been interested in programs that can help them make environmental practices pay. He says that society needs to be open to making these practices pay for farmers. In the long run, they still have to pay for the land.
Larew adds that isn?t about adding more programs at USDA, but rather securing additional dollars to fund the programs that are already on the books. He adds that agencies like the NRCS need more staff to accomplish these goals.
Larew is also pleased to see that the dialogue is becoming more bipartisan.
He finished up by saying any USDA programs need to be fair and equitable to all farmers.
