Sergiy Akhundov/Getty Images
COVER CROPS: Vetch and oats are used as cover crops to improve the structure and fertility of the soil. Cover crops may be used for carbon sequestering. Ask the Expert: Carbon markets may be tinged with a bit of skepticism and a lot of questions.
Peggy Kirk Hall | May 24, 2021
Suggested Event
Jun 15, 2021 to Jun 17, 2021
There’s a lot of talk about carbon markets and agriculture these days. While carbon markets aren’t new, recent proposals in Congress and announcements by the Biden administration are raising new interests in them.
Some companies are actively pursuing carbon trading agreements with farmers, further fueling the discussion in the agricultural community.
Greens: Divided on ‘clean’ energy? Or closer than they appear?
Several media outlets over the past week or so have run stories about environmental groups setting up a “circular firing squad” because more than 600 such organizations sent a letter to Congress opposing the clean electricity standard that may become a centerpiece of Democrats’ climate and infrastructure package. The standard would likely require that 80% of U.S. electricity be generated by “clean” sources (meaning those that do not release significant greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere) by 2030, and 100% by 2035.
The issue in contention: whether certain technologies like fossil fuels that capture their carbon emissions, nuclear, and biomass power should be considered sufficiently “clean,” or whether they should be eliminated from the American power generation mix for the sake of environmental justice. This potential infighting has triggered flashbacks among many advocates to their last sho
Maine Compass: Federal climate bill benefits Maine farmers
By Dick Campbell
Share
When it comes to climate initiatives, Maine has seen a lot of growth over the years. Back in the mid 1970s I helped build one of the first solar houses in Maine. Back then this was ground-breaking technology, but now it is fairly common in Maine and throughout the country.
As we move forward in today’s world, the climate and global warming are at the forefront for many economies. This is particularly true when it comes to the climate concerns that impact our environment, our natural resources, and one of the cornerstones of the American economy: farming and agriculture.
Deseret News
Share this story
Ron Gibson, a seventh-generation Ogden dairy farmer, talks about the sale of land he leases and uses to grow corn for his cattle in Hooper, Weber County, on Friday, Oct. 9, 2020. Even before COVID-19 issues decimated dairy farmers, Gibson’s wife talked him into starting a corn maze, and earlier this year he decided to use hundreds of acres of his land in Ogden to grow onions, tomatoes and potatoes in an effort to adapt and survive so his son can follow him into farming.
Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News
Former President and famed World War II Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower once said, “Farming looks mighty easy when your plow is a pencil, and you’re a thousand miles from the corn field”. President Eisenhower was alluding to what many Utahns already know government bureaucrats in Washington, D.C., don’t always recognize the hard work that it takes for farmers to put food on our tables while still managing to run a profitable business, contribute
.... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... ....
On April 20, more than two dozen senators reintroduced a bipartisan bill called the Growing Climate Solutions Act. Lead sponsors Sen. Mike Braun, R-Indiana, Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Michigan, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-Rhode Island, are joined by dozens of other original cosponsors: 16 Republicans, 14 Democrats including our own Sen. Martin Heinrich and one Independent.
According to the senators’ announcement, the bill “will break down barriers for farmers and foresters interested in participating in carbon markets so they can be rewarded for climate-smart practices.” The bill has broad support from over 60 leading agricultural and environmental organizations.
Farmers have the potential to play a major role in mitigating climate change. They are also the backbone of America’s food supply, and they have suffered as COVID-19 has upended every st