For decades, environmental and farm groups pushed councils, USDA and farmers to adopt new conservation programs, but progress was made in stages. In each farm bill, some lawmakers threaten to cut conservation programs, but they essentially survived and even expanded.
The United States Farm Bureau Federation, the country’s largest farm lobby, has long denied the reality of climate change. Fighting against climate action and adopts a formal policy position that challenges the scientific consensus that climate change is recognized by humans. Its members (most of the American farmers) respect the same way of thinking.
But that mindset began to change as the reality of climate change began to hit American farmers on the ground in the form of more extreme weather conditions, and fundraising opportunities expanded through conservation and climate-focused programs.
“They were worried about what climate policy would mean for their businesses,” Bonnie said. “They felt they had been judged, but we said: Let’s make them partners.”
The Trump administration’s rollback and freeze threatened to stall or reverse its progress, advocacy groups and former USDA employees say.
“We created this huge infrastructure, we solved a big problem,” Bonnie added.
“It took a lot of time,” Stillman said. “The idea that climate change is happening and farmers are part of the solution and that we can build a more resilient agriculture and food system to that threat. The IRA really put the dollar behind it.
Burke says he plans to continue conservation and carbon saving practices on Michigan farms, even without conservation dollars from the USDA.
However, he says many of his neighboring farmers are likely to halt conservation measures without certainty of government support.
“So many people are struggling and just trying to find a way to pay the bill, to burn fuel, run tractors and plant them,” he said. “The last thing they want to do is sit down with someone from the NRC who says, ‘If I do these things, maybe I’ll be paid in a year.’ That won’t happen. ”
This story originally appeared Internal climate news.
