By Hannah Packman, NFU Communications Coordinator On the 49th annual celebration of Earth Day, National Farmers Union (NFU) is highlighting the existential threat that climate change poses to American agriculture as well as the critical role of farmers and ranchers in mitigation and adaptation efforts. “Climate change is the single greatest challenge facing family farmers, … Read More
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 7, 2019 Contact: Andrew Jerome, 202-314-3106 [email protected] WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts and U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York today released a framework for what they call a “Green New Deal.” The resolution is meant to kickstart broad discussions on how the U.S. will both mitigate and … Read More
By Tom Driscoll, Director of NFU Foundation and Conservation Policy While farmers have profound respect for the land and natural resources, the farm economy does not always adequately align profitability and stewardship. However, we are growing in our understanding of farmers’ ability to help address climate change and other environmental challenges through production and conservation practices. Noble Research Institute (NRI) is currently working to advance ecosystem service markets (ESM) specifically … Read More
By Tom Driscoll, Director of NFU Foundation and Conservation Policy The Georgetown Climate Center, as the facilitator of the Transportation and Climate Initiative on behalf of participating state agencies, has secured a formal commitment among the District of Columbia and nine states in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic to significantly decrease greenhouse gas emissions in their … Read More
By Tom Driscoll, Director of NFU Foundation and Conservation Policy Last week, the U.S. Global Change Research Program released the Fourth National Climate Assessment Volume II: Impacts, Risks, and Adaptation in the United States (NCA4) detailing the existing and incoming impacts of climate change. Chapter 10 of the report, titled Agriculture and Rural Communities, covers the … Read More
By Tom Driscoll, Director of NFU Foundation and Conservation Policy Regular readers of NFU’s Climate Column know there are many ways farmers can mitigate the negative effects of climate change. The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) offers farmers technical and financial support to help interested farmers mitigate climate change and … Read More
By Tom Driscoll, Director of NFU Foundation and Conservation Policy Regular readers of NFU’s Climate Column know there are many ways farmers can mitigate the negative effects of climate change. The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) offers farmers technical and financial support to help interested farmers mitigate climate change and … Read More
Dr. Richard Gilmore, President/CEO of GIC Group Do any of us recall that U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) initiated the Climate Change Impacts and Risks Analysis Project (CIRA) in 2015? Absent new technologies and risk mitigation production strategies, the analysts forecast a decline of irrigated soybeans by 23 percent, sorghum by 22 percent, and wheat … Read More
By Kiana Brockel, NFU Intern, & Tom Driscoll, Director of NFU Foundation and Conservation Policy Regular readers of NFU’s Climate Column know there are many ways farmers can mitigate the negative effects of climate change. The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) offers farmers technical and financial support to … Read More
By Kiana Brockel, NFU Intern, & Tom Driscoll, Director of NFU Foundation and Conservation Policy Regular Climate Column readers know that there are many actions farmers can take to mitigate the effects of climate change. There is no one-size-fits-all solution however – the appropriate approach depends on location and its climate, topography, crops grown, and … Read More
By Tom Driscoll, Director of NFU Foundation and Conservation Policy Climate Column readers know that there are many things farmers can do to mitigate the negative impacts of climate change. The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), housed within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), offers farmers technical and financial support to abate climate change and become more climate … Read More
By Tom Driscoll, Director of NFU Foundation and Conservation Policy Climate Column readers know there are many things farmers can do to mitigate the negative impacts of climate change. The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) offers farmers technical and financial support to help interested farmers abate climate change and … Read More
By Tom Driscoll, Director of NFU Foundation and Conservation Policy, and Jake Stukenberg, NFU Intern Here on the Climate Column, we have discussed the impacts climate change will have on your farm as well as management decisions you can make to cope with these changes. Longtime Climate Leaders know that there are many climate impacts … Read More
By Tom Driscoll, Director of NFU Foundation and Conservation Policy If you are a regular Climate Column reader, you likely appreciate that deliberate action undertaken by farmers, policymakers and food value chain participants will make domestic and global food systems more resilient to the negative impacts of climate change. But every actor in the food … Read More
Policy of the National Farmers Union Click here for the PDF version Enacted by delegates to the 115th anniversary convention San Diego, CA March 5 – 8, 2017 National Farmers Union Mission and Vision Statements Mission – To advocate for the economic and social well-being, and quality of life of family farmers, ranchers, fishermen and consumers … Read More
By Tom Driscoll, Director of NFU Foundation and Conservation Policy On the Climate Column, we have highlighted a number of climate-smart production and conservation practices for which farmers may receive technical and financial assistance from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). Congress authorizes NRCS to disperse this assistance to farmers through the … Read More
By Tom Driscoll, Director of NFU Foundation and Conservation Policy A 2013 U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) bulletin notes that ongoing monitoring of climate data has led experts to anticipate “an increase in areas experiencing droughts and the occurrence of more intense precipitation events.” It’s self-evident to farmers and ranchers that greater incidence of these … Read More
By Craig Ficenec, Volunteer with Citizens’ Climate Lobby Agriculture is getting more and more attention these days for its potential to sequester carbon in the soil. Many farmers and ranchers manage their land in ways that sustain production while offsetting greenhouse gas emissions from elsewhere. But how can we stimulate all sectors of the economy … Read More
By Craig Ficenec, Volunteer with Citizens’ Climate Lobby Agriculture is getting more and more attention these days for its potential to sequester carbon in the soil. Many farmers and ranchers manage their land in ways that sustain production while offsetting greenhouse gas emissions from elsewhere. But how can we stimulate all sectors of the economy … Read More
By Tom Driscoll, Director of NFU Foundation and Conservation Policy Climate change is likely to impact or exacerbate extreme weather events related to El Nino/Southern Oscillation (ENSO). According to The National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), “ENSO is a periodic fluctuation in sea surface temperature (El Niño) and the air pressure of the overlying atmosphere … Read More
By Tom Driscoll, Director of NFU Foundation and Conservation Policy On the Climate Column, we have noted that drought is expected to become more frequent, severe and damaging to farmers as the climate continues to change globally. Farmers with operations of all types and sizes need to be aware of drought. The length and intensity of … Read More
By Tom Driscoll, Director of NFU Foundation and Conservation Policy Extreme precipitation is a serious concern for farmers as the climate continues to change. In many areas, downpours will be concentrated earlier in the year. Standing water and moist soil will work against farmers trying to get into the fields in time for crop insurance … Read More
By Tom Driscoll, Director of Conservation Policy and NFU Foundation As we’ve noted on the Climate Column, climate change will disturb the precipitation patterns and temperatures on which farmers rely to grow crops. Farmers will need to adapt to these changes by implementing new practices and readjusting old ones. One option is selecting seeds for staple crops – … Read More
By Tom Driscoll, Director of Conservation Policy and NFU Foundation Farming is one of the few professions with the ability to not only reduce ongoing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, but to also remove existing GHGs from the atmosphere. National Farmers Union supports policies and programs that maximize agriculture’s GHG elimination potential by offering value to farmers … Read More
By Tom Driscoll, Director of Conservation Policy and NFU Foundation Environmental markets, in addition to being science based, quantifiable, innovative, and permanent, will have to offer farmers adequate incentives to adopt new conservation practices. Cases in which a single practice achieves more than one quantifiable environmental benefit, verifiably reducing more than one pollutant, payments for credits … Read More