Ag emissions climb: EPA data show that greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture increased 6 percent from 1990 to 2020, but the sector, a heavy user of fossil fuels and nitrogen fertilizer, “doesn’t have a solution on the horizon.” (Investigate Midwest)
USDA aims for ceiling: Sign-up for the Conservation Reserve, which pays landowners to retire fragile land from crops for 10 years or more, will run from Feb. 27 to April 7, with the Farm Service Agency aiming to reach the 27 million-acre cap set by law for fiscal 2023. (USDA)
Larger protective zones: The EPA said it would expand the size of so-called application exclusion zones, which are intended to protect people from exposure to pesticides being applied on farms, countermanding a Trump-era rule that is tied up in court. (EPA)
Fetterman seeks treatment: Pennsylvania’s John Fetterman, a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, checked himself into Walter Reed medical center to receive treatment for depression, said his chief of staff. (New York Times)
Newsom suspends rules: After criticism that California had “wasted” water by letting it flow to the sea during this winter’s storms, Gov. Gavin Newsom, looking to store more water, suspended environmental rules meant to protect endangered fish. (CalMatters)