conservation
AGree calls for conservation, nutrition and food aid reforms
The AGree project, a multiyear endeavor to reach consensus among food and farm leaders, released a package of four papers that call for substantial remodeling of U.S. conservation, public nutrition and food aid programs as well as comprehensive immigration reform.
Oceana urges seafood traceability to thwart mislabeling
In a spot check, the conservation group Oceana found 30 percent of the 143 shrimp products that it tested were misrepresented. The group purchased the items from 111 grocery stores and restaurants in four regions.
Farming on the urban edge, bison on the Plains
In Brentwood, a "para-urban" community in Contra Costa County on the eastern outskirts of San Francisco, an amalgam of groups combines to keep 20,000 acres of farmland in production and out of subdivisions, office parks and strip malls, says Kristina Johnson at Civil Eats.
USDA awards $15.7 million for conservation innovation
The Agriculture Department awarded $15.7 million in grants to 47 projects in 31 states for "cutting-edge ideas to accelerate innovation in private lands conservation." The Conservation Innovation Grants require recipients to provide at least a dollar for dollar in matching funds. North Carolina State University received $1.1 million for two projects, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, $1 million, and National Corn Growers Association, $995,000.
Wildlife-friendly fences with USDA support
Drought damages dairies, waterfowl get “pop up” wetlands
Three years of drought in California have withered pastures for dairy cattle and struck hard at organic herds, says the first of a two-part story on Grist. "Pastured dairies throughout California, once exemplary models of sustainable and organic farming, are in jeopardy of imminent collapse," writes Madeleine Thomas. She says many organic dairies farms in the West have seen negative returns for four of the last five years, much of it due to higher costs of acquiring feed.
Conservation Agriculture – practicalities in Africa
The trio of practices known as Conservation Agriculture can boost yields in sub-Saharan Africa, says a meta-analysis of 41 studies, but researchers say it may not be a blanket answer. Some 930 million people live in sub-Saharan Africa and two-thirds of them rely on small farms for their livelihoods. Over-grazing, fragile soils and growing aridity are among the problems facing the region.
Farm sector stronger than expected in a down year
Record livestock prices and bumper crops are blunting greatly a downturn in the farm economy, said the Agriculture Department in its semiannual Farm Sector Income forecast. USDA says net cash farm income, a measure of the ability to pay bills, will drop by 6 percent this year instead of the 22 percent plunge forecast in February.
Early reminder about conservation and crop insurance
It may be months before USDA publishes a regulation but it is reminding farmers that the new farm policy law links so-called conservation compliance with eligibility for a discount on crop insurance. Operators have until next June 1 to file the paperwork, form AD-1026, the Highly Erodible Land Conservation and Wetland Conservation Certification.
USDA to offer a renewal of CSP contracts
Landowners enrolled in the Conservation Stewardship Program, which pays farmers to practice soil, water and wildlife conservation as part of their daily operations, will have two months to apply for a renewal of their contract, says a USDA bulletin.
A new public-private partnership for regional conservation
The government is pledging $1.2 billion for the new Regional Conservation Partnership Program that could leverage an equal amount of money from private companies, local communities and others. The program was created as part of the 2014 farm bill. "This is going to be focused on measurable results," said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.
Everyone wants to give EQIP a haircut
Congress is on track to trim the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, a cost-share program to reduce runoff from fields and feedlots, by as much as 16 percent from its authorized level of $1.6 billion. The FY15 USDA spending bills pending in the House and Senate each would cut the program; the House by $209 million and the Senate by $250 million.
USDA to release Census of Agriculture on May 2
The Agriculture Department said it will release the full results of the Census of Agriculture on May 2, after more than a year of work.
Grassland losses slow in Great Plains
Some 1.9 million acres of grasslands in the Great Plains were converted to cropland in 2022, said the World Wildlife Fund on Thursday in its annual Plowprint report. “While this figure’s significance cannot be downplayed, it marks an improvement from the previous 10-year average of 2.6 million acres annually,” said the group.