EPA allots climate pollution grants for natural lands and agriculture
Illinois will encourage the adoption of no-till farming while Minnesota aims to restore 10,000 acres of degraded peatlands with their share of $931 million awarded to agricultural and natural lands projects by the Environmental Protection Agency on Monday. The money is part of $4.3 billion in Climate Pollution Reduction grants for 25 projects in 30 states.
Cover crops and no-till planting pay off, says AGree
The financial and risk-reducing benefits of conservation practices such as cover crops and conservation tillage are increasingly evident, said the AGree Initiative on farm policy in a report on Tuesday. "Further, ecosystem services markets may provide farmers with new economic opportunities to diversify their income," said the report, aimed in part at farm lenders.
USDA allots $328 million for Gulf-area agricultural lands
A variety of USDA programs will be tapped to provide $328 million in technical and financial assistance to improve water quality and restore coastal ecosystems over three years on agricultural land in the Gulf of Mexico area, said USDA. The strategy calls for conservation improvements on 3.2 million acres of high-priority land in 200 counties and parishes.
No-till rare in California, No. 1 ag state
Just 3 percent of California's crop land is in no-till, compared to a national average of 35 percent, says Comstock's business magazine, based in Sacramento, citing UC Davis research.