Democrat Plan for “Climate-Friendly” Farming Gets Mixed Reaction

Last week, House Democrats’ climate change committee released an ambitious framework for slashing greenhouse gas emissions to net-zero by 2050.  The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition said those plans include agriculture playing a key role in the goal.

The emission cutting would be achieved in part by ramping up conservation programs for Ag producers that cover just a fraction of the country’s farmland. The plan will be pushing a lot more money into “climate-smart” agricultural practices, such as making climate adaptation and mitigation a specific goal of federal farm policy. Other steps include creating a “Climate-Based Producer” certification for farmers, as well as developing feed additives that can lower methane emissions from livestock farms.

The Sustainable Ag Coalition applauds the committee for “acknowledging agriculture’s critical role in mitigating the climate crisis in their report.”

Not all groups were as optimistic.

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association says the plan is “unfortunately the product of partisan discussions that failed to encompass important constituent communities across the country.”

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