CHEYENNE, Wyo. – Farm subsidies meant to offset the impacts of the Trump administration's trade war have been swept up by the nation's largest farms, according to new analysis by the Environmental Working Group.

Don Carr, a senior adviser with the group, says the bottom 80% of farmers with smaller operations received less than $5,000, while the top 1% received $183,000 on average.

The nation's biggest 82 farms received more than $500,000 each.

"From our perspective, being a watchdog, is, 'Do these massive farms really need this money?'” Carr questions. “And the conclusion most times is no. The struggling guys are the ones who need the money, and they're the ones not getting it."

The data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture was obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request.

Trade war related payments made to farmers in 2018 and 2019 totaled $8.4 billion. More than half of that money went to just one-tenth of the program's participants.

The USDA defends the program, noting that it's designed to provide support proportionate to a farm's size and success.

The next round of payments will not be based on the amount of crops produced, but the number of acres planted, which Carr says will continue to favor the biggest farms.

Carr says one reason the field is so lopsided is because the Trump administration decided not to impose rules for recipients to get bailouts. He notes that people who apply for food stamps under the Farm Bill have to follow very strict rules in order to qualify for help.

"We've been very – as a society, as a government – been very hard on folks who get SNAP benefits,” he points out. “The one place we don't make this same type of stringent requirement – based on need, based on means, based on income – is in the farm sector."

Carr says the Market Facilitation Program has all but forgotten minority farmers.

In Mississippi, where 14% of farmers are black, just 1.4% of the $200 million distributed for trade war relief went to black operators.


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New global guidelines for aquaculture aim to address growing concerns about the industry's impact on the oceans.

Scientists have suggested ways to protect aquatic ecosystems, reduce antibiotic use, and even prevent ocean litter from discarded aquaculture gear.

Danielle Blacklock, director of the Office of Aquaculture at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, calls the guidelines "a big deal," as consumer demand for seafood outpaces supply.

"We're developing a new food system for the first time in millenia," said Blacklock. "That means that things are changing quickly. We're learning fast. We're adapting."

Blacklock said the U.S. currently imports up to 85% of its seafood.

She said the new guidelines should help level the playing field for Massachusetts farmers to ensure they, too, can reap the financial benefits of aquaculture while using sustainable practices.

For the first time, the amount of seafood produced on farms has surpassed the amount harvested from the wild, according to the United Nations.

Critics of finned fish farms, in particular, say they're no different than land-based factory farms and are detrimental to ocean habitats.

But Blacklock said aquaculture, including New England's numerous shellfish and kelp farms, will play an important role in countering food insecurity.

"When we mix climate change with our growing population," said Blacklock, "it clearly starts to rise to the top as part of our solution set to fight hunger."

Blacklock said the new guidelines also suggest ways aquaculture itself can reduce its carbon footprint.

She said the new guidelines are voluntary - but if implemented, they could help lift local economies and coastal communities, while building climate change resilience.



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Idaho is accepting proposals for projects that improve confined animal feeding operations in the state.

The operations - also known as CAFOs - can cause pollution in a variety of ways for water, soil, and air nearby.

Mary Anne Nelson is the surface and wastewater division administrator for the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality.

She said the state's grant program seeks to mitigate the potential environment harm CAFOs can cause.

"We are concerned about anything that comes off that production facility," said Nelson, "that's going to contaminate nearby surface water or groundwater, that could potentially then move into nearby surface waters."

Excessive nutrient runoff from the animal feeding operations are also a concern.

The Idaho DEQ is accepting proposals for grants until August 30. The grant program has funded 35 projects in the past two years, including $5 million to 14 applicants in 2023.

This year, DEQ has $2 million to support the selected proposals.

Nelson said the DEQ is looking for ways these projects can managing animal waste.

"We are looking to do any kind of project," said Nelson, "that would help improve the way in which that manure management process is done."

Nelson said her agency also is considering the ancillary benefits in applications as well.

"So if they're proposing to do something that reduces odor coming off their lagoon," said Nelson, "we would consider that an air quality benefit as well as a manure management benefit."




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Farms in the Midwest should become more resilient to challenges created by climate change, with a $10 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The money will go toward working with farmers in Ohio and Missouri on ways to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, improve soil and water quality and respond to extreme weather conditions, all while remaining profitable.

Ernie Shea, president of the nonprofit Solutions from the Land, one of the partners in the project, said the grant is unique because it centers around farmers' needs.

"When you approach a farmer in that way, you're beginning the conversation with what's important to him or her, which is surviving, continuing to operate," Shea explained. "You then can talk about co-benefits that can help the public."

This grant will also feature partners like Ohio State University and will fund education programs, research and collaborations with other stakeholders. The federal government is investing billions in climate-smart programs trying to reach its goal of a net-zero-emissions economy by 2050.

Agriculture is responsible for about one-tenth of the greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S., mostly from livestock and fertilizer use. Shea pointed out there are many ways for Midwestern ag producers to be climate smart, including no-till operations, where farmers do not plow the ground and plant directly into soil, and much more.

"They could plant cover crops that provide green photosynthesis activity beds for many months of the year," Shea suggested. "We could implement practices where we're substituting nutrient inputs; where we're making a greater use of livestock manure instead of synthetic fertilizers."

Ohio has more than 13 million acres of farmland and agriculture is responsible for about 3% of the state's gross domestic product.


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