Inflation Reduction Act to Help NE Farms Fight Climate Change
Deborah Van Fleet, Producer
Monday, January 2, 2023
Nebraska farmers and ranchers who have struggled with climate-related issues like flooding and drought are expected to benefit in the new year from the Inflation Reduction Act's massive funding of ag-related conservation programs.
Over $3 billion goes to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Conservation Stewardship Program - which provides a subsidy per acre for farms using methods like cover cropping, crop rotation and measures to reduce soil erosion and increase biodiversity.
John Crabtree - Nebraska Representative for the Sierra Club's Beyond Coal Campaign - said more resilient soil is more drought-resistant and can produce higher yields, while also being capable of what he calls "feedback."
"Regenerating the quality and health of our soils is so vitally important, to the success of those farms and ranches," said Crabtree, "but also to helping address the climate crisis itself, by being more resilient and sequestering carbon."
Crabtree said he sees another huge benefit for farmers, ranchers and rural communities in the Rural Energy for America Program or "REAP."
It will receive more than $1 billion to provide grants and loans to implement energy-efficient practices or transition to renewable energy.
Helping nearly 37,000 farmers and ranchers invest in low-carbon energy production is another way the Inflation Reduction Act funds can allow them to be part of the solution, Crabtree said.
"High-efficiency grain dryers and things like that can improve the energy efficiency of that farm" said Crabtree. "And then, the second part is those renewable energy projects - solar panels, other things - to help provide energy for the actual farm or ranch itself."
Crabtree added that also receiving funding are USDA programs for underserved producers - including farmers of color and women, as well as veterans, beginning farmers and those working in high-poverty areas.
"The Inflation Reduction Act really takes this to where it should be" said Crabtree, "in making investments in those farmers that have not been served as they should have been, historically."
INFLATION REDUCTION ACT OF 2022: A DEEP DIVE ON AN HISTORIC INVESTMENT IN CLIMATE AND CONSERVATION AGRICULTURE the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition 8/19/22
CLEAN ENERGY Repowering the Rural Midwest (REEP) the Environmental Law & Policy Center 2022
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