A new study suggested getting "back to nature" in farming could help ward off the biggest effects of climate change.
As Pennsylvania faces increasingly extreme weather and biodiversity loss because of climate change, farmers and scientists are adopting resilient practices inspired by nature.
Liz Carlisle, associate professor of environmental studies at the University of California-Santa Barbara and the report's co-author in the science journal Frontiers, said what is known as "agroecological" farming can create tightly connected cycles of energy, water and nutrients, if farmers can get the resources they need.
"If we want to have a more sustainable food system, we really need to invest in that next generation of farmers and their development of knowledge," Carlisle urged. "And really think of them as the most important resource in farming."
She pointed out most farms today still rely on fossil fuel-based inputs such as chemical fertilizers and pesticides. The new approach prioritizes a living, healthy soil and aims to replace nonrenewable chemicals with practices that tap into natural ecosystems.
Carlisle noted new farms planted in wooded landscapes would look a lot like an actual forest, with multiple layers of crops, including trees. And farming on prairie lands could include regenerative grazing patterns created by native bison and other herbivores.
"Agroecological farming systems are really trying to work with nature and the services that nature provides, in terms of pest control and fertility," Carlisle explained. "Rather than working against nature."
Carlisle acknowledged over the past century, family farms in the United States have been overtaken by large corporations, leading to a shift away from traditional farming. She noted the shift has replaced those with strong land connections with chemical-focused practices to cut labor costs, harming rural economies. She stressed the importance of investing more societal wealth in the farmers and the landscapes they maintain.
get more stories like this via email
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has approved a permit to expand Ridge Breeze Dairy in Salem despite hundreds of local objections.
The concentrated animal feeding operation would grow from 1,700 cows to 6,500 or four times its current size, making it the largest such facility in western Wisconsin. The approval starts a 60-day timer to contest the decision.
Danny Akenson, field organizer for the group Grassroots Organizing Western Wisconsin, said it has been on a mission to get more local operations ordinances passed to better regulate the industry.
"There are people in Pierce County whose lives could be put in harm's way because of this," Akenson contended. "Those people should have their voices heard and taken seriously, and we'll be both exploring options to make sure that's the case and continuing to push for local ordinances that will protect our homes."
Ridge Breeze's expansion plans include storing, hauling and spreading 80 million gallons of waste in Pierce, Pepin and Saint Croix counties. Akenson pointed out the operations ordinances, which have already been passed in some towns and counties, include requirements for such things as addressing damage to roads by large manure tankers.
The number of large-scale operations in the state has risen every year since 2005. Currently, there are more than 340 across the state and 90% of them are dairy operations. Grassroots organizers argued many aspects of their operations are unregulated or under-regulated, including air pollution, infectious disease, carcass removal and biosecurity plans.
Akenson noted regulations from the DNR primarily cover the effects of livestock waste on water and do not have a limit on how large they can be.
"What the operations ordinance essentially is, is a series of plans that is asking the CAFO to supply how they're going to address these concerns that are among residents," Akenson outlined. "It's not a ban on CAFOs. It's a message that said, 'Yes you can come into our community, but you have to show us your homework.'"
Akenson added the state has not seen any meaningful regulatory changes for concentrated animal feeding operations for about 20 years. Proponents said they are good for business and are an economic necessity to keep operating costs down and prices for milk, cheese and meat products affordable.
get more stories like this via email
A new analysis revealed a staggering amount of livestock waste is flowing through Michigan's waterways each year, equivalent to the sewage of 81 million people.
The nonprofit For Love of Water released the analysis. The waste, primarily from concentrated animal feeding operations, contains nitrogen and phosphorus, which contribute to toxic algal blooms.
Chelsea Thompson, legal assistant for the group, said legal challenges to the most recent permit sought in 2020 left Michigan farms under an outdated 2015 permit.
"There was a lot of challenges made by the ag community as well as the environmental community. I think something we can both agree on -- both sides anyways -- is the 2020 permit, as it was written, was not in the best interest of either party."
Michigan's Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy oversees permits for large operations and Thompson hopes it will apply lessons from 2020 legal issues to improve waste runoff rules, benefiting both agriculture and the environment.
She pointed out a new 2025 permit is expected in just a few months. Michigan now has nearly 300 permitted concentrated animal feeding operations, up from just 34 in 2005, producing about 4 billion gallons of untreated liquid waste and up to 60 million tons of solid manure annually.
Thompson acknowledged the issue is often framed as farmers against environmentalists but she believes they are on the same team.
"I want to be able to have food. I want to be able to have all of the different things that we couldn't have without the farming community," Thompson stressed. "But I also want our water to be safe for future generations. I believe that someone working in the farming community would say the same thing."
The Environmental Protection Agency regulates concentrated animal feeding operations nationwide, under the Clean Water Act but enforcement varies by state.
get more stories like this via email
Kentucky is launching a new program aimed at rewarding school districts that buy food directly from farmers in the Commonwealth. Three schools will be awarded $10,000, $8,000 and $6,000 for their efforts to serve local produce and meat.
Dana Feldman, executive director of the Kentucky Department of Agriculture, says farming is the backbone of the state's economy and that it's important for schools to forge relationships with their local producers.
"Students love it because they know that some of their products that they're eating come from the farm down the street," she said.
She added that farm to school programs also come with economic benefits, noting for every dollar spent on local foods, $2.16 is generated in local economic activity. Eligible districts must participate in the National School Lunch Program. Only Kentucky grown or raised products used during breakfast and lunch during the regular school year are eligible, excluding milk.
John Cain, Kentucky Kids Eat Program Director, says research shows children who eat local food at school lunch or breakfast are more likely to eat more fruits and vegetables, with lifelong impacts for public health.
"After food is harvested, produce in particular, starts to lose it's nutrients, within 24 hours of harvest, so the sooner we can get that to the cafeteria and the tray to the children, the better," he said.
Feldman added that districts can apply for the program in the coming weeks.
"Schools have up until July 31 to apply for this program. We have not put the application up yet, but it will be on our Farm to School web page, on our KDA website," she added.
Across the country, nearly two-thirds of schools participating in the National School Lunch Program say they served local foods to students during the 2022-2023 academic year, and spent almost $1.8 billion on local foods, according to the USDA.
get more stories like this via email