• Daily Illinois
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Terms
  • DMCA
  • Sitemap
  • Write For Us
Thursday, June 8, 2023
Daily illinois - USA | News, Sports & Updates Web Magazine
  • Covid-19
  • News
    • All
    • Business
    • Education
    • Politics
    • Sports
    • World
    35+ Laugh-Out-Loud Sports Game Lookalike Camera Moments That Are Just Too Good

    35+ Laugh-Out-Loud Sports Game Lookalike Camera Moments That Are Just Too Good

    Dog food is consumed by gym goers to increase their protein intake.

    Dog food is consumed by gym goers to increase their protein intake.

    Effective Stakeholder Management Strategies for Building Trust

    Stakeholder Management Strategy for Building Trust

    A Comprehensive Guide to Choosing the Right Business Diploma Program for You

    A Comprehensive Guide to Choosing the Right Business Diploma Program for You

    Ulysses S. Grant Quotes

    50+ Ulysses S. Grant Quotes: Inspirational Words from a Great Leader

    George Washington Quotes

    45+ George Washington Quotes about his Life, and Impact on American History

    The Benefits of Studying Electronics and Computer Engineering

    Harry S. Truman

    40+ Harry S. Truman Quotes for Personal and Professional Growth

    John F. Kennedy Quotes

    55+ John F. Kennedy Quotes that Inspire Leadership, Courage and Hope

    Theodore Roosevelt Quotes

    75+ Theodore Roosevelt Quotes That Will Inspire You To Take Action

  • Science & Tech
    • All
    • Ai - Artificial Intelligence
    • Apps
    • Mobile
    Effective Ways to Monetize Mobile App

    9 Effective Ways to Monetize Mobile App

    What is Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

    What is Artificial Intelligence and Machine learning?

    The Top Python Development Skills for Developers in 2023

    The Top Python Development Skills for Developers in 2023?

    How to Delete a Friend on Snapchat

    How to Delete a Friend on Snapchat: A Step-by-Step Guide

    The Future of Information Technology Programs and the IT Industry

    The Future of Information Technology Programs and the IT Industry

    Best Apps for Android Music Downloads

    5 Best Apps for Android Music Downloads

    Make Clip on Twitch

    How to Make Clip on Twitch?

    Find Someone Information Using Phone Number

    Ways to Find Someone Information Using Phone Number

    What is the Structure of a Mobile App

    What is the Structure of a Mobile App?

    Limit the Damage in an Emergency

    Logging strategy: Limit the Damage in an Emergency

  • Entertainment
    • All
    • Gaming
    • Movie
    • Music

    20+ Divorced People Are Sharing the Moment They Realized Their Ex Didn’t Love Them

    Best Online Games with Voice Chat

    6 Best Online Games with Voice Chat

    Best Apps for Android Music Downloads

    5 Best Apps for Android Music Downloads

    Make Clip on Twitch

    How to Make Clip on Twitch?

    The 12 Best Horror PC Games

    Best Horror PC Games: the scariest titles to play right now

    See a show on Broadway

    Ideas For Your Bucket List In 2023

    CBD DISPOSABLE VAPE PEN 1000MG

    CBD DISPOSABLE VAPE PEN 1000MG

    What Are The Benefits Of Using HWID Spoofer For Valorant

    What Are The Benefits Of Using HWID Spoofer For Valorant?

    Game studios are shelving play-to-earn games

    Game studios are shelving play-to-earn games

    Battle Infinity

    4,400% return! This coin could still increase its price a hundredfold

    • F95zone
  • Lifestyle
    • All
    • Fashion
    • Food
    • Travel
    Ring Finger Tattoos: Meaning, Designs, and Tips for Getting Inked

    Ring Finger Tattoos: Meaning, Designs, and Tips for Getting Inked

    4 Pink and White Wedding Nail Art Designs for Your Big Day

    4 Pink and White Wedding Nail Art Designs for Your Big Day

    How does the average DNP spend their day?

    How does the average DNP spend their day?

    The Impact Of Social Media On The Classroom

    The Impact Of Social Media On The Classroom

    How Can You find True Calling

    How Can You find True Calling? These Tips Help You

    Mindfulness and motorhome vacation

    Mindfulness and Motorhome Vacation

    Can I wear a white shirt with grey dress pants?

    Can You Wear a White Shirt with Grey Pants?

    Cargo Pants Outfit

    How Can I Look Stylish with Cargo Pants Outfit

    New Trendy Bodysuit Outfit Ideas 2023

    New Trendy Bodysuit Outfit Ideas 2023

    How Do You Style A Simple Top

    How Do You Style Your Simple Tops?

33 °f
Chicago
35 ° Sat
35 ° Sun
35 ° Mon
37 ° Tue
No Result
View All Result
Daily illinois - USA | News, Sports & Updates Web Magazine
  • Covid-19
  • News
    • All
    • Business
    • Education
    • Politics
    • Sports
    • World
    35+ Laugh-Out-Loud Sports Game Lookalike Camera Moments That Are Just Too Good

    35+ Laugh-Out-Loud Sports Game Lookalike Camera Moments That Are Just Too Good

    Dog food is consumed by gym goers to increase their protein intake.

    Dog food is consumed by gym goers to increase their protein intake.

    Effective Stakeholder Management Strategies for Building Trust

    Stakeholder Management Strategy for Building Trust

    A Comprehensive Guide to Choosing the Right Business Diploma Program for You

    A Comprehensive Guide to Choosing the Right Business Diploma Program for You

    Ulysses S. Grant Quotes

    50+ Ulysses S. Grant Quotes: Inspirational Words from a Great Leader

    George Washington Quotes

    45+ George Washington Quotes about his Life, and Impact on American History

    The Benefits of Studying Electronics and Computer Engineering

    Harry S. Truman

    40+ Harry S. Truman Quotes for Personal and Professional Growth

    John F. Kennedy Quotes

    55+ John F. Kennedy Quotes that Inspire Leadership, Courage and Hope

    Theodore Roosevelt Quotes

    75+ Theodore Roosevelt Quotes That Will Inspire You To Take Action

  • Science & Tech
    • All
    • Ai - Artificial Intelligence
    • Apps
    • Mobile
    Effective Ways to Monetize Mobile App

    9 Effective Ways to Monetize Mobile App

    What is Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

    What is Artificial Intelligence and Machine learning?

    The Top Python Development Skills for Developers in 2023

    The Top Python Development Skills for Developers in 2023?

    How to Delete a Friend on Snapchat

    How to Delete a Friend on Snapchat: A Step-by-Step Guide

    The Future of Information Technology Programs and the IT Industry

    The Future of Information Technology Programs and the IT Industry

    Best Apps for Android Music Downloads

    5 Best Apps for Android Music Downloads

    Make Clip on Twitch

    How to Make Clip on Twitch?

    Find Someone Information Using Phone Number

    Ways to Find Someone Information Using Phone Number

    What is the Structure of a Mobile App

    What is the Structure of a Mobile App?

    Limit the Damage in an Emergency

    Logging strategy: Limit the Damage in an Emergency

  • Entertainment
    • All
    • Gaming
    • Movie
    • Music

    20+ Divorced People Are Sharing the Moment They Realized Their Ex Didn’t Love Them

    Best Online Games with Voice Chat

    6 Best Online Games with Voice Chat

    Best Apps for Android Music Downloads

    5 Best Apps for Android Music Downloads

    Make Clip on Twitch

    How to Make Clip on Twitch?

    The 12 Best Horror PC Games

    Best Horror PC Games: the scariest titles to play right now

    See a show on Broadway

    Ideas For Your Bucket List In 2023

    CBD DISPOSABLE VAPE PEN 1000MG

    CBD DISPOSABLE VAPE PEN 1000MG

    What Are The Benefits Of Using HWID Spoofer For Valorant

    What Are The Benefits Of Using HWID Spoofer For Valorant?

    Game studios are shelving play-to-earn games

    Game studios are shelving play-to-earn games

    Battle Infinity

    4,400% return! This coin could still increase its price a hundredfold

    • F95zone
  • Lifestyle
    • All
    • Fashion
    • Food
    • Travel
    Ring Finger Tattoos: Meaning, Designs, and Tips for Getting Inked

    Ring Finger Tattoos: Meaning, Designs, and Tips for Getting Inked

    4 Pink and White Wedding Nail Art Designs for Your Big Day

    4 Pink and White Wedding Nail Art Designs for Your Big Day

    How does the average DNP spend their day?

    How does the average DNP spend their day?

    The Impact Of Social Media On The Classroom

    The Impact Of Social Media On The Classroom

    How Can You find True Calling

    How Can You find True Calling? These Tips Help You

    Mindfulness and motorhome vacation

    Mindfulness and Motorhome Vacation

    Can I wear a white shirt with grey dress pants?

    Can You Wear a White Shirt with Grey Pants?

    Cargo Pants Outfit

    How Can I Look Stylish with Cargo Pants Outfit

    New Trendy Bodysuit Outfit Ideas 2023

    New Trendy Bodysuit Outfit Ideas 2023

    How Do You Style A Simple Top

    How Do You Style Your Simple Tops?

33 °f
Chicago
35 ° Sat
35 ° Sun
35 ° Mon
37 ° Tue
No Result
View All Result
Daily illinois - USA | News, Sports & Updates Web Magazine
No Result
View All Result
Home News Business

Inside the Inflation Reduction Act: $20 billion to help fix our farms

by Staff Writer
December 5, 2022
in Business
Reading Time: 7 mins read
0
Inside the Inflation Reduction Act: $20 billion to help fix our farms
497
SHARES
1.4k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

 

The single greatest threat to the environment isn’t hunting or suburban sprawl or invasive species. It’s farming.

Related posts

Effective Stakeholder Management Strategies for Building Trust

Stakeholder Management Strategy for Building Trust

May 5, 2023
A Comprehensive Guide to Choosing the Right Business Diploma Program for You

A Comprehensive Guide to Choosing the Right Business Diploma Program for You

March 31, 2023

Farms cover roughly 40 percent of the country, and they’ve replaced countless ecosystems with vast fields of soybeans, corn, and cattle. Agriculture also accounts for about 11 percent of US greenhouse gas emissions.

The Inflation Reduction Act could help blunt some of those impacts.

Alongside more headline-grabbing investments in clean energy and health care, the bill — which President Biden is set to sign into law this week — includes nearly $20 billion to make farmland more environmentally friendly. The funds are designed, in part, to help farmers create more habitat for pollinators like bees, store more carbon in the soil, and make farms more resilient in the face of extreme weather.

Farmers working in a strawberry field near Ventura, California, during a drought in August.

Mario Tama/Getty Images

Funding for farms is just a fraction of the $437 billion bill — and it only goes toward existing government programs — but it’s still a huge deal, experts say. “$20 billion is still a big investment, the largest since the Dust Bowl of the 1930s,” Karen Perry Stillerman, a deputy director at the research group Union of Concerned Scientists, wrote in a recent blog post. “It’s $20 billion more than we had two weeks ago,” she wrote.

And this investment is especially important today. Climate change is threatening crops by making some droughts and flash floods more frequent and severe. Many of the programs funded through the IRA don’t just target carbon emissions but could also help make our food system more resilient. Ultimately, that would benefit us all.

What the bill means for farmers

The biggest chunk of money — roughly $8.5 billion — will go toward a program run by the US Department of Agriculture called the Environmental Quality Incentives Program. It pays for projects that restore the ecosystem or reduce emissions on farmland.

Farmers often use the money to buy and plant cover crops. These are plants, such as clover, radishes, or rye, that are rooted in fields that might otherwise be fallow to improve the health of the soil and prevent erosion. The idea is that the ground is always “covered” with something.

Cover crops also have a range of other superpowers, said Rob Myers, director of the Center for Regenerative Agriculture at the University of Missouri. During a drought, for example, they can lock moisture in the soil; during a flood, meanwhile, they help water more easily penetrate the ground.

These plants also provide habitat for important critters above and below ground, such as spiders, beetles, and fungi — many of which provide services themselves, like pest control. Generally, more plants mean more animals.

On the left is a field with cereal rye, a cover crop, and on the right is a field with no cover crop. “The soil on the left with cover crop will be healthier and more resilient in the face of weather extremes such as droughts or excessive rainfall,” according to Rob Myers, director of the Center for Regenerative Agriculture at the University of Missouri.

Courtesy of Rob Myers

Although just a small fraction of farms currently use cover crops, Myers said, programs like EQIP are making the practice more common. Planting them can be costly, and they take about three years to start paying off (such as by reducing the amount of fertilizer a farmer needs to buy), he said. That’s why government investment is so important, he said.

3 other important programs the bill funds

The IRA will also funnel more than $3 billion into another USDA initiative known as the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP). Similar to EQIP, CSP pays farmers to make their lands more sustainable, but it typically provides funding over a longer period and for a larger suite of conservation-related projects, said Cathy Day, climate policy coordinator at a nonprofit called the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition.

What does that actually look like? Through CSP, a farmer could transform an industrial farm, with rows and rows of the same crop, into something that resembles a more natural landscape, Day said. Such a farm might have a handful of different crops, including fruiting trees and plants that enrich the soil, and require fewer fertilizers and pesticides. That’s a best-case scenario, anyway.

There’s money in the act for two additional programs, both of which are worth knowing: the Regional Conservation Partnership Program and the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program.

The regional partnership program — which will receive $4.95 billion — is similar to those above but relies on partners, such as environmental nonprofits, to help make farmland more sustainable. Another $1.4 billion will go towards the easement program. It ensures that farmland won’t be replaced by roads, cities, or other developments.

Is this really good for the climate?

These programs are, by design, meant to help fight climate change as part of Biden’s broader climate agenda. And some of them almost certainly will. Cover crops, for example, can pull carbon dioxide out of the air and store it in the soil, as long as farmers don’t dig up the roots, Day said.

Yet it’s tough to say whether, on the whole, $20 billion in funding will make a dent in farm-related emissions. As Vox’s Kenny Torrella argues, the bill will do little to change meat and dairy production, the largest contributor of carbon emissions in the agriculture sector.

Historically, about half the money from EQIP has gone toward livestock farms including confined animal feeding operations, Day said. Funding from IRA might help those farmers cut emissions to a degree, but it will also help prop up a polluting industry, she said. “It’s inherently supporting systems that are highly environmentally unfriendly,” Day said.

Other provisions of the bill also direct money toward biofuels, which some experts have criticized for fueling environmental destruction and doing little to lower emissions. Remarkably, about a third of the corn in the US (most of which is grown in vast, largely lifeless monocultures) goes toward making ethanol.

Ultimately, slashing emissions from farmland will require more fundamental changes to our food system and a major investment in plant-based meats and other lower-carbon alternatives. But in the meantime, this bill presents an opportunity to restore some farmland — to bring back certain natural features of the landscape that make it more resilient.

“The average person might think that what farmers are doing is unrelated to them,” Myers said. “But it is important because we all need a stable supply of food.”

Source by www.vox.com

Related

Share199Tweet124Share50
Previous Post

32 Things I Guarantee You Won’t Regret Having On Hand Next Time You Travel

Next Post

Reed Timmer captures rare glimpse of how a powerful flash flood starts

Next Post
Reed Timmer captures rare glimpse of how a powerful flash flood starts

Reed Timmer captures rare glimpse of how a powerful flash flood starts

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Latest News - Daily illinois

Kegel Exercises

How Should Kegel Exercises Be Done?

June 6, 2023
Capturing Memories

80+ Famous Friendship Memories Quotes: Celebrating Lifelong Bonds

June 1, 2023
Coffee

Morning Brews Funny Coffee Quotes to Start Your Day

June 1, 2023
quotes about challenging yourself

130+ Famous Quotes about Challenging Yourself

May 29, 2023
Ring Finger Tattoos: Meaning, Designs, and Tips for Getting Inked

Ring Finger Tattoos: Meaning, Designs, and Tips for Getting Inked

May 23, 2023
protect your self from mean people

90+ Quotes About Mean People: Insights into the Dark Side of Humanity

May 23, 2023
4 Pink and White Wedding Nail Art Designs for Your Big Day

4 Pink and White Wedding Nail Art Designs for Your Big Day

May 23, 2023
35+ Laugh-Out-Loud Sports Game Lookalike Camera Moments That Are Just Too Good

35+ Laugh-Out-Loud Sports Game Lookalike Camera Moments That Are Just Too Good

May 23, 2023
Daily illinois - USA | News, Sports & Updates Web Magazine

Copyright © 2020 Dailyillinois.com.

Navigate Site

  • Daily Illinois
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Terms
  • DMCA
  • Sitemap
  • Write For Us

Follow Us

No Result
View All Result
  • About Us Page
  • Contact
  • Daily illinois
  • DMCA Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Submit, Guest Post, Write For Us and Become a Contributor
  • Terms of Use

Copyright © 2020 Dailyillinois.com.

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.