By Janan Lenzy, NFU Intern Bees contribute to the economy and health of the environment. In addition to their notoriety for honey production, bees also provide the versatile substance known as beeswax, and they are imperative to 30 percent of the world’s crop production, pollinating many fruit, vegetable, and flower species, as well as 90 percent … Read More
Climate Column
What Can Farmers Do About Climate Change? Prescribed Burns
By Janan Lenzy, NFU Intern Fire is often thought of as a destructive and uncontrollable natural disturbance, causing catastrophic damage to agricultural operations of all types. But did you know that fire can actually be used as a tool to protect and increase productivity on your land? Prescribed burning is an advanced land management technique … Read More
What Do Farmers Need To Know About Climate Change? House Farm Bill Proposal
By Tom Driscoll, Director of NFU Foundation and Conservation Policy On the Climate Column, we have highlighted a number of climate-smart production and conservation practices for which farmers may receive technical and financial assistance from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). Congress authorizes NRCS to disperse this assistance to farmers through the … Read More
What Do Farmers Need To Know About Climate Change? Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program
By Janan Lenzy, NFU Intern Communities across America depend on farmers and ranchers for a variety of provisions, and those producers’ livelihoods rely on being able to supply them. As uncontrollable environmental setbacks continue to occur with greater severity and frequency, farmers and ranchers should consider taking precautions to protect their operations from drastic losses. … Read More
What Should Farmers Know About Climate Change? Tree Assistance Program
By Janan Lenzy, NFU Intern The nursery tree and greenhouse industry is rapidly growing and contributing to the agricultural economy. However, climate change does not discriminate – irregular and extreme weather events interfere with anticipated growing seasons and production yields for essentially all agricultural sectors. When such events occur, farmers and ranchers largely rely on government-run … Read More
What Should Farmers Know About Climate Change? ELAP
By Janan Lenzy, NFU Intern In 2017, flooding, wildfires, hurricanes, and other natural disasters accounted for approximately $5 billion worth of economic losses in the US agriculture sector. The toll is expected to increase as climate change intensifies the strength and duration of these weather events. As a direct result, the amount of physical damage … Read More
What Should Farmers Know About Climate Change? Livestock Indemnity Program
By Janan Lenzy, NFU Intern Abnormal weather patterns have increasingly made livestock producers vulnerable to reduced outputs. Previously on the Climate Column, we’ve discussed tools developed by the U.S. Department Agriculture (USDA) that assist farmers with preparations for droughts and higher temperatures, but there are also programs that provide financial compensation and assistance for extreme … Read More
What Do Farmers Need to Know About Climate Change? Livestock Forage Program
By Tom Driscoll, Director of NFU Foundation and Conservation Policy A 2013 U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) bulletin notes that ongoing monitoring of climate data has led experts to anticipate “an increase in areas experiencing droughts and the occurrence of more intense precipitation events.” It’s self-evident to farmers and ranchers that greater incidence of these … Read More
What Can Farmers Do About Climate Change? Meeting Paris Agreement Goals
By Janan Lenzy, NFU Intern The Paris Climate Agreement was constructed within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in December of 2015. Adopted by consensus, the agreement aims to maintain “a global temperature rise” of less than 2 degrees Celsius or 35.6 degrees Fahrenheit by reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and improving … Read More
What Do Farmers Need to Know About Climate Change? Cattle Heat Stress Alert
By Janan Lenzy, NFU Intern Last week on the Climate Column, we discussed the risks of drought to agriculture, and proposed methods to help farmers prepare for and mitigate those risks. As drought increases in frequency, length, and severity and as temperatures rise globally, both of which are expected to occur as the climate continues to … Read More