By JORDAN STRICKLER

Kentucky Correspondent

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A group of 10,000 farmers and ranchers have come together in support of the Green New Deal (GND) – on Sept. 18, representatives from U.S. Farmers and Ranchers for a Green New Deal presented Congress with a letter signed by more than 500 of those individuals and more than 50 groups.

“For far too long, corporate executives and politicians have divided us. They’ve told us that environmentalists and farmers can’t work together. Well, I’m here today with a few friends behind me to say, ‘That is history,’” Sunrise Movement’s Garrett Blad said. Sunrise is one of the organizations at the lead of the GND’s charge.

Presented in February by Democratic Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, the GND was meant to kick-start broad discussions on how the United States will both mitigate and adapt to climate change. It calls for achieving global net-zero global emissions by 2050 and for reducing pollution and greenhouse gasses created by agriculture by “as much as is technologically feasible.”

Democratic Reps. Chellie Pingree (Maine), Jim McGovern (Massachusetts), Earl Blumenauer (Oregon), and Debra Haaland (New Mexico) all spoke at the press conference.

“It makes all the sense in the world that farmers and ranchers support our Green New Deal resolution,” said Haaland, a sponsor of the Climate Stewardship Act, the House version of a climate bill authored by Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Cory Booker that would provide incentives to farmers and ranchers to adopt more sustainable agricultural methods.

“At this point in my life, I’m for anything that reduces carbon and works toward a solution to climate change,” said Marjie Shew, owner of Shew Family Farm, a Stockport, Ohio, cattle operation. “I’m not picky about the details at this point, because I don’t see our country recognizing the problem at all.”

Shew said farmers could be the key to reining in carbon emissions and that instead of being a part of the problem, they could be part of the solution, especially in current economic conditions.

“There are many large organizations, places like Apple and Google, that need to balance their emissions of carbon. Farmers can do that. No-till farmers can sequester carbon. They put more carbon into the soil than they put into the air,” she explained.

“It would make sense to pay farmers to do this, and they are beginning to talk about that. There are a couple of companies now who are paying farmers to sequester carbon. At this point, farmers are needing income, and that would encourage a lot more regenerative agriculture than the exploitation of agriculture.”

While the National Farmers Union (NFU) does not explicitly endorse the GND, its leaders did praise its attempts to battle climate change. “National Farmers Union is really encouraged by the fact that Congress is seriously talking about mitigating and adapting to climate change,” said Hannah Packman, Digital Media Director, in an email.

“NFU was not directly involved with (the recent) rally, but we do support efforts to address climate change, particularly those that incentivize on-farm conservation practices that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and sequester carbon in the soil, and we will continue to urge Congress to give farmers and ranchers a seat at the table during climate discussions.”

The resolution by U.S. Farmers and Ranchers for a Green New Deal outlines seven primary policy goals:

•Achieving fair prices for farmers and ranchers

•Rewarding farmers for eco-services, such as mitigating water and air pollution and sequestering carbon through practices such as cover crops and no-till, while holding corporate polluters accountable

•Breaking up corporate agribusiness monopolies

•Supporting a transition to organic agro-ecological and regenerative practices

•Supporting beginning and diverse farmers and ranchers

•Strengthening and/or enforcing USDA National Organic Program standards

•Garnering support for local and regional infrastructure

“This is where America is going,” said Blumenauer. “This is where progressive agriculture is tuned in. This is what the American public wants, and the Green New Deal for agriculture is a framework to approach it.”

According to the EPA, the agricultural sector accounted for 9 percent of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions in 2017.

“I think people who are anti-Green New Deal have gotten latched on to one little thing, like cow farts,” said Shew. “But I don’t know anyone personally who is completely against doing something about climate change.”