WASHINGTON, D.C. - How the Biden administration can bring forward climate-smart agriculture in its first 100 days was the subject of a Feb. 4 webinar hosted by AGree, a bipartisan initiative promoting conservation on working lands that also supports farmers’ livelihoods. 

Hosted by Deborah Atwood, AGree executive director and Meridian Institute Senior Fellow, the event featured panelists Robert Bonnie, Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and Senior Adviser for Climate, U.S. Department of Agriculture; Anne Simmons, Democratic Staff Director, U.S. House of Representatives Agriculture Committee; and Lynn Tjeerdsma, former Senior Policy Advisor to U.S. Senator John Thune, a farmer from South Dakota. 

“There is wide, bipartisan consensus that addressing the impacts of climate change will take a multifaceted approach. This isn’t about farmers choosing one practice to address climate change, but rather using science and data to help farmers improve their resilience and by building and expanding programs that work for everybody,” said Atwood. “We are eager to work with Senate and House leaders and USDA to create policies that help farmers, leverage resources to inform their practices, and, ultimately, improve profitability and environmental benefits.”

AGree has identified opportunities related to agriculture data, risk management and conservation practices they say can be transformative for farmers’ bottom lines and the environment. “We can address the pressing issue of climate change through on-going, collaborative and bipartisan action advanced by both the administration and Congress,” Atwood said. 

During the Feb. 4 webinar, Bonnie said climate change policy will definitely play an important role in Biden’s administration, as will rewarding farmers who make measurable changes to their production practices that are beneficial to the environment. “At his (nomination) meeting, Secretary (Thomas) Vilsack talked about the economic opportunities and new markets, the ability to market U.S. agricultural products for their contribution to resolving climate change and doing climate change policy the right way,” Bonnie said. “And also about how to create economic incentives to inspire farmers to do more.”

Climate-smart agriculture policy must be voluntary in nature, incentive-based and must work to enhance producers’ bottom lines, Bonnie stated. “This will be a critical element of anything we do,” he said. “We want to build tools that will work for agriculture and forestry and work for the climate as well.”

With interest growing in the private sector climate and eco-service markets, USDA policy should be shaped to bolster these investments with agricultural participation, according to Bonnie. “More investment in agriculture gives producers more opportunities, so USDA policy is going to be important,” he said. “Through the (farm bill) conservation title there is the Conservation Reserve Program, CSP, EQIP and others where there is real opportunity. There is conversation for the potential of a carbon bank, and we will look at new authorities to create some new finance mechanisms to think about how we can de-risk this for agriculture.”

Simmons commented on preparations for an upcoming House Ag Committee hearing on climate-related federal programs affecting agriculture. “As many of you are aware Chairman David Scott has indicated his first hearing as the new chairman of the House Ag Committee will focus on what is happening with climate and weather and how that’s impacting our ag producers. Our various subcommittee chairs may also wish to conduct some additional hearings in this area,” the Democratic staff director for the committee said. 

“Everything from crop insurance to looking at what livestock operations are already doing in terms of climate change and mitigating greenhouse gas emissions...there are a lot of areas our various subcommittees can take a look at and hopefully our chairs will all be interested in doing that,” she added.

Putting more money in the Conservation Title will be key to funding climate-smart agriculture incentives for farmers, Simmons stated, adding: “The hard part is making sure we’ve got the technical assistance to get that money out the door and use it wisely to work with producers.” 

Tjeerdsma, himself a farmer, brought along sage advice for the House Ag Committee and general assembly members when crafting climate-smart ag policy: listen to the farmers and ranchers.

“Don’t come up with ‘we know what you need, so you should trust us to tell you what you should do.’ Trust the farmers’ instincts and knowledge, and his familiarity with his own land. Nearly every farmer and rancher I know has a deep-seeded love for the land, and although they are interested in making a living and profit from that land-- and that’s imperative-- they are also concerned with good stewardship and sustainability for future generations,” Tjeerdsma said.

The webinar followed President Biden’s recent executive order calling on USDA to collect input from farmers and ranchers on climate-related federal programs. In response, American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall said AFBF would work with the administration to identify climate solutions for agriculture. 

“It’s crucial that as new strategies are implemented our leaders listen to the people who will be affected the most. While the president has invited us to the table, we’d like to invite him to the table we’ve already set through the Food and Agriculture Climate Alliance (FACA). Co-chaired by AFBF, FACA has outlined more than 40 recommendations to guide the development of federal climate policy. We stand ready to work with the administration on science-based, voluntary and market-driven programs,” Duvall said on Jan. 27.

The latest Purdue University Ag Economy Barometer, issued Feb. 2, revealed that just six or seven percent of the 400 farmers surveyed for their January report were aware of possible carbon sequestration programs that could be offered to producers. Three out of ten of those farmers were aware of opportunities to receive carbon capture payments, and about one-fifth of them had actually engaged in discussions about contracting to receive payments. Among the 30 percent of poll respondents aware of these opportunities, 22 percent said they had actively engaged in discussions about receiving a carbon capture payment.

The AGree webinar, Prioritizing Resilience is Key to Agriculture Policy in Biden’s First 100 Days, can be viewed in its entirety at www.vimeo.com/508567310.