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July 26, 2023
By
Chris
Clayton
Lowering Crop Production Emissions
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More aggressive efforts to increase cover crops,
reduce tillage, rotate crops and add buffer strips and trees on farms
could lower nitrous oxide emissions from corn production, according to
the Environmental Working Group (EWG). The group wants to protect
USDA's boost in conservation funding for practices that sequester
carbon and reduce emissions. (DTN file photo by Bryce Anderson)
OMAHA (DTN) -- Environmental Working Group is touting six farming
practices in the Corn Belt the group says could greatly reduce nitrous
oxide emissions in crop production.
EWG also wants to ensure $19.5 billion in funding for USDA
conservation practices in the Inflation Reduction Act is not cut when
Congress gets down to writing the next farm bill. The group instead
wants to see more incentives go to practices that reduce emissions and
sequester carbon.
Using USDA's Carbon Management and Emissions Tool, or COMET-Planner,
EWG cited farmers in 11 Midwest and Plains states could reduce nitrous
oxide emissions by more than 4 million tons through more aggressive
use of rotating crops, planting cover crops, reducing tillage
practices and adding more grass strips and trees on their farms.
Scott Faber, senior vice president of government affairs at EWG, said
the group chose practices that farmers are already applying in a lot
of areas. A key, however, is ensuring there is funding in the
conservation programs that will incentivize more farmers to use these
practices.
"We also have the best practices that could be used specifically on
cornfields," Faber said.
Nitrous oxide accounts for 6% of all U.S. greenhouse emissions,
according to EPA, but 1 ton of nitrous oxide has the same impact on
the atmosphere as 265 tons of carbon dioxide. Nitrogen-based
fertilizers accounted for about 73% of U.S. nitrous oxide emissions in
2021.
Overall, agriculture accounts for about 11% of U.S. greenhouse
emissions, a percentage that could rise if agriculture does not keep
pace with other sectors of the U.S. economy in lowering GHG emissions.
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EWG has cited that only 23% of funds from the Environmental Quality
Incentive Program (EQIP) and just 5% of the Conservation Stewardship
Program (CSP) went to climate-smart practices from 2017-2020.
"There are a lot of practices that are getting significant funding
that really provide little or no benefit to the climate, at a time
when ag's share of greenhouse gas emissions is growing," Faber said.
Over the past year, USDA has signed agreements with farm groups and
businesses under the Partnership for Climate-Smart Commodities for
$3.1 billion in funding from the Commodity Credit Corp. to incentivize
some of the same cropping practices spotlighted by EWG.
USDA also received a $19.5 billion funding boost in the IRA for its
conservation programs that also is meant to boost practices that
sequester carbon in the soil or reduce greenhouse gases from
agriculture.
A debate continues among members of the House and Senate agriculture
committees over whether some of that funding will be shifted in the
farm bill, or language is added that would not require emission
reductions or carbon sequestration for farmers to receive some of that
IRA money.
Pointing to the broad participation from farm groups in the
Partnership for Climate-Smart Commodities, EWG maintains farmers
nationally would lose funds if Congress were to shift conservation
funding to programs that help with price supports such as in the
commodity title of the farm bill.
"Farmers are lining up around the block to help address the climate
crisis," Faber said. "So, it would be a tragedy to turn farmers away
in order to increase price guarantees for cotton, rice and peanut
farmers. That's what it boils down to at the end of the day is whether
we're going to help all farmers when they take steps to address the
climate crisis or help a few farmers by raising their reference
prices."
Last week, USDA announced $300 million will go to ramp up
"measurement, monitoring, reporting and verification" of greenhouse
gas emissions and carbon sequestration on farms and private forests as
well. That funding also came from the IRA.
The 11 states cited by EWG include Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas,
Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and
Wisconsin. Combined, those states account for more than 78% of planted
corn acreage this year, according to USDA's June Acreage report.
EWG noted the same practices that reduce nitrous oxide emission also
provide other benefits such as improved water quality and increased
wildlife habitat.
"Corn farmers are not the only farmers who can help tackle the climate
crisis," EWG stated, adding, "But 65% of nitrogen fertilizer is used
to grow corn, so conservation practices implemented on farmland used
to grow corn can make a big dent in agricultural nitrous oxide
emissions."
USDA COMET-Planner: http://comet-planner.com/…
EPA data on U.S. greenhouse gas emissions: https://www.epa.gov/…
Also see "USDA Unveils $300 M Greenhouse Gas Measurement, Monitoring
Plan" here: https://www.dtnpf.com/….
Chris Clayton can be reached at Chris.Clayton@dtn.com
Follow him on Twitter @ChrisClaytonDTN
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