Carbon Sequestration

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COVID, the California legislature, and climate policy for healthy soils

by Renata Brillinger, CalCAN Highlights The coronavirus pandemic is affecting farmworkers, food system resilience, and climate change impacts. The legislative session will be more constricted and fewer bills will be advance, but partners such as the California Climate and Agricultural Network will continue to work for healthy soils initiatives. Two bills are key: AB 1071 … Read more

Categories Carbon Sequestration
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Cargill-led fund to pay U.S. farmers for carbon capture, exchange credits

Todd and Arliss Nielsen inspect their ryegrass cover crop in Wright County, Iowa. USDA photo.

by Karl Plume, Reuters Highlights Cargill Inc is paying farmers to sequester carbon in their soils and prevent fertilizer runoff, becoming the first effort to monetize environmentally friendly farming practices.  The Soil & Water Outcomes Fund, a partnership with the Iowa Soybean Association and third-party verification company Quantified Ventures, will sell the environmental credits created … Read more

Categories Carbon Sequestration
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A closer look at farmer relief in senate pandemic aid package

Farmers in Rockingham County, Virginia check the results of no-till farming in their fields on September 9, 2008, as part of their participation in the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) Chesapeake Bay Watershed Initiative (CBWI).

from the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition Highlights The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act passed by the President to aid businesses and Americans features specific provisions targeting farmers and food insecurity. Agricultural Provisions An important measure of the relief bill helps provide support for producers impacted by the coronavirus, specifically for specialty crop … Read more

Categories Carbon Sequestration Public Health
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CCOF releases roadmap to an organic California policy report

Farmers in Rockingham County, Virginia check the results of no-till farming in their fields on September 9, 2008, as part of their participation in the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) Chesapeake Bay Watershed Initiative (CBWI).

by California Certified Organic Farmers Highlights: California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF) recently released a Roadmap to an Organic California policy report.  The report highlights the personal and environmental health benefits of adopting 100% organic farming practices: Benefits of organic farming include: Sequestration – organic farming removes 14 times more CO2 from the atmosphere compared to … Read more

Categories Carbon Sequestration Public Health
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Goat herd as ecosystem reclamation tool – profile in land and management

by Gregory Horner, Tomkat Ranch Highlights In Wyoming, goats were used to restore the habitat destroyed by oil well facilities. The company, Goat Green, was hired by Chevron to graze the land after herbicides and machinery failed to help restore the land to it’s previous conditions Over 1000 goats were able to eat the weeds … Read more

Categories Carbon Sequestration Fossil Fuels
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Diverse coalition calls on legislature to restore climate smart agriculture funding

by Jeanne Merrill, CalCAN Highlights Governor Newsom’s budget proposal includes various bonds relating to the climate, but cuts funding for healthy soils and other agricultural-based climate programs. The main critique of the proposed budget is that it doesn’t do enough to address real climate solutions and is not generous enough to the agriculture sector One … Read more

Categories Carbon Sequestration
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What would it take to get more farmers fighting climate change?

by Tom Philpott, Grist Highlights Maine Democrat Chellie Pingree introduced the Agriculture Resilience Act which aims to maximize carbon sequestration on farm and grazing lands. The act aims to establish a national goal of net-zero greenhouse emissions from agriculture by no later than 2040, add more funding to food and agriculture research, maximize carbon capture … Read more

Categories Carbon Sequestration
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Agriculture Resilience Act offers California farmers climate change solutions

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by CalCAN Highlights The Agriculture Resilience Act (H.R. 5861) addresses the role of agriculture in combating climate change with a comprehensive suite of practical, science-based, farmer-driven policy solutions The bill sets out a national goal for the agricultural sector of net-zero emissions by no later than 2040, as well as strategies to achieve it by … Read more

Categories Carbon Sequestration
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Presidential candidates 2020- climate and environmental rankings

Below are some resources highlighting how the presidential candidates rank on climate action and other environmental issues. Greenpeace Greenpeace tells you the stance of the candidates on climate-related issues and also provides a platform where you can contact the candidates to tell them that you care about climate action. Website>> National Resource Defense Council On … Read more

Categories Carbon Sequestration Clean Energy Climate Justice Fossil Fuels Transportation
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Governor’s climate budget: one step forward, one step back

Governor Gavin Newsom recently released his proposed state budget for the fiscal year 2020-21 and it includes some important line items for decarbonization and climate resilience. The governor has proposed $12.5 billion over five years to boost climate resilience, curb greenhouse gas pollution, and tackle the climate change-driven wildfire crisis. The total California state proposed … Read more

Categories Carbon Sequestration Transportation