IARN — Iowa Senators Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst are backing a bill that would help break down barriers for farmers looking to participate in carbon credit markets and adopt climate-smart conservation practices.
Grassley and Ernst – alongside a bipartisan group of colleagues – have introduced the Growing Climate Solutions Act. Senator Grassley says Iowa farmers continue to lead the way in conservation measures that help the environment and have also proven to sequester carbon. This legislation would create a certification program at the USDA to help solve technical entry barriers for farmer and forest landowners interested in entering carbon credit markets.
“It’s going to have a big impact on agriculture because we are so consuming of energy to produce the food that we do,” Grassley said during his weekly conference call with farm reporters on Tuesday. “On the other hand, I hope the people that are thinking about cutting down on greenhouse gases and their energy policy, that they realize how proactive farmers have been in the last 50 years producing nationally an average of about 178 bushel of corn per acre, compared to 10 years ago probably 150 bushel corn per acre, compared to 70 years ago probably 60 bushel corn to the acre. Farmers are already doing their fair share. They shouldn’t be expected to do more, except as the marketplace would predict. The government shouldn’t be stepping in and making it harder to farm.”
For more on this story, including comments from Senator Grassley, visit the Iowa Agribusiness Radio Network.
