skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Report: Feds Could Do More to Help Protect Farms from Climate Change

play audio
Play

Friday, November 22, 2019   

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Extreme rain events and wide swings in temperatures are just some of the climate-change threats facing Minnesota farmers. And their advocates say federal policymakers need to do more to make sure farmers are protected from crop losses caused by changing weather patterns.

This year in Minnesota, many farmers have struggled with the fall harvest due to muddy fields. Tara Ritter, senior program associate with the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, says that's just one example showing that now is the time to act, so more farmers can adopt mitigation practices.

"The more soil health that a farm has, the better it's going to be able to absorb water, so it'll be able to adapt better to drought and flood," says Ritter.

A new report from the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition says in addition to crop losses, climate change also threatens livestock.

Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue has questioned the effects of climate change, suggesting that cyclical weather patterns are to blame.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture does offer conservation programs to help make environmental improvements to farms, but the report suggests it isn't enough.

Ritter says a lot of mitigation practices, such as cover cropping or no-till farming, can be implemented by farmers without state or federal assistance. But she says to have a greater impact, federal ag officials need to rethink their spending priorities.

"There are currently a lot of dollars that are targeted towards large-scale animal operations," says Ritter. “You know, one thing that we're advocating for then, is shifting those dollars towards different types of grazing systems instead."

Those grazing systems would mean using a more strategic approach to leaving livestock in the field, thus having a more positive impact on the environment and in turn, on the land. As far as policy targets go, Ritter says the larger goal is the next Farm Bill, which isn't until 2023.

Disclosure: Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy contributes to our fund for reporting. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021