SILER CITY, N.C. - As the national government remains "closed for business," North Carolina farmers are struggling to stay open for business in light of the shutdown. Dozens of farmers in the state have been approved for USDA direct farm operating loans, but those payments can't be made until federal employees can return to work.

According to Joe Schroeder, director of Farm Sustainability at the Rural Advancement Foundation International (RAFI)-USA, the needs of North Carolina farmers can't wait for the government.

"A late loan can be worse than a timely loan," he declared. "There's a pretty, small critical window when farmers need the cash. These loans are pretty critical and the timing of them is essential."

A farmers' Resource Rodeo was scheduled on Monday in Siler City, but RAFI has postponed the event because several of the presenters involved are furloughed government employees. According to the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance, North Carolina is losing farmers faster than the average national rate.

Nationwide, more than 1400 farmers are waiting for loan payments because of the shutdown, and thousands more are waiting on loans in order to start farms. Schroeder said that could have a larger effect on the nation's food supply.

"It really could mean that they go out of business," he warned. "It's likely, because I don't know how long it's going to last. It could directly impact our food supply, our storage of these grains."

There are an estimated 50,000 farms in North Carolina. According to the state's Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, agriculture exports totaled almost $4 billion in 2011 alone.



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A meeting on sustainable fishing in Seattle could inspire greater protections for Washington state's waters in Olympia. The State Innovation Exchange held the "Sustainable Aquaculture and Working Waterfronts" convention with lawmakers from 13 states.

Emma Newton, senior associate with agriculture and food systems program for the State Innovation Exchange, said big corporations dominate agriculture and farming, but large-scale, industrial fish farming isn't in the United States - yet.

"However, we are seeing increased interest in putting these large-scale, essentially factory farms of the ocean in our waters, and they're a direct threat to our ocean ecosystems, our local fishers and the native fish populations," she said.

Newton added the convention focused on how policymakers can protect sustainable and local fishing economies and tribal food sovereignty.

Rep. Mia Gregerson, D-SeaTac, attended the convention and said the state banned some fish farming practices after tens of thousands of non-native Atlantic salmon escaped a fish pen in 2017. Gregerson added the state needs to go further to protect the region from industrial fish farming.

"We're only able to control the policy for about three miles off the shore, and so it's going to be really important then, right, to make sure that we have a state coastal zone management plan that prohibits the same type of farming beyond just state waters," she said.

Newton added events like the one in Seattle are important because policymakers are able to connect with communities and the people working on these issues, making them more effective in their decision making.

"They're able to know that they don't have to go to the large corporations or the lobbyists for the information they need. They can go directly to the community. They're building relationships that circumnavigate the traditional way that policy is being made," Newton said.


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Farmers in Iowa are studying interactions between crops, water usage, carbon and nitrogen storage, and how those factors combine to affect longterm soil biodiversity. It's part of a seven-state project in the Midwest.

Researchers are looking at the effects of crop combinations on soil and moisture across the Corn Belt.

Iowa State University Agronomy Professor Sotirious Archontoulis is running one research site in the five-year, $16 million project.

He's monitoring how crop management, carbon and nitrogen content affect soil moisture - and will try to predict the impact on the viability of future crops.

"We have the same setup in many different environments to capture different organic matter, soil hydrology conditions," said Archontoulis, "so we get a better understanding of the complexities in the agronomic system."

Archontoulis said scientists can also study greenhouse gas emissions from the soil.

He said these ultimately affect its health and can have an impact on large ag operation waste runoff, which is known to pollute nearby ground and surface water. The research is gearing up now.

Based on the computer model's findings, Archontoulis said researchers can make recommendations to farmers based on - for example - how much nitrogen the soil is losing in certain places, and how they can adjust planting schedules as a result.

"We can say, 'This cropping system with this management practice typically loses that amount of nitrogen,'" said Archontoulis. "'However, the other combination of cropping system could reduce nitrogen loss and improve productivity by X%, so this is a better strategy to move forward.'"

Archontoulis said the research begins across the Midwest this summer.




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Three members of Nebraska's student-run climate advocacy organization Students for Sustainability were among the youngest participants at the recent Citizens Climate Lobby conference in Washington, D.C.

Evalina Sain, executive director of the group and an incoming senior at Omaha Central High School, said one of their takeaways is how many values farmers and environmentalists share. She pointed out although some city dwellers may be inclined to tell farmers what they should be doing differently, farmers are, in her words, "some of the most sustainable people we know."

"Because they're so incredibly connected with nature, and their values are just rooted in what they can provide for the earth and what the earth can provide for them," Sain noted. "So, really prioritizing our farmers is so crucial as we transition towards a sustainable future within our state."

Sain stressed the nonpartisan nature of the Citizens' Climate Lobby, which starts all its meetings with an "appreciation." Nebraska attendees used the occasion to thank their congressional delegation for supporting the National Center for Resilient and Regenerative Precision Agriculture, which recently broke ground in Lincoln.

Sain added they met with Sen. Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., personally and with legislative staff for the rest of the delegation. One of their "asks" was for lawmakers to prioritize helping Nebraska farmers get Inflation Reduction Act funds for regenerative agriculture.

"If we want them to transition, it shouldn't be such a financial burden on them," Sain argued. "Millions of dollars were dedicated to building this across the nation but it's extremely difficult for farmers to get access to these programs."

Jacki Petrow, a recent Bellevue High School graduate who plans to pursue environmental studies with an emphasis in policy at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, said the conference made her realize climate change doesn't have to be a polarizing issue.

"Being able to be in D.C. and seeing how people come together, especially on these topics like renewable agriculture," Petrow explained, "And learning about how it's really good for everyone has really just cemented my excitement for this topic."

Petrow added the experience also alleviated some of her concerns about environmental studies as a career path.

"We need bipartisan support to get things done, and there is bipartisan support there," Petrow emphasized. "It was really incentivizing and helped me see this as more of a positive future for myself and not like I'm going to have to fight people."


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