A northeast Nebraska farming operation is starting the new year with an even bigger commitment to conservation, and they hope other farms take note.

Cover cropping and organic farming are already practiced by the Winnebago Tribe's Ho-Chunk Farms. And through the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service "Eqip" program, they will add more conservation practices this year.

Aaron LaPointe, senior farm manager for Ho-Chunk Farms in Winnebago, said they've enrolled all 3,500 of their irrigated acres into a technology-driven water conservation program, known as the WaterSmart Initiative.

"There's lots of equipment that will inform you on your groundwater levels, which alerts you when to irrigate at the optimal time, using the least amount of water," LaPointe explained. "And also, if you're overwatering, that brings more of an issue when you start talking about leeching of different pesticides and herbicides, and getting things into our groundwater."

The USDA shares the upfront costs of water meters, soil-moisture probes, weather stations, and inspecting irrigation pumps to be sure they are functioning properly. LaPointe emphasized they are confident it will be a good long-term investment, both for water and soil health.

LaPointe noted they have also enrolled all their irrigated acres into another federal program to monitor their herbicide and pesticide use.

"It allows you to efficiently use a certain amount of chemical that you need to kill weeds without overdoing it," LaPointe pointed out. "Because any excess that you spray could eventually end up in groundwater or causing other issues in other things."

Ho-Chunk Farms is part of the Winnebago Tribe's economic development corporation. It will plant nearly 7,000 acres this year. Among those, 1,000 will be cover crops, and another 1,000 will have organically certified crops.

LaPointe hopes their successes will encourage other farmers to take a look at what the USDA offers.

"We, personally, might sit here and say, 'Well, is our 3,500 acres really making a difference?' But if you start inspiring more people to do it, now you're starting to make some real change," LaPointe remarked. "If there is somebody that's going to kind of set the trend and inspire people to maybe move in that direction, I think it should be us."

Recent extreme wildfires in Wyoming burned nearly 500,000 acres and among those recovering are ranchers and their surviving livestock.

Wildfires burned through large swaths of ranch lands in northern Wyoming and southern Montana last month, including the House Draw Fire, which blazed across nearly 175,000 acres in Johnson and Campbell counties. No homes or human lives were lost, but important ranching resources were, such as hundreds of miles of fencing, winter forage and summer grazing grounds.

Micah Most, agriculture and natural resources educator for the University of Wyoming Extension, said livestock deaths are hard to tally, but the injuries are apparent.

"We're seeing a lot of cattle with injured feet, burned feet, from walking through or over the hot ground as they were escaping," Most pointed out. "A lot of stress just generally on those animals."

Most emphasized the outpouring of support from people in Wyoming and beyond has been "deeply meaningful." The office is coordinating hay donations, locals are helping with livestock relocation and a community network is hosting a drive for fencing supplies. Financial donations can be made to Wyoming Rancher Fire Relief and elsewhere.

Most explained some injured animals may need to be culled from the herd and sold at a discounted price. Extension offices across the state have been revisiting their emergency preparedness and response materials to help people and ranchers deal with increasingly extreme weather events.

"Finding ways to kind of harden your home area, maybe the home ranch place, and limit some of the risk factors," Most stressed.

The fires also burned through important habitat for pronghorn, mule deer and breeding grounds important to the greater sage grouse.

Environmental leaders are set to gather in Durham to address how climate change is impacting human health and well-being.

Emily Wolfe, health manager for CleanAIRE NC, said the cascading effects of climate change are clear. The ninth annual NC BREATHE Conference aims to connect climate leaders and environmental health professionals to address challenges.

"We'll be talking about policy and policy change as it relates to environmental impacts on human health and well-being and community health," Wolfe outlined. "We'll be talking about specific pollutants and connections to human health and well-being."

Wolfe pointed out the conference will cover topics from air quality to heat exposure. Keynote speaker Harold Mitchell will share his personal experience transitioning from an environmental health victim to an advocate for policy change. The conference will take place on Oct. 1-2 at the JB Duke Hotel.

According to the World Health Organization, climate change affects health in various ways, from illness to extreme weather to food system disruptions.

Jeff Robbins, executive director of CleanAIRE NC, said while much focus is on resolving the root causes of the issues, the mental toll of environmental crises is often overlooked. He emphasized a key goal of the conference is to address stressors.

"One of the things that we really wanted to explore this year is the mental health aspects of the environmental impacts on folks," Robbins explained. "This is new for us this year in terms of how do we explore that, how do we start to identify some of those issues, and then how does that then inform what we do going forward."

Another major topic is PFAS, harmful chemicals linked to cancer and immune-system damage. While PFAS contamination in water is well known, Robbins stressed new research will shed light on how the chemicals affect the environment in other ways.

"This research is kind of going to shed some light on what are the findings and some of the issues relative to airborne PFAS," Robbins added.

Organizers hope the conference fosters collaboration and generates actionable ideas to protect communities from the growing threats of pollution and climate change.


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Indigenous water protectors and allies met at Michigan's Straits of Mackinac last week, to spotlight the dangers of the 71-year-old Line 5, deemed North America's riskiest crude oil pipeline.

Headlined by the nonprofit Oil and Water Don't Mix, the protests featured two main events: The "Pipe Out Paddle Up" in St. Ignace which showcased a flotilla against Enbridge's Line Five oil spill risk, followed by the "Water is Life Festival" in Petoskey, celebrating local music and advocacy for ending Line Five's threat.

Nichole Keway Biber, Michigan organizer for Clean Water Action, a member of the Oil and Water Don't Mix coalition, explained Indigenous people have been given stewardship over the waters.

"Also really critical to us having lived relationship to our culture and what our teachings are and our instructions are," Keway Biber explained. "So much of that is to protect and oversee the water and the wildlife."

Keway Biber emphasized the events focused on the preservation of the Indigenous way of life. Enbridge has maintained Line Five's safety is exclusively regulated by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.

Keway Biber noted there are many individuals, both from Michigan and beyond, who treasure and deeply value the Great Lakes but remain unaware of the significant threats posed by Line Five.

"They may not know we're constantly just a moment away from this catastrophic kind of ruination of those precious fresh waters," Keway Biber stressed. "It's powerful for them to first and foremost here about it from people who are committed to protecting the water and the people and the wildlife."

Enbridge moves up to 540,000 barrels of light crude oil, light synthetic crude oil and liquefied natural gas through Line Five.