America’s farmers and ranchers are helping put the nation on track to a healthier and more resilient environment in the face of a changing climate. While agriculture only contributes 9 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, it offers a variety of opportunities to reduce emissions and cut carbon from the atmosphere. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is committed to help producers become even better conservation stewards by providing the tools they need to do the job.
USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Farm Service Agency (FSA) support Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue’s Agriculture Innovation Agenda, which aims to better align USDA’s resources, programs and research to give farmers the tools they need to become leaders in addressing climate challenges.
Putting solutions on the ground, NRCS conservation practices and innovative technologies make it easier for farmers and ranchers to adopt systems that help improve their bottom line while reducing greenhouse gas emissions with minimal economic impact.
From no-till and cover crops to water use and nutrient management and rotational grazing systems, NRCS conservation practices help producers make positive impacts to climate change while keeping working lands healthful and boosting rural economies.
With proven soil health practices, for example, producers are minimizing runoff, saving on inputs and using soil as a carbon sink to balance atmospheric carbon levels with little soil disturbance.
Even forest management helps protect the nation’s landscape. By improving forest ecosystems with thinning and prescribed burn practices, producers reduce wildfire risk while growing carbon storage in new vegetation. Innovations such as biochar enable producers to use woody debris after wildfires to create a durable charcoal that enhances soil water storage and sustainably traps carbon.
With precision agriculture, technology enhances existing practices to help producers collect data on changing field conditions. This allows them to precisely target conservation solutions for improved crop production. Producers are reducing nitrous oxide emissions using precision ag systems such as GPS to improve chemical distribution and fertilizer efficiency.
Through FSA’s Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), producers restore, enhance and protect non-working landscapes, improve water quality, boost soil health and enhance wildlife habitat. Producers are creating carbon-rich soils by converting idle, less productive land into vegetative cover such as native grasses, wildlife plantings or trees. As they grow, plants and grass-cover help protect topsoil while returning carbon to the soil and plants.
As conservation stewards across the nation embrace practices and innovative technologies to adapt to climate change, their operations are becoming more efficient. They are keeping costs low and productivity high while improving their bottom lines.
USDA offers a variety of risk management, disaster assistance, loan and conservation programs to help agricultural producers weather ups and downs in the market and recover from natural disasters as well as invest in improvements to their operations. For more information about USDA programs and services, contact your local USDA service center.
