Carbon storage offers hope for climate, cash for farmers
3 years, 7 months ago

Carbon storage offers hope for climate, cash for farmers

Associated Press  

ORIENT, Ohio — The rye and rapeseed that Rick Clifton cultivated in central Ohio were coming along nicely — until his tractor rumbled over the flat, fertile landscape, spraying it with herbicides. One example, he added: “Farmers planting cover crops so they can reduce the carbon dioxide in the air and get paid for doing it.” Clifton, 66, started growing cover crops several years ago to improve corn, soybean and wheat yields. Besides cover crops, promising techniques for carbon storage include reducing or eliminating tillage and letting marginal croplands revert to plains or woods, said Adam Chambers, a U.S. Natural Resources Conservation Service air quality scientist. “Without adequate measurement tools or guarantees of permanence, quantifying soil carbon to use in a carbon market becomes a guessing game and does not guarantee actual reductions in greenhouse gases,” they said. Such complex data analysis lends credibility to eco-friendly agriculture, once widely associated with “offbeat farmers,” said Keith Paustian, a soil and crop scientist at Colorado State.

Agriculture Climate Farmers Greenhouse Gases Soil Million Carbon Indigo Crops Farm Cover Carbon Dioxide Greenhouse Carbon Storage  offers  storage  hope  agriculture  cash  million  practices  soil  greenhouse  farmers  farm  crops  cover  carbon  climate

History of this topic

What is carbon farming? | Explained
7 months, 2 weeks ago

What is carbon farming? | Explained

The Hindu  

Carbon is found in all living organisms and many minerals. Carbon farming combines these two concepts by implementing regenerative agricultural practices that restore ecosystem health while improving agricultural productivity and soil health, and mitigating climate change by enhancing carbon storage in agricultural landscapes and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Initiatives like Kenya’s Agricultural Carbon Project, which has the World Bank’s support, …

Farm fields don’t just feed us. They store carbon. But a big question is how much
1 year, 5 months ago

Farm fields don’t just feed us. They store carbon. But a big question is how much

Associated Press  

DYSART, Iowa — When Al Schafbuch cut back on plowing his Iowa fields decades ago and later began growing cover crops, he was out to save money on fertilizer and reduce erosion. He got those benefits and saw his soil change for the better, too: dark, chunky, richly organic matter that he said feels like “chocolate cake.” There’s one more …

U.S. Department of Agriculture to invest $300 million in monitoring agricultural emissions
1 year, 5 months ago

U.S. Department of Agriculture to invest $300 million in monitoring agricultural emissions

Associated Press  

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced Wednesday that his department will invest $300 million to improve the measurement and reporting of planet-warming emissions by the country’s agriculture and forestry sectors. To reduce their emissions, farmers can adopt strategies like no-till agriculture or planting cover crops, both of which have been documented to lead to healthier and less erosive soil. That soil …

New climate deal spurs hopes of more carbon storage projects
2 years, 4 months ago

New climate deal spurs hopes of more carbon storage projects

Associated Press  

— The rolling prairie lands of northeastern Wyoming have been a paradise of lush, knee-deep grass for sheep, cattle and pronghorn antelope this summer. So far, removing carbon dioxide from power plant smokestacks and pumping it underground hasn’t been feasible without higher electricity bills to cover the technique’s huge costs. “We can ground truth our simulations.” McLaughlin’s team also does …

Greater carbon storage in Snowy Monaro could help combat climate change
2 years, 4 months ago

Greater carbon storage in Snowy Monaro could help combat climate change

ABC  

A soil carbon storage advocate hopes a region in south-east New South Wales will become just as well known for its carbon farming as it is for its sheep and winter ski fields. Key points: Upper Snowy Landcare is promoting treeplanting and soil carbon sequestration Agriculture Professor Richard Eckard says biodiversity credits are likely to replace carbon credits by 2030 …

Carbon farming: Climate change fix or greenwashing?
2 years, 7 months ago

Carbon farming: Climate change fix or greenwashing?

The Hindu  

"Now society expects much more from farmers," reflects Belgian dairy farmer Kris Heirbaut. Two years ago, concerned with agriculture's damage to the environment, Heirbaut signed up to a "carbon farming" pilot project funded by the European Union that aims to improve agricultural soil health while tackling climate change. In a letter to the U.S. Congress last year, over 200 NGOs …

President Biden, Please Don't Get Into Carbon Farming
3 years, 11 months ago

President Biden, Please Don't Get Into Carbon Farming

Wired  

What do climate advocates have in common with fossil fuel companies, auto firms, and farm lobbyists? Not much, yet all are joining hands to promote “carbon farming” as a form of “regenerative agriculture.” The idea is to use crop plants and pasture grass to take carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere, moving it underground, mostly through root systems. The new …

Researchers question soil carbon — a key plank of the new Technology Investment Roadmap
4 years, 2 months ago

Researchers question soil carbon — a key plank of the new Technology Investment Roadmap

ABC  

The Federal Government's new energy policy has identified carbon farming as a key method of reducing emissions, but there may be problems with the strategy. Key points: Carbon farming is a key element of the new Technology Investment Roadmap The Government wants to reduce the cost of measuring carbon in the soil Farmers and researchers want to see changes to …

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