Over the next five years, millions of dollars could be funneled into efforts to help farmers rotate their crops, preserve their soil, improve how their animals are fed and, along the way, significantly reduce the 10% of US greenhouse gas emissions that come from agriculture.

If, that is, the 2023 Farm Bill actually gets passed and if, unlike last time around, it includes significant funding for climate-smart farming practices.

Both are big ifs. Even before the actual text of the proposed Farm Bill is released, some in Congress are pushing to shift money away from conservation and climate change and instead make already high payments for rice, peanuts and cotton even higher.

It's also not clear if the Farm Bill, the now 90-year-old piece of legislation that is the basis for U.S. agricultural policy and which must be re-upped every five years – will be passed this year in the face of Congressional dysfunction, a possible government shutdown and an upcoming presidential election.

What is the Farm Bill?

Started in 1933 during the depths of the Depression as a way to support farmers, the Farm Bill has become the single largest piece of federal legislation that supports the livelihoods of farmers, ranchers and dairymen across the county.

“It’s 1,000 pages and as much as $100 billion every year,” said Jonathan Coppess, Gardner Associate Professor of Agricultural Policy at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

It assists farmers with risks, provides payments for many crops – primarily corn, soy, wheat, and rice – and funds efforts to protect farm soil and water. A significant portion of the funding, about 80%, goes to low-income families to buy food through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program known as SNAP.

What the next Farm Bill might include isn't yet known. Both the House and Senate committees on agriculture are working on versions but neither have been released and aren’t likely to be until the House and Senate are ready to move.

What's farming got to do with climate change?

Agriculture accounts for about 10% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. That makes the Farm Bill, the United State's main food and farming legislation, a potentially critical part of the fight against climate change.

"The continued investment in sustainability, be it conservation, nutrient management or climate smart agriculture ... is about the long-term viability of the American agricultural industry,” said Ryan Yates, managing director of government affairs for the American Farm Bureau Federation.

On a positive note, changes to the Farm Bill could help agriculture go from something that produces a significant amount of greenhouse gasses to something that's a important part of the solution.

There's already strong evidence for land management techniques farmers can use to produce fewer emissions and keep carbon in the soil, including practices that improve soil health, reduce erosion and improve water quality. But given the razor-thin margins they operate under, it takes federal support to help the nation's food growers make the shift.

Some of those techniques include:

  • Planting cover crops and using crop rotation to keep soils healthy so they hold more carbon.
  • Timed, targeted fertilizer use to reduce nitrogen emissions into waterways and the atmosphere.
  • Researching feeding regimes and additives to keep livestock from producing as much methane in their burps.

"It’s an exciting time to be in agriculture," said Yates. "Any farmer today will tell you they want to leave their farm to the next generation better than they’ve received it."

Some of these practices are already becoming popular with farmers and the U.S. Department of Agriculture has programs to support them, funded in part by $18 billion from the Inflation Reduction Act.

“On average, there are about twice as many farmers who want conservation assistance from USDA than there is funding available for,” said Coppess. “We have strong demand for these programs. Farmers understand the benefits and that they’re investing in their farms and farmland.”

To get every American farmer involved will require more money but it will be money well spent, say advocates. As other sectors of the economy become more carbon neutral, agriculture’s portion of emissions could grow to as high as 30% by 2050 according to some calculations, said Scott Faber, vice president for government affairs with the non-profit Environmental Working Group.

Avoiding that also makes farming part of the national climate solution.

“We can sequester a lot of carbon in the soil,” said Rob Myers, director of the Center for Regenerative Agriculture at the University of Missouri. “It takes time but it’s a key solution to lowering carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere. The nice thing is that it’s a win-win – it improves the soil and helps us adapt to climate change.”

Will Congress act?

Dysfunction in Congress is likely pushing off the legislation that cultivates the fields of American agriculture. The 2018 Farm Bill can be extended, but that means hopes for dramatic reforms that could help fight climate change won't come this year, advocates say.

“Most likely it will be in the first quarter of 2024,” said Yates. But that would require an extension, which he’s quite certain will happen. “No one wants these programs to lapse.”

Whether or not an individual farmer or rancher even believes in climate change, overall they're eager to lower costs and strengthen their soil and waterways. In addition, there's a growing understanding that this is something the shoppers want.

"Consumers are increasingly interested in both where their food comes from and the climate impact of what they eat," Chuck Connor, president and CEO of the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives, said in a statement. "By helping America’s farmers, ranchers, and growers continue adoption of more climate-friendly farming practices, the recommendations will help producers meet growing consumer preferences."

Farmers have come a long way in the past five years, said Myers.

“Compared it to the last Farm Bill, overall there is more concern about climate change than there was in 2018,” he said.

But also, farmers and ranchers are increasingly realizing that they have a positive role to play in mitigating and adapting to climate change.

“That’s a big change from what we saw 5 to 10 years ago when many farmers felt they were being criticized for climate change. Now they’re feeling much more like they play an important part in the solution,” he said.

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