By Linda K. Breggin and Bruce Myers -- Apr. 16 at 4:43pm When the new Farm Bill finally passed this February, two years behind schedule, many environmental groups breathed a sigh of relief–if not outright celebrated. In addition to other conservation provisions, the bill included a hard-fought requirement for farmers to adopt basic soil conservation measures to obtain crop … [Read more...] about Farm Policy and Environmental Protection: It’s Time to Raise the Bar
agriculture
The uncertain future of Farm Bill conservation programs
By Margaret Wilson Reis -- Sept. 17, 2013 at 10:30am On September 30, 2013, the one-year extension of the 2008 Farm Bill will expire. Congress appears unlikely to pass another. If Congress does not, the country stands to see the “single, largest source of funding for conservation on private U.S. land” reduced or even eliminated. The Farm Bill is the primary food and … [Read more...] about The uncertain future of Farm Bill conservation programs
Subsidies with Responsibilities: Placing Stewardship and Disclosure Conditions on Government Payments to Large Scale Commodity Crop Operations
By Linda Breggin and D. Bruce Myers Jr. The last century marked a sea change in the way agricultural operations are conducted. This “industrialization” of agriculture has significantly increased efficiency and yields, but it also has generated — as an unintended byproduct — pollution. The pollution resulting from commodity crop operations can have harmful effects locally and … [Read more...] about Subsidies with Responsibilities: Placing Stewardship and Disclosure Conditions on Government Payments to Large Scale Commodity Crop Operations