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U.S. dairy farmers will soon be able to reduce the amount of methane their cows produce thanks to a new decision by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that clears the way for a product called Bovaer to come to market.

Farmers, ranchers, foresters and rural communities across the country need Congress to come together and pass a bipartisan farm bill this year. In this important moment, we’re especially thankful for Rep. Vasquez’s commitment to helping America’s agricultural producers adapt and thrive in the face of increasingly challenging growing conditions.

By Peri Rosenstein and Nicole Jenkins Methane emissions are a potent greenhouse gas, warming the climate more than 80 times faster than carbon dioxide on a 20-year timescale. Rapidly and significantly reducing methane is the most effective way to reduce the rate of warming, especially over the next few decades.  Agriculture is responsible for 40%

The Environmental Defense Fund strongly opposes the House Agriculture Committee majority's draft farm bill proposal, which removes the climate guardrails from the Inflation Reduction Act’s (IRA) investments in U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) conservation programs and diverts critical funding away from popular programs that are heavily oversubscribed and underfunded.

When it comes to livestock and environmental impacts, methane emission reductions are often top of mind — and for good reason. Lowering methane emissions from animal agriculture is one of the fastest ways to slow down climate change. However, important local air pollutants like ammonia are seldom discussed with the same frequency or urgency. Agriculture …

Efforts to curb agricultural greenhouse gas emissions and increase soil carbon storage are picking up steam to help mitigate the impacts of climate change. To have maximum impact, we need ways to reliably quantify their outcomes.  Direct measurement of the impacts of climate smart agricultural practices are imperative to instill confidence, but they aren’t forward-looking …

Statement from EDF Director of Federal Affairs for Agriculture Policy Andrew Lentz

Agricultural methane emissions trace a complex path through the food and dairy industries, but by asking simple questions, investors can gain insight into the enormous opportunities at hand.

Two New Dairy and Milk-Sourcing Companies Join Environmental Defense Fund's Dairy Methane Action Alliance

As farmers in the EU protest, climate change impacts are already making food production harder. The post EU must act to protect farms and food production from climate risk first appeared on Growing Returns.

In this must-read guide, Environmental Defense Fund and Deloitte equip food companies with actionable guidance to more strategically advance ambitious climate targets aligned with the Science Based Targets initiative’s (SBTi) guidance.

Pathways for six key commodities aligned with SBTi FLAG guidance for food companies to more strategically work toward climate targets.

New guide provides invaluable insights for food companies seeking a more strategic approach to drive climate impact.

The Agriculture Finance Sustainability Coalition, a new partnership between agriculture, environmental groups and financial institutions, supported a significant awardee of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's $14-billion National Clean Investment Fund. Climate United secured $6.97 billion, which it will use to mobilize financing and private capital and accelerate market activity to combat the climate crisis.

Next time you find yourself looking up driving directions on your phone, scroll over to central California and zoom out a bit. Turn on the satellite layer. What you’ll see is a mindboggling patchwork. A massive brown and green checkerboard, cut up in rectangles, sliced by highways, besieged by a ring of arid foothills. This …

Co-authored by Pinion The use and production of fertilizer in agriculture is a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions and a major cause of pollution in the nation’s rivers and lakes. Agriculture is the largest global source of nitrogen pollution, and annual damages from nitrogen pollution are estimated to exceed $200 billion in the US.

Social networks play a pivotal role in shaping human behavior. To accelerate climate-smart practices, farmers’ social networks are crucial. The post How food companies can harness the power of social networks for scope 3 reductions first appeared on Growing Returns.

Social networks play a pivotal role in shaping human behavior. To accelerate climate-smart practices, farmers’ social networks are crucial.

African farmers like Joshua Zinzombe and Grace Gondwe are facing a hotter future with optimism and ingenuity as they look to lead a global food system transformation.

  A new survey of agricultural lenders in the upper Midwest reveals important insights about their perceptions and support for farmers’ conservation efforts. As the first of its kind, the survey can inform agricultural lending institutions’ climate and sustainability strategy development. Farmers rely on agricultural lending institutions for loans to cover equipment, land and operating …

Lenders’ conservation knowledge and challenges can inform how lending institution executives can support farmers in conservation decisions.

A new survey of agricultural lenders in the upper Midwest reveals important insights about their perceptions and support for farmers’ conservation efforts. As the first of its kind, the survey can inform agricultural lending institutions’ climate and sustainability strategy development. Farmers rely on agricultural lending institutions for loans to cover equipment, land and operating expenses.

The satellite-based water data platform OpenET, co-developed by EDF, demonstrates considerable accuracy in measuring evapotranspiration in agricultural settings according to a new study in Nature Water. Evapotranspiration—the amount of water lost to the atmosphere through soil evaporation and plant transpiration—is a key measure of water consumption in agriculture and has previously been difficult and expensive to monitor accurately at scale.

Understanding the impacts of extreme weather on Kansas farms can inform solutions that support farmers in adapting to climate change.

During the summer of 2023, Kansas endured a historic heat wave with temperatures soaring above 110°F in some areas. As climate change continues to intensify, the frequency and severity of extreme heat are projected to increase. Are Kansas farmers at risk of losing money in the face of these extreme growing conditions? A new study …