Agriculture Secretary Sees ‘Early Wins’ on Climate From Farms

Mar 04, 2021

By Mike Dorning

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack predicted farms would provide “early wins” for the Biden administration’s efforts to counter climate change, and hinted he will draw on the department’s borrowing authority to fund initiatives to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions.

He told the National Farmers Union Monday that he believes USDA has “some flexibility” to draw resources for climate change initiatives from the Commodity Credit Corporation, a New Deal-era entity with borrowing authority that President Donald Trump tapped to fund his $28 billion trade bailout.

Vilsack suggested he would take quick action. His main climate adviser, Robert Bonnie, argued in a memo during the presidential transition for new USDA initiatives within the first 100 days of the Biden administration, including potential support for a carbon market.

Vilsack said “it’s going to take a while” for other sectors of the economy such as power generation, construction and transportation to switch to more climate-friendly practices. But agriculture is “in the best position to start early and quickly.”

He predicted many farmers and ranchers would move to sequester more carbon in soil and reduce emissions if they are given “additional resources” through existing USDA conservation programs and carbon markets.

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Video: Cheapest States to Buy Farmland in America

The United States has more than 895 million acres of farmland, which includes all rural land tied to farming operations, from highly fertile Midwest cornfields to vast grazing ranges in the West, as well as the undeveloped rural land, which is often sold as ranches, homesteads, or uncultivated lots. Nowadays investing in rural land is very lucrative even billionaires like Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, and Warren Buffett have bought up thousands of acres of farmland across America. In contrast to investors, agricultural companies, and business moguls, some buy farmland for their own requisites, like starting a small farmstead, creating a cottage, and becoming self-resilient. In this video we have ranked the top cheapest states to buy farmland according to the per-acre land value, which is accumulated from the United States Department of Agriculture. The USDA’s per-acre land values come from an annual survey, which is cross-checked with actual sales data, appraisals, and market trends to ensure accuracy. So here are The top Cheapest States to Buy Farmland.