Opinion: Climate Change and Hunger Are Here Now—a New Farm Bill Can’t Wait

by Beth Ellikidis (Biotechnology Innovation Organization/Agri-Pulse) ... One way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and protect our climate is by getting more of the energy we use from above the ground instead of beneath it. The biotech company LanzaTech genetically engineers microbes to convert carbon dioxide into ethanol – producing a lower-emissions fuel and other industrial materials compared to petroleum-based products, while removing CO2 from the atmosphere. LanzaTech’s spinoff, LanzaJet, is using that same technology to produce sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to decarbonize air travel.

Passing the farm bill would advance the transition to sustainable biofuels and biobased products through the Biorefinery Incentives program to help build or retrofit production facilities. As demand grows for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and other green fuels, we need to scale up production, which requires Congress to increase the program’s funding and include SAF as an advanced biofuel.

There remain untapped opportunities to develop value from what are currently viewed as waste products. The Biomass Research and Development Initiative in the farm bill provides for coordination of research on sustainable biomass opportunities, but the program lacks mandatory funding.

The Biobased Markets Program, also known as BioPreferred, directs federal agencies to increase purchases of biobased and renewable products, such as plant-based alternatives to petroleum-derived plastics that contaminate our oceans and emit greenhouse gases. Another biotech company, Virent, has developed renewable chemicals made from plant-based sugars, leading the way toward a more sustainable economy.

Biotech is making agriculture more productive, and further innovation in crop protection and drought tolerance is needed to ensure that productivity gains continue as the climate warms and the world’s population grows.

These and other biotech discoveries will work only if we bring them to market. The farm bill can help by streamlining regulations to work at the speed of today’s innovation.

The pace and promise of agricultural biotechnology are amazing. But we risk losing momentum if lawmakers don’t act. The societal challenges that biotechnology can address continue to grow with every day that Congress delays in renewing and adequately funding these programs.

Climate change and hunger won’t wait. Neither should the farm bill. Congress must advance a bipartisan farm bill that’s focused on driving innovation forward. READ MORE

Excerpt from Punch Bowl News: Climate change is a divisive topic on Capitol Hill. But, slowly, bipartisan agreement is starting to emerge when it comes to one key piece of legislation — the farm bill.

The farm policy package is due for reauthorization in December, just as two recent reports highlight the damaging impact climate change is having on agriculture and threats to the global food supply. The timeline is looking tight though, with few legislative days left this year. Top lawmakers have already conceded they’ll need an extension into next year as negotiations continue.

“I just want to remind everyone that farmers and ranchers were the original environmentalists,” Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) said when asked if he’s pushing for climate provisions in the bill.

Marshall said conservation programs in the past farm bills have been “very successful,” and he wants to ensure Congress continues to provide money for them.

Areas of agreement: Precision agriculture and regenerative farming are some areas of bipartisan support in the farm package. Regenerative farming— a practice indigenous communities have used for millennia — emphasizes growing crops and raising livestock in a way that nurtures the environment.

Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt.), a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, told us farmers can play a big role in achieving the country’s climate goals.

“They’ve got to be our partners, and we’ve got to make it affordable for them to make the transition to practices that are going to maintain their farms and their ability to produce food and reduce carbon emissions,” Welch said.

Sen. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) said she’s focused on several issues, including precision agriculture, crop insurance and disaster payments.

And lawmakers in both parties told us they recognize that smaller, independent farmers and poorer agricultural communities bear the bigger brunt of climate change. They have a tougher time affording the high adaptation costs and shifting to more sustainable practices. The farm bill can help if it includes the right provisions.

“It’s important for all of us, but there’s no question that people on the margins are disproportionately affected,” said Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), another member of the Ag panel. READ MORE