Conservation credit system allows Nevada ranchers to aid sage-grouse conservation
With greater sage-grouse numbers continuing to decline throughout their range in the western United States, one state is engaging ranchers to preserve habitat for the bird, known for its elaborate…
Read More...USDA announces more than 1.2 million acres accepted in recent signup for Conservation Reserve Program Grasslands
The USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) today announced the acceptance of more than 1.2 million acres in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) Grasslands during the recent signup period that began…
Read More...Does it pay to protect nature? A new study weighs in
With Earth’s wildlife now facing an extinction crisis, a group of economists and scientists is hoping to persuade governments that it pays to protect nature. Specifically, expanding areas under conservation…
Read More...Report: Healthy soil, local food systems key for NM agriculture
Healthy soil is drought-resistant and produces more nutritious food. And New Mexico “could gain economically by building soil health and feeding its own people,” reads the “New Mexico Farm and Food…
Read More...‘Carbon farming’ could make US agriculture truly green
There are a growing number of “carbon farmers” who are reducing planet-warming greenhouse gases by taking better care of the soil that sustains their farms. That means making changes like…
Read More...Starbucks adds plant-based meat to U.S. menu
Starbucks is adding plant-based meat to its U.S. menu for the first time. The Seattle coffee chain said today that a breakfast sandwich made with imitation sausage from Redwood City,…
Read More...Center for American Progress launches “Race for Nature”
“To save family farms, ranches, and rural communities from economic collapse, the United States should launch a major effort—a “Race for Nature”—that pays private landowners to protect the water, air…
Read More...Groups call on Supreme Court to rule on ‘takings’ issue
The Klamath Basin battle over irrigation rights and private property has been in a legal dispute for 18 years. The Klamath “takings” case (Baley v. United States) stems from the…
Read More...Researchers take aim at the “Murder Hornet’, threat to bees
USDA staff at the Agricultural Research Service are searching for the Asian giant hornet (AGH) in hopes of preventing a serious threat to the U.S. beekeeping industry. “If AGH were…
Read More...Western Colorado water purchases stir up worries about the future of farming
Water Asset Management, a New York City-based hedge fund, is buying irrigated land on the western slope of Colorado as an investment in the future potential value of the water.…
Read More...