Data-driven approach to measuring sustainability in large landscapes
USDA-ARS Range Management Research Unit, Jornada Experimental Range in Las Cruces, NM, has developed an innovative approach to using datasets on vegetation, climate, and land use to evaluate the long-term…
Read More...Bill lifts cover crop penalties for grazing, animal feed
The Cover Crop Flexibility Act of 2021, a bipartisan bill introduced to the U.S. senate, would permanently lift crop insurance penalties for farmers who plant cover crops that can be…
Read More...Biden 30×30 plan emphasizes landowners’ key role in conservation’s future
The Biden administration today released a long-anticipated report detailing their proposal to conserve 30 percent of US lands and waters by 2030 (known as 30×30). While the initiative has generated…
Read More...USDA Investing Nearly $22 Million to Improve Soil Health and Climate Smart Ag
The USDA is investing nearly $22 million into research initiatives aimed at helping improve soil health and climate smart agriculture. USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) is investing…
Read More...University of Wyoming publishes ungulate migration conservation study
University of Wyoming researchers published a new study exploring emerging big-game migration corridor conservation strategies meant to protect migration pathways across vast and complex landscapes. Wildlife migrations depend on connected…
Read More...Interior asked to halt grazing rights to protect wild horses
A coalition of more than 70 equine protection, animal welfare and environmental groups, as well as numerous wild-horse and ecotourism businesses, called on newly confirmed U.S. Secretary of the Interior…
Read More...Montana Gov. Gianforte drops bison plan, says he’s protecting ranchers
Citing the need to protect ranching interests, Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte announced he is ending a bison management plan that would have allowed the wide-ranging animals to be restored in…
Read More...Regenerative ag, carbon sequestration in soils and 30×30 will all depend on advancing conservation on rented land
40% of US farmland is rented or leased, the majority from ’non-operator landowners’ — we only need do the math to understand the importance of these lands to stewardship.
Read More...Study: Shade from solar panels boosts summer flowers
A new study found that shade provided by solar panels increased the abundance of flowers under the panels and delayed the timing of their bloom, both findings that could aid the…
Read More...USDA Expands and Renews Conservation Reserve Program in Effort to Boost Enrollment and Address Climate Change
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced today that USDA will open enrollment in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) with higher payment rates, new incentives, and a more targeted focus on the…
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