I believe that climate change pressures in the U.S. and around the world politically and economically should be at or near the top of agricultures' concerns list.
Many environmental groups and others with an agenda to move climate change legislation forward are using the threat that the EPA will create rules and regulations that will be much less favorable to Agriculture than any legislation.
The Grassley/EPA visit to Iowa Sept 3 was very beneficial toward enlightening Margo Oge (EPA Director of Transportation and Air Quality) and others about renewable fuels, greenhouse gases and indirect land use. The information delivered and demonstrated to EPA by University researchers, Monsanto and Pioneer clearly showed that there are flaws in the previous EPA assumptions. I believe that EPA got the message.
The farm visit with lunch was a great opportunity to reinforce all the messages that the indirect land use assumption in Brazil is flat wrong - that soybeans do not use nitrogen fertilizer, that biodiesel uses up the excess soybean oil in the U.S.
Ms. Oge and the other EPA officials got to see first hand how dedicated farm families are to conservation and the environment and how current and new technologies are enhancing that dedication and greatly increasing yields. They went away with a new appreciation for our dedication and challenges. They asked Sen. Grassley to invite them back next year and he was happy to reciprocate.
We made a difference to Margo Oge.
Many of us in agriculture don't necessarily believe that humans are greatly changing the climate. It doesn't matter now - many people and leaders around the world believe it. Politically, we need to be active in the legislation.
U.S. House Ag Committee Chairman Collin Peterson did a great job of getting ag to the table in the House bill. We MUST take his lead and fill in the openings he gave to us in the Senate legislation.
Agriculture and rural America need to coordinate as a group to use accurate information on the true cost and benefits of climate change legislation. We need to get more involved to enhance the benefits of nutrient management, renewable fuels, and increasing yields and efficiencies of all the future technologies in livestock, crops and rural communities.
The sustainability and climate change efforts are merging into a single approach. It makes sense that agriculture should embrace the approach to conservation and enhancement of global resources of food, fuel and the land we live on, whether we believe in climate change or not.