Farmers: The Original Climate Heroes

FARMERS:

The Original Climate Heroes

By Colleen Klein, Executive Director, New York Corn & Soybean Growers Association

New York State is home to 330,000 acres of soybeans and over 1,000,000 acres of corn. Our crops find their way into the diets of the protein on your plate, the renewable biofuels you use in your car or to heat your home, and innovative new uses such as biodegradable plastics and soybean oil-based tires. Oil from our crops is even used to make crayons!

As stewards of the land, New York farmers are responsible for protecting the food we eat, the air we breathe, and the water we drink. By innovating and adopting environmentally friendly practices such as conservation tillage, cover crops, and responsible nutrient management, we can feed our communities sustainably while protecting our valuable natural resources for generations to come.

New York has made a strong commitment to combating climate change, and our farmers are on the frontlines. According to the American Farmland Trust, an acre of farmland in New York produces 66x fewer greenhouse gases than an acre of developed land. Land kept in agriculture captures and stores carbon in permanent pasture and woodland. By encouraging further adoption of soil health practices, we can help reduce GHG emissions even more!

The City of New York is a leader in adopting green technologies, and we’re here for it! NYC’s municipal vehicle fleet—the largest in the U.S. and the second largest in the world—uses biodiesel and renewable diesel to reduce carbon emissions and other pollutants. They can quickly replace ALL fossil fuels currently in use in the government fleet, buildings, and other automobiles with biofuels NOW, delivering a powerful climate-confident example to the world. Even the Statue of Liberty runs on biodegradable hydraulic fluid made from soybean oil.

Most importantly, during these uncertain times, a dependable food supply is more important than ever. Nothing has underscored that more than the COVID-19 pandemic that so deeply affected the people of New York. We all need to eat, and whether you hail from rural or urban roots, food brings us together.

Let’s grow together. To learn more about our organization and our farmers, visit: nycornsoy.org