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LEGISLATIVE WATCH
Growing Climate Solutions Act Passes U.S. Senate
The U.S. Senate passed the Growing Climate Solutions Act, legislation that will help farmers, ranchers and foresters understand and access carbon markets, helping the environment and boosting farm income at the same time.
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The legislation, introduced by U.S. Senator Mike Braun (R-IN) and Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), joined by U.S. Senators John Boozman (R-AR), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and cosponsored by more than half the Senate, helps producers to generate and sell carbon credits by setting up a third-party certification process through the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The bill also creates an online resource for farmers looking to connect with those experts and get more information and establishes an Advisory Council to provide input to USDA and ensure the program remains effective and works for farmers.
“Farmers have always led the way on protecting our environment, and the Growing Climate Solutions Act helps them get paid for their sustainable practices through voluntary carbon credit markets,” said Senator Braun. “Hoosiers and Americans want real-world solutions, and Growing Climate Solutions is a bipartisan, common-sense, pro-jobs win that farmers, industry leaders and conservationists can all support.”
“Addressing the climate crisis is one of the most urgent challenges we face, and our farmers and foresters are an important part of the solution,” said Senator Stabenow, Chairwoman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. “The bipartisan Growing Climate Solutions Act is a win-win for farmers, our economy and for our environment. Our bill is a perfect example of how we can work across the aisle and find common ground to address a critical issue affecting all of us and our future.”
“We applaud the passage of the Growing Climate Solutions Act introduced by Senators Debbie Stabenow and Mike Braun,” said Sheila Burkhardt, MMPA senior director of member and government relations. “Dairy farmers utilize many conservation practices related to sequestering carbon in the soil. The proposed legislation would facilitate interaction with private entities looking for offsets to their carbon footprint. Dairy farmers look forward to being rewarded for their conservation efforts and continuing to play a role in environmental stewardship.”
“NMPF commends the United States Senate for passing the bipartisan Growing Climate Solutions Act by an overwhelming margin,” said Jim Mulhern, president and CEO of the National Milk Producers Federation. “This important legislation will enable USDA to informally endorse technical service providers that help farmers implement stewardship practices that can generate carbon and other environmental credits. The Growing Climate Solutions Act will encourage more farmers to participate in environmental markets, a crucial part of dairy’s Net Zero Initiative that helps dairy farmers of all sizes across the country meet our industry’s 2050 environmental stewardship goals.
New $3 Million Investment to Advance Michigan Animal Agriculture Research, Infrastructure
The Michigan Alliance for Animal Agriculture (M-AAA) has received $3 million in new funding for research projects and infrastructure upgrades.
With support from the Michigan Legislature and in partnership with animal agriculture industry organizations and Michigan State University, funding is included in the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) 2021 budget.
“Part of MDARD’s core mission is to protect public health, as well as the health of domestic animals, livestock and pets,” said MDARD Director Gary McDowell. “These grants are critical as we continue to move the needle on these key initiatives, while also providing the necessary research and infrastructure needed to make sound decisions, improve operations and ensure an efficient and sustainable agriculture, which everybody can get behind.”
Twenty-five new research and outreach projects are being supported with $2.28 million, and the remainder is being used for renovations to the MSU Swine Teaching and Research Center, a critical component to funded research.
Established in 2014, the M-AAA supports research and outreach on behalf of Michigan animal agriculture industries, focusing on issues such as workforce development, environmental protection, animal welfare, infectious diseases, enhanced profitability and antibiotic resistance.
Each project lasts one or two years and fits into one of three categories: applied research, extension or seed funding. Throughout the process, researchers and outreach specialists are required to submit progress reports and final summaries to M-AAA leaders.
“With many challenges facing Michigan animal agriculture, we’re honored to work on meeting the needs of the industry in conjunction with MDARD and our partners,” said George Smith, the associate director of MSU AgBioResearch and associate dean for research in the MSU College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. “We have a strong and competitive grants process that ensures the most relevant and applicable projects are funded, and a history of funding programs and enabling discoveries positively impacting animal agriculture in Michigan.”
“The research and outreach we’ve been able to conduct through the M-AAA is a direct result of the support from our partners,” said Ron Bates, the director of the Agriculture and Agribusiness Institute in MSU Extension. “I appreciate that they share our passion for addressing a number of challenges on behalf of the processing, livestock and poultry industries.”
For a complete list of 2021 projects, visit maaa.msu.edu/projects.
Examples of 2021 M-AAA projects include:
Srinand Sreevatsan, a professor in the MSU College of Veterinary Medicine, is working on more practical and rapid diagnostic tests to identify bovine tuberculosis (TB) in early stages. Bovine TB is an infectious disease that causes devastating losses for producers around the world. The current primary method of detection is culturing bacteria, which takes time and can limit the effectiveness of control measures if the disease spreads quickly within a herd. Sreevatsan will explore the effectiveness of actiphage rapid testing of blood samples, which delivers bacterial detection results within six hours.
Jeannine Schweihofer, an MSU Extension senior meat quality educator, is characterizing the wastewater that comes from Michigan meat processing facilities. All meat processors will soon need a groundwater discharge permit from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy. Little is known about the amount of wastewater created by these operations and what safety precautions may be needed for wastewater disposal, including what differences should be considered depending on the type of work each plant undertakes in their business. Schweihofer will work with small- to mediumsized processing facilities to determine what treatment to wastewater is being currently performed, as well as taking samples from the operations to evaluate. These results will be compared with existing industry data to develop recommendations for wastewater disposal that are both safe for the environment and economically feasible for the industry.
Ángel Abuelo, an assistant professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine, is leading a workforce development effort to increase the skills and retention of dairy veterinarians in Michigan and beyond. There is a national shortage of food-animal veterinarians, with less than 50% of those who opted for farm animal practice at the time of graduation remaining in the field long term. The project increases accessibility to continuing education credits in the form of a two-year, post-graduate online certificate in dairy health management.
SOURCE: M-AAA
