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Illinois Farm Bureau submits climate recommendations to USDA

The Illinois Farm Bureau has responded to USDA’s request for comments on climate change solutions.  

President Richard Guebert tells Brownfield their suggestions were formed based on more than 1,000 responses from more than 200 of their members on the issue.

“We want it to be science-based and to have economic analysis done. We want scientific research to document the continuous improvements and beneficial impacts of agriculture’s efforts to date.”

IFB would like to see expansion and improvement to state and federal conservation programs and the creation of market-based solutions that establish economic incentives for farmers to voluntarily adopt conservation practices.

“However, we do oppose any regulations that unfairly impact US agriculture, or the US economy and we definitely do not want to penalize animal agriculture for emissions related to consumption and digestion of feed.”

Guebert says they support carbon markets but want early adopters of conservation practices to be treated fairly and need transparency as many of their members are concerned about the details of contractual agreements and data sharing.