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NCGA CEO says ag has transitioned from climate change skepticism
The CEO of the National Corn Growers Association says agriculture has transitioned from climate change skepticism to acceptance of conservation practices that can benefit farmers, ranchers and the planet.
Jon Doggett, formerly with American Farm Bureau, says he was asked to be the Farm Bureau climate change lead after the Kyoto protocol was signed in the late ‘90s, “Farm Bureau was leading among the climate change skeptics and it’s one of the things I kind of regret in my career because we were wrong.”
A panelist on AGree’s recent data innovation session, Doggett says farmers used to be more skeptical than the average American about climate change and now it’s the opposite, “Because they’re the ones that are dealing with it. They’re the ones that are having to suffer the consequences of a planet where the climate is changing so we had to make that transition.
Doggett says it’s important to recognize most of farmed land is owned by somebody else and says USDA should work with landlords to help them understand the benefits of no-till and other climate friendly practices.
Thank you, Mr. Doggett. This is real leadership to speak confidently about where we were off track and chart a course to make positive change.