Farmers seek specifics from Biden administration on carbon-cutting agriculture measures, which could be pricey

A White House goal to slash U.S. greenhouse-gas emissions hinges in part on farmers and agriculture companies changing the way they manage fields and feedlots," Jacob Bunge reports for The Wall Street Journal. "The Biden administration effort outlined in April has drawn support from agribusiness giants including Tyson Foods Inc., JBS SA, Cargill Inc. and CF Industries Holdings Inc., which have been pursuing their own environmental commitments. Individual farmers, whose participation is critical to meeting the administration’s goals, are weighing the potential costs and benefits to their bottom lines, and say government support will be needed."

Farms produce about 10 percent of the nation's greenhouse-gas emissions, especially from fertilizer application and livestock operations. President Biden wants to cut emissions in half by 2030, and has said farmers can both help achieve the goal and benefit from it. But such practices can be pricey. One Oklahoma farmer told Bunge that he's followed carbon-reduction practices for years, and while his harvests have increased, so have his expenses. 

"With often-thin profit margins, individual farmers have tended to be wary of regulations that add costs and complexity to their operations," Bunge reports. "Concern about tighter environmental rules was one reason some farmers said they backed Donald Trump in the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections." Andrew Walmsley, director of congressional relations at the American Farm Bureau Federation, told Bunge that farmers generally support emissions-reduction efforts, but they need more specifics before they can get behind it. The Agriculture Department "has been seeking input from farmer and food groups on potential new programs, and the process of developing those remains in early stages, an agency spokesman said," Bunge reports.