WORT 89.9FM Madison · Underfunded Conservation Programs Fall Short

The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that agriculture contributes nearly 11% of the United States total greenhouse gas emissions, and will be one of the most vulnerable industrial sectors to the effects of climate change.  A recent study from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst suggests that midwestern farms have lost a staggering 57.6 billion metric tons of topsoil since the advent of modern agriculture 160 years ago.  In a 1999 lawsuit settlement, the U.S. Department of Agriculture admitted historic loan discrimination against black farmers, and agreed to pay out some two billion dollars in payments.  Given all that, you might think that conservation programs proven to reduce carbon emissions and retain topsoil would be made available to the current generation of farmers, especially those who suffered from historic discrimination.  Not so, says a new investigative report from Investigate Midwest.  Madeline Heim, an environment reporter for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, who contributed to the report joined Monday Buzz host Brian Standing on 11/27/2023.

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