Government Ranch Scheme Removes 8 Million Cars

US – A US government farmland conservation scheme has sequestered the equivalent amount of greenhouse gases to taking eight million cars off the road.
calendar icon 17 July 2015
clock icon 1 minute read

An estimated 43 million tons of greenhouse gases have been sequestered over the thirty years of the Conservation Reserve Programme (CRP), according to the US Department of Agriculture.

To date, CRP has reduced nitrogen and phosphorous runoff by 95 and 85 per cent and prevented more than eight billion tons of soil from eroding, say government statistics.

Farmers and ranchers can now apply for financial assistance to help conserve grassland, rangeland and pasture land in food production, agriculture secretary Tom Vilsack announced on Wednesday. The CRP-Grasslands programme was brought in with the 2014 Farm Bill.

Enrolment on conservation enrolment is at record levels, said Mr Vilsack, covering 400 million acres and 600,000 producers.

He added: “The Conservation Reserve Program has been one of the most successful conservation programs in the history of the country, and we are pleased to begin these grasslands incentives as we celebrate the program's 30th year.

"This is another great example of how agricultural production can work hand in hand with efforts to improve the environment and increase wildlife habitat."

TheCattleSite News Desk

© 2000 - 2024 - Global Ag Media. All Rights Reserved | No part of this site may be reproduced without permission.