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Farmers’ and rancher’s input adopted in conservation report

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and the Public Lands Council say they’re pleased farmer and rancher input has been adopted as part of the Biden administration’s conservation goals report.

Kaitlynn Glover with NCBA and PLC says the report is a good starting point.  “It doesn’t contain a lot of details, but what it says is ‘we don’t have a baseline for conservation,” she says.  “They don’t quite know what will count as part of this proposal, but creating an interagency working group to figure that out.”

The America the Beautiful initiative, previously called 30×30, is a 10-year roadmap to conserving 30 percent of the nation’s land and waters by 2030.

She tells Brownfield one of the report’s six initial recommendations focuses specifically on agricultural producers and addresses some of the biggest concerns they had.  “The interagency working group is going to develop these very specific recommendations that the White House has said must honor and protect private property rights,” she says.  “It must recognize, count, and support the voluntary conservation measures farmers and ranchers already do.”

Glover says NCBA and PLC have been advocates for conservation policy that is based on science and fact and livestock producers have an excellent story to tell regarding conservation, climate, and environmental issues.

She says direct emissions from cattle account for only 2 percent of overall US greenhouse gas emissions and between 1961 and 2018 the US beef industry reduced emissions by more than 40 percent through continued sustainability efforts and improved resource use. 

AUDIO: Kaitlynn Glover, NCBA and PLC