Eco thoughts

Investing in resilient climate smart infrastructure in rural America, we're announcing $633 million being invested in seven hundred and ninety three projects impacting all 50 states and Puerto Rico. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack in Pennsylvania Friday, making the announcement in a media call with reporters. He says the investments go towards five key programs focused on resiliency, energy efficiency and biofuel infrastructure. Five hundred and ninety five million in loans and $38 million in grants. The secretary notes the investments apply to both large and small scale projects. There's a hydroponic lettuce farm, for example, in Florida, that's receiving a grant of $35000 to invest in a solar system. But there's also an eighty five point seven million dollars loan for a large scale solar photovoltaic farm in Illinois, which will provide wholesale power to 23 distributed cooperatives in Illinois, Indiana and Missouri abroad.

In other eco-initiatives: The American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) and the European Compound Feed Manufacturers’ Federation (FEFAC) joined together today in support of the United States-European Union Global Methane Pledge, which calls for the use of scientific innovation to cut methane emissions by 30% below 2020 levels by 2030.