How Inflation Reduction Legislation Impacts Producers

Recently passed Inflation Reduction legislation has funds earmarked for agriculture to combat greenhouse gas emissions from livestock and soil tillage.

However, the Washington Policy Center’s Initiative on Ag Director, Pam Lewison says producers already do a lot of the things they’re calling for.

“And I think a lot of the reason people don’t talk about it is because it’s handy to say, well, ag, they’re not doing anything. Because a lot of what ag is doing is complicated, and it’s very scientific and it’s difficult to distill it down into something that’s easily palatable and easily understandable for people who are unfamiliar with it.”

And the full-time, year-around commitment that being a farmer requires… doesn’t leave much room for communication…

“Farmers, in general, are sort of, of that frame of mind, what do you want from me?” There’s this sort of pervasive notion of, I’m doing what you asked, why do I have to explain it? And, I think that’s problematic. I would love to see the ag community run, not walk, to the table and say, on a proactive level, these are the things that we do already.”

Lewison says agriculture contributes just 11 percent of the total GHG emissions in the U.S., the smallest of any sector tracked by the EPA…

Lewison says a better solution for climate change and agriculture would be fewer taxes and more options for farming practices. She says urban politicians create rules that make farming harder or that ignore key needs of the industry.