Bruce Potter
TEAM EFFORT: To control and eradicate invasive species, such as the noxious weed Palmer amaranth, it takes a team approach. A recent article, written by scientists with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture and the University of Minnesota Extension and published in Weed Technology, tells how the stakeholders worked together to eradicate infestations. Highly invasive weed hasn’t taken hold in the state, thanks to collaborative efforts led by MDA and University of Minnesota Extension.
Suggested Event
Jun 15, 2021 to Jun 17, 2021
Minnesota farmers, scientists and state agency professionals have a success story to share when it comes to fighting invasive weeds, particularly Palmer amaranth.
Signup open for Soil Health and Income Protection Program
From U.S. Department of Agriculture Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced Monday that agricultural producers in the Prairie Pothole states can now sign up for the Soil Health and Income Protection Program SHIPP which provides a short-term option to plant cover on less-productive agricultural lands while improving soil health and carbon sequestration. The U.S. Department of Agriculture made improvements to this pilot program available in South Dakota, North Dakota, Iowa, Minnesota and Montana, and signup runs from Monday to July. “SHIPP is part of a suite of resources we have under the Conservation Reserve Program and part of a much larger effort across USDA to invest in, support, and promote climate-smart agricultural practices to create a win-win for both the environment and our farmers,” Vilsack said. “We’re excited to remove unnecessary hurdles from the previous sign-up and offer this streamlin
“the goal of conserving at least 30 percent of our lands and waters by 2030.”
“The road to a full recovery remains steep, but President Biden is determined to lead America to new heights.”
Biden has not yet specified which provision of the Constitution entitles the president to proclaim national land use goals. Regardless, he is reaping applause for pledging to fight climate change, protect biodiversity, expand parkland, and other courageous positions. Biden is launching the initiative regardless of the feds’ own dreadful environmental record. As law professor Jonathan Turley observed, “the government remains the nation’s premiere environmental felon.”
But everything will be different under Biden, right? His plan was jointly developed by the Commerce, Interior, and Agriculture Departments. Gina McCarthy, Biden’s senior climate change advisor, proclaimed,
On Thursday, the Department of the Interior released a plan to protect 30 percent of U.S. lands and waters by 2030, as directed by President Biden’s executive order of Jan. 27. Intended to tackle the twinned crises of climate change and biodiversity loss, the administration’s “30 by 30” plan is a domestic interpretation of the Global Deal for Nature a proposal with strong support among scientists, diplomats, and major environmental organizations. The GDN aims for 30 percent of Earth to be formally protected and an additional 20 percent designated as “climate stabilization areas” natural areas that would sequester carbon and thereby offset greenhouse gas emissions.
Pierre, SD, USA / DRGNews
May 11, 2021 | 10:27 AM
Producers in South Dakota and other Prairie Pothole states can now sign up for the Soil Health and Income Protection Program, which became law as part of the 2018 farm bill.
SHIPP provides a short-term option to plant cover crops on less productive agricultural lands to improve soil health while protecting farm income. Sign-up began yesterday (May 10, 2021) and runs through July 16.
“SHIPP is part of a suite of resources we have under the Conservation Reserve Program and part of a much larger effort across USDA to invest in, support, and promote climate-smart agricultural practices to create a win-win for both the environment and our farmers,” said US Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. “We’re excited to remove unnecessary hurdles from the previous sign-up and offer this streamlined pilot program for a second year, and we’re grateful to U.S. Senator John Thune and others who helped create this new option for p