Around the country, farmers are planning and planting this year’s crops. It can be uncertain work, made even more tenuous by some of the Trump administration’s changes to climate and conservation policies.
The administration has frozen billions of dollars in grants to farmers for sustainable agriculture, conservation, and “climate smart” projects. In some cases, farmers had already signed contracts with the government and begun work on these projects.
While some funding from the Inflation Reduction Act was recently released, many farmers across the country are still in limbo.
Host Flora Lichtman talks with Patrick Brown, a farmer in Warren County, North Carolina; and Dr. Kitty O’Neil, an agricultural climate resiliency specialist at Cornell University’s Cooperative Extension about the future of farming in a changing climate.
Further Reading
- Read more about how a federal freeze on certain USDA programs has held up billions of dollars for conservation on Iowa farms via KCUR.
- Learn more about the Climate-Smart Commodities grants from the USDA.
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Segment Guests
Patrick Brown
Patrick Brown is a farmer based in Warren County, North Carolina.
Kitty O’Neil
Dr. Kitty O’Neil is an Agricultural Climate Resiliency Specialist in the Cooperative Extension at Cornell University. She’s based in St Lawrence County, New York.
Segment Transcript
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Meet the Producers and Host
About Shoshannah Buxbaum
Shoshannah Buxbaum is a producer for Science Friday. She’s particularly drawn to stories about health, psychology, and the environment. She’s a proud New Jersey native and will happily share her opinions on why the state is deserving of a little more love.
About Flora Lichtman
Flora Lichtman is a host of Science Friday. In a previous life, she lived on a research ship where apertivi were served on the top deck, hoisted there via pulley by the ship’s chef.