CAC Launches THE FEED: Stories from Climate-Smart American Farmers

For Immediate Release
DATE: November 20, 2024
CONTACT: Gabrielle Levy, glevy@cacampaign.org, (562) 673-6974

Climate Action Campaign’s new website features farmers and ranchers stressing the importance of climate-smart ag practices in solving the climate crisis.

WASHINGTON–Today, the Climate Action Campaign unveiled THE FEED, a new website spotlighting working farmers and ranchers grappling with the consequences of climate change in real time. These farmers share their stories of adopting climate-smart agricultural practices to better reduce climate pollution and encourage sustainable farming.

The agriculture sector is both contributing to and suffering from the climate crisis. America’s farmers increasingly face the threat of extreme weather, such as droughts and flooding made worse each year by climate change. More frequent and intense storms, drought, air pollution, and other climate-related impacts result in crop loss, land degradation, less predictable planting and harvest seasons, unhealthy conditions for farmworkers, higher costs to farmers and ranchers, higher food prices and greater challenges for food-insecure communities. In addition, farmers need help reducing the 10% of U.S. climate pollution they produce.

The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) invests $19.5 billion over five years in climate-smart agriculture practices through conservation programs implemented by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to reduce climate pollution from agriculture, make farms more resilient to climate impacts, improve sustainability of American farming, and put affordable food on the table. These programs are wildly popular and currently over-subscribed.

“America’s farmers and ranchers have a front-row seat to the real harms caused by climate change, which is why so many farmers have embraced climate-smart agriculture practices,” said Climate Action Campaign Director Margie Alt. “We must do everything we can to ensure the millions of farmers who put food on our tables have the support they need to withstand the impacts of climate change and to do what they can to limit agriculture’s contribution to the climate crisis. That means fully resourcing and expanding these crucial practices.”

"Engaging with our land and community with the support of the Inflation Reduction Act has been and will continue to be transformative,” said Deb Howard of Willapa Bay Heritage Farm in Pacific County, Washington. “This funding not only has allowed us to enhance our sustainable practices – like our diverse crop rotations and solar energy projects – but has deepened our community connections through educational farm tours, local partnerships, and rural internet connectivity. It’s essential we continue to receive this federal support to further the vitality of our farm and community." 

THE FEED is part of CAC’s ongoing effort to give farmers and ranchers across the country a platform to share their stories and voice their support for these climate-smart agriculture programs. THE FEED features the experiences of more than 50 farmers and growing. Farmers can submit their stories here.

“The IRA provides the support America’s family farmers need. It invests in land-conservation programs and advanced production technology. These investments help farmers meet the challenges a changing climate poses to our way of life and help keep Texas farmland and ranchland productive,” said Marcella Juárez, Palo Blanco Farm and Ranch, Laredo, Texas.

The new website can be found at  https://www.actonclimate.com/thefeed.

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About CAC

Climate Action Campaign (CAC) is a vibrant coalition of advocacy organizations working together to drive ambitious, durable federal action to cut carbon pollution, address the climate crisis, advance environmental justice, and accelerate the transition to clean energy. Our goal is to reduce carbon pollution and accelerate the transition to clean energy through policies focused on climate, justice, and jobs and expanding opportunity for all.