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Dead zone plan adrift
Erika Engelhaupt, Environmental Science & Technology
Last summer, a swath of Gulf of Mexico waters the size of New Jersey was virtually lifeless. For the past 40 years or so, dead zones have formed in the Gulf. Nutrients, mostly from farm fertilizers and other agricultural land use, run down the Mississippi River and feed huge algal blooms that choke off oxygen supplies.
n 2001, after years of talk, federal and state agencies pledged for the first time to shrink the dead zone. But they have failed. Now, a second federal-state task force, led by the U.S. EPA, is in the final stages of revising the 2001 action plan, and many experts say this latest attempt at life support for the Gulf is likely to fail as well unless Congress approves new funding.
… In the absence of targeted federal funding, a patchwork of voluntary programs funded by states and federal agencies tackles the dead zone. But these efforts aren’t enough, experts agree.
… Planning has been fraught with objections from farm states and agriculture industry groups.
… With Congress tied up funding the Iraq war, new funding for hypoxia doesn’t seem a priority.
(2 April 2008)
Original has a striking graphic showing how “Nine states contribute more than 75% of the nitrogen and phosphorus that is polluting the Gulf of Mexico, according to recent USGS model results.”
Land Once Preserved Now Being Farmed
Kent Garber, U.S. News & World Report
With crop prices at record highs, an important farmland conservation program is being threatened
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Since the mid-1980s, the U.S. government, in an attempt to reduce the environmental fallout from large-scale farming, has been paying farmers to set aside less-than-ideal land for conservation. The results have been overwhelmingly positive: Soil erosion has been reduced; chemical and fertilizer runoff has eased; habitats for game birds and endangered species have been created and enlarged.
The pushback to climate change has been equally noteworthy: In 2007, the lands trapped 50 million metric tons of carbon dioxide, making the Conservation Reserve Program the most effective government-funded defense against greenhouse gases on private lands.
… But dark clouds are forming on the protected fields. Historically, farmers have been eager to participate in the program, and many still are. But as prices for crops have soared, a growing number of farmers have opted to put conservation land back into production. The trend is expected to accelerate-to the grave concern of many observers who caution that years of steady environmental progress could be halted, or even reversed, as buffers and habitats are converted into farmland.
(31 March 2008)
Rice Jumps to Record, Corn Near High as Demand Outpaces Supply
Glenys Sim, Bloomberg
Rice climbed to a record and corn traded near its highest ever on speculation the 3 percent annual increase in global demand for cereals will outstrip supply as governments curb exports to prevent protests.
Rice, the staple food for about 3 billion people, rose 2.4 percent in Chicago trading today after doubling in the past year. Soybeans advanced for the third day and wheat gained. Crop supply has been reduced by drought in countries including Canada and Australia and a U.S. freeze followed by excessive rain last year.
“A lot of what we’re seeing at the moment is not related to production, but the fact that a number of countries are implementing trade restrictions,” said Darren Cooper, a senior economist at the International Grains Council in London.
China, India and Vietnam have cut rice exports, and Indonesia has reduced import tariffs to protect food supplies and cool inflation.
(3 April 2008)
Contributor Jeffrey J. Brown (“westexas”) writes:
The opening paragraph in this article is priceless. It’s a perfect example of my Export Land Model (ELM), except that is applies to food. We could call it FELM–Food Export Land Model. Explanation of ELM.
Why Localism Matters (audio)
Crop to Cuisine via Global Public Media
Localization of our food supply is one of the most critical ways we will improve the condition of our planet. There are many things we can be doing in the way of environmental sustainability. But none of them play as central a role in everyone’s life as food. In this episode, we launch Crop To Cuisine onto the airwaves discussing the reasons that localization of our food supply is so important, including the historical context, environmental impacts, and even economic benefits.
Our guests include Amy Trubek, PhD, Dawn Thilmany, PhD, and Jon Ash, Chef and Author.
(27 March 2008)
