US climate bill to compensate corn farmers

US Representative Frank Kratovil has successfully secured US$1 billion in additional compensation for corn growers for conservation efforts in the climate change bill, according to the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA).

The US$1 billion is for carbon sequestration practices that are ineligible for a cap and trade market, including potential compensation for growers who have been practicing continuous no-till before 2001, the association said.

The USDA can use the US$1 billion over five years for a variety of conservation practices, including rewarding long-term continuous no-till producers for ongoing carbon sequestration or maintenance of carbon already stored in the soil, the NCGA said.

This allowance allocation is very important in the Chesapeake Bay region where early adoption of no-till agriculture was used to prevent soil erosion and improve water quality conditions throughout the watershed, said Bob Dickey, NCGA president.

Dickey also said many Midwest corn farmers have practiced conservation tillage before 2001 and they should not be penalised for leading the industry toward environmentally-friendly practices.