Vilsack: Climate bill tough sell to farmers

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack acknowledged today that he’s having a tough time selling farmers on the idea that climate legislation won’t hurt their bottom line and could increase their income. “It’s going to require us to repeat it over and over again to sink through,” he said during an appearance before the Society of Environmental Journalists in Madison. Studies have shown, in fact, that the House-passed bill contains provisions that would soften the impact on fertilizer and fuel costs and that many farmers, including corn and soybean growers, actually will benefit from the bill because it will increase the price of their crops. He assured the journalists farmers will figure out ways to reduce their use of fertilizer and energy to reduce their costs. Vilsack also expressed confidence that farmers will widely benefit from selling carbon credits, but he pointedly said it’s too early to tell what farming practices will qualify for credits. Vilsack also said the climate bill “shouldn’t necessarily drive up food costs,” noting that commodity costs represent only a fraction of the price of processed foods...read more