Farm group calls on changes to USDA environmental funding
- Media Manager
- Mar 4, 2024
- 1 min read
Public News Service
Written By: Mark Moran
Published: March 4th, 2024
Photo Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain
A farm advocacy group says large corporate agriculture producers are getting federal environmental safeguard funds that were intended for smaller operations.
The Inflation Reduction Act has provided $3 billion for conservation programs designed to shore up farm-related environmental safeguards - many focused on Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations, or CAFOs.
Farm Action President Angela Huffman said a recent shift in Biden administration policy has allowed money intended for small or medium-sized farmers, who've often been underserved by U.S. Department of Agriculture policies, to wind up in the hands of corporate CAFOs.
"They're already raking in a lot of taxpayer-funded subsidies," said Huffman. "So, we're really urging USDA to reconsider this recent decision."
The latest data show Montana is home to more than 120 CAFOs - just a fraction of the national total of more than 120,000, but significant in a state that has decreased environmental regulations.
