Source: POLITICO'S MORNING AGRICULTURE, 5/24/21

The president wants the U.S. farm industry to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions before any other nation. But his administration has shied away from difficult discussions about how to curb the flow of methane from livestock and dairy production, which represents a significant piece of all agricultural emissions, writes Pro Ag’s Ryan McCrimmon.

It’s an incredibly touchy subject: The culture wars have already seized on any whiff of Washington meddling with the way Americans consume meat. And the influential farm lobby remains opposed to new environmental regulations that stray beyond voluntary measures.

Instead, Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack is leaning into financial incentives and innovations like digester systems that capture methane fumes from manure pits and convert them into a source of energy.

Climate advocates say that’s not nearly enough. They want stricter oversight of large-scale animal operations and fewer taxpayer subsidies for such businesses.

“There are so many policies, from dietary guidelines to what school meals are reimbursed, to agricultural loans and government purchases, that are currently promoting overproduction of meat,” says Stephanie Feldstein, population and sustainability director at the Center for Biological Diversity, a nonprofit environmental group.

For their part, meat industry groups say U.S. producers are already way ahead of their foreign counterparts when it comes to sustainable farming and ranching.

“The U.S. cattle and beef industry has had the lowest greenhouse gas emissions intensity in the world for 25 years,” says Ethan Lane, vice president of government affairs for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association.

One area to watch: Some progressive lawmakers favor the sort of changes that environmentalists are seeking, including more federal support for alternative protein like plant-based meat.

House Appropriations Chair Rosa DeLauro recently called for parity in research funding for such products and traditional meat — a key statement coming from the top lawmaker who's in charge of allocating more than a trillion dollars in annual spending.