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June 21, 2013
Rains have returned to the Midwest and much of the central plains. Thank goodness. But the wet spring, expanded corn planting, and heavy fertilizer use are threatening to increase the size of the hypoxic dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico. A stronger commitment to conservation in the pending Farm Bill and 2014 agriculture appropriations bill would help. Encouraging the widespread establishment of perennial and short rotation biomass energy crops as watershed buffers, on marginal lands, and in flood plains through Farm Bill programs such as the Biomass Crop Assistance Program would help, too. Science Daily reported June 18 that scientists are expecting a very large "dead zone" in the Gulf of Mexico this year – ranging from 7,286 to 8,561 square miles in extent. The zone will reach a new record if it exceeds the current record set in 2001 of 8,481 square miles. The drought across the central U.S. last year caused the zone to be one of the smallest on record – about 2,889 square miles. (See our previous post on this topic from last summer: " The Dead Zone in the Gulf of Mexico Shrinks; Will Perennial Biomass Crops Help Keep It That Way ?" .) Hypoxic and anoxic zones have insufficient oxygen levels to support most marine life, and thus pose a significant threat to the ecosystems and fisheries in the Gulf. These zones are caused by excessive nutrient pollution from both human and natural sources. Agriculture is a significant source (along with urban run-off, sewage and animal waste, and fertilizers used in landscaping), and corn (which is grown primarily for animal feed, but is also used to produce ethanol) is one of the most nutrient-intensive crops grown in the Mississippi watershed that drains into the Gulf. Almost 100 million acres of corn are expected to be planted this year, according to the USDA . Stronger and expanded Farm Bill conservation programs are critical to helping our nation’s farmers produce food, feed, renewable fuel, and fiber more sustainably and for restoring water quality, aquatic ecosystems, and commercial fisheries. These programs help farmers use less fertilizer more effectively, conserve soils and water, protect local watersheds and water supplies from nutrient run-off, preserve habitat for wildlife and biological diversity, preserve and restore natural wetlands, and remove highly erodible and marginal lands from crop production. Unfortunately, the pending Farm Bills and the recently marked House agriculture appropriations bill for 2014 (H.R. 2410) would further shrink the nation’s commitment to conservation at a time when it is needed more than ever. Earlier this month, EESI joined in a letter to Congressional appropriators urging them to stop cutting funding for conservation. In addition, the House Farm Bill should be amended
Finally, numerous scientific studies have found that perennial and short rotation biomass energy crops (such as mixed native prairie plants, switchgrass, miscanthus, and willow) planted as watershed buffers, on marginal lands, and in flood plains can dramatically reduce soil erosion and nutrient loss through both surface and ground water run-off. These renewable energy crops can then be harvested and processed into solid fuels for bioheat and biopower or into liquid biofuels, displacing climate-damaging fossil fuels in the process. Many other environmental and climate mitigation and adaptation benefits can also accrue depending on the types of crops and management practices that are used. The Biomass Crop Assistance Program in the Farm Bill energy title would encourage the establishment of these types of energy crops. However, without mandatory funding (as provided in the Senate Farm Bill), the House bill would simply preserve the program in name only with little chance for any future funding.
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