Tag: Environmental Working Group

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Union of Concerned Scientists pushes for wetland protections in Farm Bill

Gary Dickson

A report by the Union of Concerned Scientists highlights the critical status of wetlands in the Upper Midwest, which provide annual flood protections valued at $23 billion. It advocates for inclusion in the upcoming Farm Bill to counteract damage from industrial agriculture and recent legal challenges, ensuring wetlands’ preservation and ongoing benefits. Continue reading Union of Concerned Scientists pushes for wetland protections in Farm Bill

Agriculture, Environment, Government, Health, PoliticsLeave a comment

Health and farmworker advocates urge ban of herbicide linked to Parkinson’s

Gary Dickson

Public health advocates are calling for a federal ban on paraquat dichloride, a toxic herbicide linked to Parkinson’s disease and other severe health issues. The EPA will decide in January 2025 whether to renew the herbicide’s license. Farmworkers emphasize the need for safer agricultural practices to protect public health. Continue reading Health and farmworker advocates urge ban of herbicide linked to Parkinson’s

Agriculture, Government, South DakotaLeave a comment

$8.3B in crop insurance payouts to South Dakota farmers: A cost of climate change

Gary Dickson

South Dakota farmers have received nearly $10 billion in payouts from the Federal Crop Insurance Corp. over roughly the past two decades, with payments specifically due to weather disasters rising significantly during that time.

Between 2001 and 2022, South Dakota was among the top states in the nation for receiving insurance payouts for crop losses due to weather disasters, a trend environmentalists have said reveals a hidden but rapidly rising cost of climate change that is increasing the frequency and severity of storms that damage crops.

American taxpayers have funded a large portion of the payouts, as nearly 65% of the premiums for the crop insurance program run by the U.S. Department of Agriculture are subsidized with federal funding. Continue reading $8.3B in crop insurance payouts to South Dakota farmers: A cost of climate change