Agriculture is directly responsible for 10 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, and farmers and ranchers face growing climate impacts every day, from more severe storms to intense droughts, making it harder to grow food.
The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office estimates emissions from the agriculture sector will modestly increase over the next 30 years. Yet the Trump administration is slashing programs that help reduce emissions, feed people, protect farmworkers and animals and sensitive lands. In addition, the Trump administration’s tariffs and trade wars have affected the cost of machinery and sales of major crops. What will these changes mean for our national food system? How are farmers weathering these impacts? And where are people building resilience regardless of federal policy?
Episode Guests:
Lisa Held, Senior Staff Reporter and Contributing Editor, Civil Eats
Megan O'Rourke, Congressional Candidate NJ07; Former USDA Scientist John Bartman, Illinois farmer
Byron Kominek, Owner and Manager, Jack's Solar Garden
Highlights:
00:00 – Intro
05:30 – Lisa Held on major climate and agriculture stories in 2025
07:30 – Climate change is making it harder to be a farmer
09:15 – Changes at USDA
15:00 – How SNAP cuts affect consumers and farmers/growers
18:30 – Trump admin penalizing efforts/grants that support DEI efforts in agriculture
24:00 – John Bartman shares his journey to regenerative agriculture
30:00 – Partnership for Climate Smart Commodities Program and cutbacks under Trump
34:30 – Trade war between China and US is hurting soybean sales and Amazon rainforest
37:10 – Byron Kominek on how he got into agrivoltaics and the benefits it offers
42:00 – Agrivoltaics is climate adaptation
51:20 – Megan O’Rourke on research around kernza, a perennial grain
54:00 – Most pressing challenges for agriculture right now
59:00 – Importance of food security at home and abroad, and role of US farmers
1:03:30 – Climate One More Thing
For show notes , transcript, and related links, visit climateone.org/podcasts
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