Vilsack defends climate policies amid farming tradition concerns

Feb 16, 2024

By Farms.com

In a spirited session with House Agriculture Committee members, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack defended the USDA's shift towards climate change mitigation efforts amidst criticism.

Republican committee members voiced concerns that this shift might neglect traditional agricultural practices, favoring instead "climate-smart" conservation funded by the Inflation Reduction Act.

Vilsack reassured that the programs are both voluntary and designed with farmers' interests at heart, distinguishing U.S. policies from more stringent European models. The debate reflects wider tensions over agricultural policy direction, especially considering negotiations over the new farm bill.

Vilsack argued that climate initiatives support the broader agricultural community by offering incentives for sustainable practices, amidst bipartisan calls for a balanced approach to farm and nutrition policy funding.

The ongoing dialogue highlights the complex interplay between climate action and agricultural tradition as lawmakers seek to forge a path forward.

Video: Designing a Robotic Berry Picker

Since blackberries must be harvested by hand, the process is time-consuming and labor-intensive. To support a growing blackberry industry in Arkansas, food science associate professor Renee Threlfall is collaborating with mechanical engineering assistant professor Anthony Gunderman to develop a mechanical harvesting system. Most recently, the team designed a device to measure the force needed to pick a blackberry without damaging it. The data from this device will help inform the next stage of development and move the team closer to the goal of a fully autonomous robotic berry picker. The device was developed by Gunderman, with Yue Chen, a former U of A professor now at Georgia Tech, and Jeremy Collins, then a U of A undergraduate engineering student. To determine the force needed to pick blackberries without damage, the engineers worked with Threlfall and Andrea Myers, then a graduate student.