Some federal lawmakers think that they can help the domestic feedstock business. Veterinarians led a movement to improve a small town. And a Texas politician challenged everyone in his state to pay more attention to future water needs.
Credit Extension
How should Congress help to protect American producers from the glut of foreign-produced grease and oil? One way could be extending the 45Z tax credit, if some federal elected officials have their way.
The plan would extend the credit for a decade to 2034 and limit it to domestic feedstocks. American producers have complained that imported oil and grease threaten their market.
The credit would encourage further development of U.S. sustainable aviation fuel and other low-carbon fuels.
However, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack has warned against limiting the credits to domestic cooking oil suppliers and said that other countries could retaliate against U.S. exports.
RELATED: Farm Policy News reported on the support for the 45Z tax credit extension from groups like the National Oilseed Processors Association and the warnings from Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. Read that story here.
New Hope
Agriculture can’t thrive without workers and a sustainable community around the farm. But many small towns are shrinking as younger people, businesses, health care, and education move elsewhere.
Iowa is a prime example of that with more than two-thirds of the state’s counties shrinking in population over the past decade, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. And many of those have been shrinking for several generations.
A town of about 2,000 people in western Iowa that is famous for its 45-ton, 28-foot bull statue is bucking that trend after dedicated community members joined efforts. Those efforts not only can help the town maintain its current population, but they also provide a stronger foundation for the region’s agricultural industry.
RELATED: Learn about Audubon, Iowa’s famous “Albert the Bull,” and find out why this giant Hereford has towered above the town since 1964 in this Roadside America story.
AMVC was a primary driver in the push to invest in the town. The acronym stands for Audubon Manning Veterinary Clinic (Audubon and Manning are neighboring communities).
The business is headquartered in Audubon and “provides veterinary support, nutritional counseling, results management, employee solutions, and marketing options to all managed farms.”
Some of the veterinarians from AMVC rallied other leaders in town and worked to enhance quality of life projects in town, including a community and recreation center.
Drying Out
The search is on for ideas to solve a threatening problem in Texas. The population is growing, but the water supply may not be able to meet the needs.
Texas now has more than 30 million residents. It isn’t just the number of inhabitants that is increasing. So are extreme weather events. Temperatures have been on the rise in recent years. The eastern part of Texas has been deluged by rain, but the western part has suffered through drought.
RELATED: This Texas Tribune report explains what is happening with weather patterns and how they are causing changes in precipitation in different regions of Texas. Find that here.
Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller warned communities that they need to think of ways to use less water.
RELATED: KWTX-TV in Waco, Texas, talked with Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller about what residents and policymakers need to do now to make sure that communities have sufficient water resources in the future. Watch that story here.
