Ranching And Climate Change…

Rumors have been flying about recently over proposed taxes on emissions by cattle and pig farms. In July of this year, the Supreme Court ruled that methane is a greenhouse gas and falls under regulation by the Clean Air Act. In response, the President recently signed a regulation exempting farmers and ranchers from reporting their methane output, although with the new administration this is subject to change.

Although the EPA says that this is not a tax, per se, farmers and ranchers who find themselves out of compliance with Clean Air Act regulation are subject to fines and penalties, up to $175 per head of cattle, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation. Read more here…

It’s easy to see how regulations like these can have drastic implications for South Dakota’s Farmers and Ranchers, whose very livelihoods depend on raising these animals and using methane-producing machines for harvest. Coupled with high and unpredictable feed prices, ranchers especially may have difficulty breaking even with additional environmental regulations on their livestock. Hopefully the new administration’s pick for Agriculture Secretary, Tom Vilsack, will be able to stress these concerns to the new president.