IS ENERGY COMPANY BUT FIRST A
YEAR OF EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS,
INCLUDING FREEZING STORMS IN
TEXAS DROUGHT AND WILDFIRES IN
THE WEST AND HURRICANE IDA
RIPPING UP THE
EAST COAST.
>> HAS LED TO MASSIVE DAMAGE OF
US AGRICULTURE OUR NEXT GUEST
REAP RECENT OP-ED IN THE HILL
POINTS OUT THAT AGRICULTURAL
PRODUCTS PRODUCTIVITY OVER THE
PAST
60 YEARS WAS 21% LOWER THAN IT
SHOULD HAVE BEEN DUE TO CLIMATE
CHANGE AND THAT
WE HAVE HAVE THE POWER TO ACT
NOW AT LEAST TO OUR
CONGRESSIONAL REPRESENTATIVES
JOINING US NOW BENJAMIN HOLTON
RONALD P LYNCH DEAN OF CORNELL
UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF
AGRICULTURE AND LIFE SCIENCES.
BENJAMIN WELCOME TO THE SHOW I
JUST READ YOUR OP ED IN THE
LAST HOUR WHAT
CAN AND SHOULD CONGRESS TO
TACKLE AGRICULTURE ISSUES AS WE
SEE WEATHER EVENTS WORSENING
EVERY SINGLE YEAR.
>> TERRIFIC QUESTION WONDERFUL
TO BE HERE TODAY, YOU KNOW OUR
FOOD SYSTEM CAN BE A PATHWAY TO
A MUCH
GREATER CLIMATE BUT WE HAVE TO
MAKE SOME SIGNIFICANT RND
INVESTMENTS TO SEE THAT FUTURE.
WE KNOW CLIMATE IS CHANGING, WE
KNOW IT'S BAD WE KNOW IT'S
GETTING WORSE AND WE CAN
SOLVE IT THERE'S 3 THINGS IN
OUR FOOD SYSTEM IN PARTICULAR
WE NEED TO
THINK ABOUT ONE LOCALIZATION
WITHIN A GLOBAL CONTACT.
SO JUST LIKE WE HAVE MICROGRIDS
FOR ENERGY WE NEED TO HAVE
SYSTEMS THAT
ARE CAPABLE OF SHIFTING WHEN
CLIMATE SHIFTS SUPPLY CHAINS
CHANGES IN WAYS IN WHICH OUR
FOOD GETS TO OUR TABLES TO WE
NEED
TO THINK EVEN MORE ABOUT
DIGITAL AGRICULTURE AUTOMATION
GENE EDITING TOOLS,
OPPORTUNITIES TO MAKE OUR
FOOD SYSTEM. MORE RESILIENT AND
THE 3RD POINT THIS IS CRITICAL.
TURNING CARBON INTO
A COMMODITY SO OUR FARMERS AND
RANCHERS CAN GET
PAID FOR DE CARBON IN MAKING
THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE IN
REDUCING CLIMATE ALL THOSE 3
THINGS ARE ON THE TABLE WHEN IT
COMES TO NEW FUNDING.
>> AN INTERESTING POINT YOU
MADE IN THE OP ED IS PRESIDENT
BIDEN HAS TO PAY FARMERS TO
STORE MORE CARBON WHICH I
THOUGHT WAS SO INTERESTING.
I HAVE TO ASK YOU HOW DIRE IS
THIS HOW QUICKLY DO WE NEED TO
MOVE.
>> WELL I MEAN IF YOU LOOK AT
THE DATA IT'S CLEAR THE IMPACTS
ARE BE COMING MORE AND MORE
EXTREME AS YOU
POINTED OUT, HURRICANE IDA.
MOST
RECENTLY RESULTED IN ABOUT A
1.5 BILLION DOLLAR LOSS OF
AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS AND
THAT'S A REALLY IMPORTANT THING
TO THINK ABOUT AT THE SAME
TIME RESEARCH IS DEMONSTRATING
THAT WHEN YOU GET CARBON INTO
THE SOIL IT CAN STAY AROUND FOR
A LONG PERIOD OF TIME. AND IT
CAN HELP GROW
HEALTHIER SOIL HEALTHIER FOOD
IN EXCHANGE MORE NUTRIENTS TO
OUR DINNER ALL THOSE
THINGS COMBINED. WE GOT TO PAY
FARMERS SO THAT THIS COMMODITY
THIS COMMODITY OF THE FUTURE
CARBON IS SOMETHING THAT STARTS
TO REALLY MOVE THE DIAL ON
THEIR POCKETBOOK.
>> IT'S THAT YOU AND OTHER SOME
SPECIFIC SOLUTIONS TO HELP
FARMERS ADAPT TO CLIMATE
CHANGE.
>> THERE'S A MYRIAD OF
SOLUTIONS OUT THERE WHETHER ITS
COVER CROP BEING
REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE,
HEALTHY SOIL SOLUTIONS
REPURPOSING THE NEWER IN OTHER
WAYS PRODUCTS GREEN WASTE AND
TURNING THAT INTO COMPOST ALL
THE THINGS RESULT IN MORE
RESILIENT CROPPING SYSTEMS AND
WE HAVE TO THINK ABOUT GENE
EDITING TOOLS SO WE HAVE
BETTER CROP VARIETALS THEY'RE
ABLE TO WITHSTAND THE WEIGHT
CLASS EVENTS THE DROUGHTS
FLOODS. THE HEAT WAVES THAT ARE
AFFECTING AGRICULTURAL
COMMODITIES TODAY. IF WE
DON'T TAKE ACTION ESTIMATES
SUGGEST THAT BY 2050 WE MAY SEE
AN ADDITIONAL 30% REDUCTION IN
CEREAL GRAIN YIELDS AND THAT'S
A BIG NUMBER GIVEN THAT WE'VE
ALREADY SEEN AROUND A 21%
REDUCTION BECAUSE OF
CLIMATE IMPACTS.
>> IN YOUR OP-ED YOU ACTUALLY
TALKED ABOUT AGRICULTURE BEING
A CLIMATE CHANGE SOLUTION
ONTO ITSELF HOW IT COULD BE YOU
LAID OUT SOME EXAMPLES CAN YOU
TELL OUR VIEWERS ABOUT THAT.
>> YEAH, I MEAN IT REALLY COMES
DOWN TO HEALTHY SOILS PUTTING
CARBON INTO
THE SOIL THINKING ABOUT NEW
WAYS TO FEED LIVESTOCK. SO THAT
METHANE EMISSIONS ARE REDUCED
WHICH IS A POTENT GREENHOUSE
GAS FERTILIZER USE EFFICIENCY
THROUGH STRATEGIC APPROACH IS
BETTER THAN BROADCAST USE OF
FERTILIZER VERY PRECISION BASED
FERTILIZER ADDITIONS WHICH CAN
CUT DOWN ON NITRIC OXIDE IN
ANOTHER A POTENT GREENHOUSE
GAS, THE STUDIES ARE CLEAR THAT
THE CAPACITY
FOR AGRICULTURE TO GENERATE
WHAT WE CALL NEGATIVE CARBON
EMISSIONS THAT MEANS MORE
CARBON GOING IN TO THE THEN IS
GOING OUT TO THE
ATMOSPHERE IS TREMENDOUS, BUT
THE GAP BETWEEN THAT CAPACITY
IN THE SCIENCE THAT NEEDS TO
GET THERE WORKING HAND IN HAND
WITH OUR MARKET IS PRETTY
SIGNIFICANT AND THIS IS WHY I'M
IMPLORING CONGRESS TO ACT RIGHT
NOW TO THE RECONCILIATION
TO BRING NEW INFRASTRUCTURE TO
OUR UNIVERSITIES AND CREATE THE
KIND OF PUBLIC PRIVATE
PARTNERSHIPS NECESSARY TO
TACKLE THE
CLIMATE CHALLENGE.
>> YOU MENTIONED HOW
UNDERFUNDED AGRICULTURE RE
RESEARCH IS WHY IS THAT
BENJAMIN HOW DO WE RECTIFY.
>> I MEAN IT'S JUST LIKE
GRAVITY, YOU KNOW OR DOORDASH
RIGHT I CAN JUST SAY HEY I WANT
SOME FOOD AND IT APPEARS.
AND WE TAKE THAT FOR GRANTED
UNITED STATES. BUT IF
WE LOOK AROUND THE WORLD
800 MILLION PEOPLE TODAY WOKE
UP HUNGRY
1 BILLION. OUR ESTIMATE TO BE
SUFFERING FROM
MICRONUTRIENT DEFICIENCIES AND
IT REALLY IS A TESTAMENT TO THE
U.S. AGRICULTURE THAT WE HAVE
IN SOME WAYS TAKING IT FOR
GRANTED BECAUSE IT IS THE
BUILDING BLOCKS OF OUR ENTIRE
ECONOMY. BUT WE HAVEN'T MADE
THE RIGHT KIND OF INVESTMENTS
SO THAT WE CAN STAY IN FRONT OF
THE CLIMATE CHALLENGE WHEN WE
HAVE NEW PASS
AND PATHOGENS MOVING IN WE HAVE
EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS. I THINK
IT REALLY COMES DOWN TO THE
FACT THAT WE'VE GOT A LITTLE
COMPLACENT WITH UNDERSTANDING
THAT FOOD IS JUST THERE FOR US
AND IT'S NOT THAT WAY
WE COULD LOSE A LOT OF OUR FOOD
IN THE FUTURE WHICH COULD
REALLY HARM. THE UNITED STATES
AND THAT'S
A FOOD SECURITY WRIST WRIST