Experts to Address Farmers’ Role in Mitigating Climate Change

Educational Briefing on Wednesday


WASHINGTON, May 29 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The following is being issued by the Soil Science Society of America:

  WHO:  Four experts in soil carbon research, farming, and economics will

  address the unique opportunity American land managers have to sequester

  soil carbon and mitigate climate change:


    — Dr. Chuck Rice, a professor at Kansas State University, will explain

       the mechanism behind soil carbon sequestration with an emphasis on

       agro-ecosystems.

    — Dr. Rattan Lal, Carbon Management & Sequestration Center Director,

       Ohio State University and Soil Science Society of America President,

       will focus his comments on the potential of terrestrial systems to

       sequester carbon.

    — Mr. Merle Holle, a no-till farmer from the 1st Congressional district

       of Kansas, will offer his experiences with soil carbon management,

       and highlight opportunities for farmers to participate in carbon

       trading.

    — Dr. Brent Sohngen, an agricultural economist at Ohio State

       University, will weigh the economic feasibility of adopting policies

       to encourage improved soil carbon management and carbon

       sequestration.


  WHAT:  House Soils Caucus Educational Lunch Briefing, “Farming Carbon:

  American Opportunities to Manage Climate Change,” sponsored by the House

  Soils Caucus, in conjunction with the Soil Science Society of America and

  the Council on Food, Agricultural and Resource Economics.


  WHERE:  Room B-369 of the Rayburn House Office Building, Washington DC


  WHEN:  Wednesday, May 30, 2007, Noon-1:15pm


  WHY:  Agricultural land in the U.S. has the capacity to sequester 650

  million metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) every year, offsetting up to

  11% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.

Established in June 2006, the House Soils Caucus is dedicated to educating policymakers and stakeholders about the importance of soils and soil science. Membership of the bi-partisan Caucus currently stands at 33 representatives, including co-chairs Jim Costa (R-20th CA), Stephanie Herseth (D-At Large SD), Tom Latham (R-4th IA) and Marilyn Musgrave (R-4th CO).


The House Soils Caucus is a program of the Soil Science Society of America, a prominent international educational society headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin. Learn more: http://www.soils.org/sciencepolicy/caucus.


House Soils Caucus Contact:


Karl Glasener, Director of Science Policy, Soil Science Society of America, 202-408-5382, kglasener@soils.org


First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:


Source: Soil Science Society of America

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