A New Role for Florida Agriculture

Orange groves, sugar cane, cattle and pine forests have long been fixtures of the state landscape. Florida agriculture is a $97 billion business. Now farmers and landowners have a new way to contribute to the economy - and Floridians can do so while reducing global warming.

One of the most important jobs for every commissioner of agriculture is to keep Florida agriculture viable, prosperous and sustainable. The worldwide movement to combat climate change provides a powerful new opportunity for Florida's farmers to help fight climate change and make a profit at the same time.

A new report published by the University of Florida shows our state's potential for reducing greenhouse gases is greater than in most other regions of the country. Florida agriculture can sequester greenhouse gases through low-tech efforts such as converting land into forest as well as innovations such as generating power from crop and wood waste.

If the U.S. institutes acarbon-cap-and-trade system, Florida's forestry and agricultural sectors have the potential to mitigate carbon emissions worth $340 million in carbon offsets per year, according to the report. That's money to be made in an emerging market, which means good things for both the agricultural industry and the planet.

In early June, the United States Senate is poised to vote on the Warner-Lieberman Climate Security Act. The bill would enact a cap-and-trade system that could potentially create a $4 billion market by 2012 for agricultural offsets. Florida agriculture could be a big player in such a market.

Biofuel, energy crops and biomass represent the biggest opportunity for carbon mitigation at $147.2 million a year in carbon offsets, according to the University of Florida report. New technologies are allowing farmers to turn crop and wood waste into power. When these power sources replace coal-fired power plants or fossil fuels in vehicles, less carbon dioxide and other harmful greenhouse gases reach the atmosphere.

Increased management on pine plantations is worth $116.8 million in carbon credits. This represents a large opportunity for landowners. Switching from lower-intensity to higher-intensity land-management practices will increase biomass in the forests, which will in turn increase the forests' carbon uptake from the air.

Conservation tillage on half of cropped lands is worth $34.4 million. When farmers till their land, the soil releases some of its stored carbon into the atmosphere. By tilling less or not at all, the soil retains more carbon.

Simply turning unutilized pasture and croplands back into forests will also create value in a carbon-credit market. The study shows afforestation of just 5 percent of croplands will account for $22.8 million in carbon credits.

Biogas produced from livestock waste is worth $19.2 million in carbon offsets. Livestock waste releases harmful methane and nitrous oxide into the atmosphere. However, if farmers install systems called digesters to manage those wastes, they reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases and can even power their farms with energy generated from the captured gases.

This is exciting news for farmers and foresters. By managing our lands and livestock even smarter, we can increase their value. A carbon-cap-and-trade system would not only benefit the Floridians who love the land and make Florida's agricultural industry so productive, but it'll also benefit the environment - a clear win-win for Florida.

[ Bob Crawford is a former Florida Commissioner of Agriculture. ]