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REDWOOD FALLS, Minn. 鈥� In order to reward farmers for conservation practices, there is a need for data.

Robert Bonnie, undersecretary of agriculture for farm production and conservation, delivered that message at a farm bill forum on the first day of the annual Farmfest ag show near Redwood Falls.

鈥淚f we invest in data, invest in agriculture, this will work,鈥� Bonnie said Tuesday, Aug. 1.

He said agriculture gets its share of the blame for contributing to climate change, with estimates saying ag contributes 21% of greenhouse gas emissions globally.

But Bonnie said the story will be different for U.S. farmers if we can measure it accurately.

鈥淒omestically, we are far more efficient鈥� than most of the world, Bonnie said.

And he said corporations are all 鈥済reening their supply chain.鈥�

鈥淚n order to do that, they need good data,鈥� he said, lamenting that carbon emissions in some cases might be based on data that is 15 years old, enough time for ag to make huge strides in being more climate-friendly.

Jeff Beach / Agweek

In a question from the audience, David Kolsrud, of Brandon, South Dakota, founder of which backs what it calls 鈥渘atural carbon capture,鈥� said he has 鈥渘ever seen a better opportunity for farmers going forward."

More specific to negotiations on the next farm bill, which expires in September, Scott VanderWal, vice president of the American Farm Bureau Federation, and a Volga, South Dakota, farmer and beef producer, said updating Title 1 crop commodity program provisions to compensate for rising commodity and input prices is key.

鈥淲e just put most our expensive crop ever in the ground,鈥� VanderWal said.

While the farm bill, last passed in 2018, expires in September, Rob Larew, president of the National Farmers Union, said ag needs to make sure 鈥渨e get the right farm bill,鈥� rather than getting it passed quickly.

鈥淲hat can we do to get competition in the farm economy?鈥� Larew asked.

Opening comments Tuesday came from Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee.

She mentioned wanting to keep safe important programs for the sugar industry, Dairy Margin Coverage and crop insurance, but said there can be improvements in areas such as combating livestock diseases and doing more to help beginning farmers.

In an interview with Agweek, she said she would like to see a bill get done sooner rather than later and the current farm bill extended as a stopgap.

Jeff Beach / Agweek

鈥淭here鈥檚 just too much at stake,鈥� Klobuchar said. 鈥淵ou don鈥檛 want to go into the political uncertainty of next year without a farm bill.鈥�

A at Farmfest.

On other issues, she is behind a bill to mandate year-round sales of E15 ethanol and advocated for more money for broadband.

Klobuchar praised a bill that would require automakers to keep offering . The bill passed the Senate Commerce Committee on a 25-1 vote, with the exception being a senator from Michigan, where the heart of the auto industry lies.

She said keeping AM is important for rural areas.

鈥淭his is how people find out about tornadoes, this is how people find out about floods," she said. "By the way, it鈥檚 also good for a community, the way they find out about high school football scores and what happened on the city council and what the crop prices are."

鈥淲e鈥檝e got everyone from Ted Cruz to Bernie Sanders supporting this bill,鈥� she added.