WASHINGTON, September 22, 2022 – Final week, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack introduced that the Biden-Harris Administration by means of the U.S. Division of Agriculture is investing as much as $2.8 billion in 70 chosen tasks beneath the primary pool of the Partnerships for Local weather-Good Commodities funding alternative.
These preliminary tasks will develop markets for climate-smart commodities, leverage the greenhouse fuel advantages of climate-smart commodity manufacturing and supply direct, significant advantages to manufacturing agriculture, together with for small and underserved producers.
By means of final week’s announcement of preliminary alternatives for the Partnerships for Local weather-Good Commodities, Vilsack stated “USDA is delivering on our promise to construct and develop these market alternatives for American agriculture and be world leaders in climate-smart agricultural manufacturing.
“There’s robust and rising curiosity within the non-public sector and amongst customers for meals that’s grown in a climate-friendly method. This effort will enhance the aggressive benefit of U.S. agriculture each domestically and internationally, construct wealth that stays in rural communities and help a various vary of producers and operation sorts.”
Earlier this yr, Vilsack introduced that USDA had allotted $1 billion for this system, divided into two funding swimming pools. Due to the unprecedented demand and curiosity in this system, and potential for significant alternatives to learn producers by means of the proposals, the Biden-Harris administration elevated the entire funding allocation to greater than $3 billion, with tasks from the second funding pool to be introduced later this yr.
See under for what they’re saying:
American Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall
“AFBF congratulates the organizations that have been chosen for USDA’s Partnerships for Local weather-Good Commodities. We’re happy that a number of tasks that acquired help from AFBF and contain state Farm Bureaus have been chosen to obtain funding. AFBF is proud to be a founding member of the Meals and Agriculture Local weather Alliance, which believes conservation objectives must be voluntary and market-driven. We’re happy that USDA primarily based this system on FACA suggestions, and imagine this can be a optimistic step towards advancing conservation options that respect farmers as companions.”
American Sugarbeet Growers Affiliation Government Vice President Luther Markwart
“America’s sugarbeet farmers have been world leaders in sustainable sugar manufacturing for many years, utilizing finest practices and steady enchancment to supply dependable provides to customers. Our household farmers stay up for demonstrating the climate-smart advantages of their crops, together with our challenge companions. We recognize this great alternative from USDA and are proud to work alongside them on this thrilling course of.”
Blue Diamond Growers President and CEO Mark Jansen
“It is a historic alternative for our 112-year outdated cooperative representing practically half of the almond growers in California. These funds will assist considerably speed up and develop the stewardship impression that our multi-generational household farms are already making in orchards all through the state. On behalf of our practically 3,000 grower-owners, I applaud the USDA for a imaginative and prescient to commit significant funding in furthering local weather good American agricultural manufacturing.”
Colorado Agriculture Commissioner Kate Greenberg
“Colorado farmers and ranchers have stewarded the land they work for generations and are our first line of protection in opposition to the local weather disaster. Incentivizing voluntary adoption of conservation, soil well being, renewable vitality, and local weather good agriculture practices is a number one precedence at CDA; the urgency of this work can’t be understated. We’re glad to be working in partnership with the federal authorities to create optimistic adjustments throughout our state. Governor Polis and I are keen to assist the USDA and the federal authorities deal with the large points we now have earlier than us. Colorado is nicely set as much as assist drive these federal packages by means of our incentive-based soil well being, vitality effectivity, and drought resilience packages and we welcome these extra investments the USDA shall be making into local weather good agricultural and forestry packages.”
Environmental Protection Fund Vice President of Local weather-Good Agriculture Britt Groosman
“USDA noticed overwhelming curiosity from farmers, ranchers and foresters to speed up agriculture’s capability to ship local weather advantages. The company met the second, practically tripling their unique $1 billion dedication and making a devoted pool of funding for local weather tasks that develop alternatives for farmers of coloration, starting farmers and different traditionally marginalized producers. That is the decisive decade for figuring out what our local weather future shall be. Agriculture presently contributes 10% of U.S. emissions, however it has monumental capability to be a part of the answer. USDA’s elevated funding will equip producers to chop emissions and make their companies extra resilient. It should increase scientific analysis to measure local weather progress over time.”
Subject to Market President Scott Herndon
“The transition to climate-smart agricultural practices is a journey that many farmers can’t undertake alone. We’re extremely grateful to be chosen as a recipient of this funding, because it permits us to extend the provision of revolutionary methods that scale back the monetary and agronomic dangers for farmers in adopting climate-smart practices.”
Meals and Agriculture Local weather Alliance
“The Meals and Agriculture Local weather Alliance (FACA) commends the U.S. Division of Agriculture for its consideration and number of pilot tasks by means of its Partnerships for Local weather-Good Commodities.”
Home Agriculture Committee Chairman David Scott
“Moreover, I might be remiss if I didn’t use this chance to say the thrilling work being funded by the Partnerships for Local weather-Good Commodities Program at USDA. Simply this morning Secretary Vilsack introduced funding of $25 million for the Rodale Institute working with the College of Georgia and Emory College to assist producers develop markets for his or her produce, whereas decreasing greenhouse fuel emissions, educating customers, and creating expertise that can enhance scalability of their mannequin. That is so necessary and I’m so very supportive of what Secretary Vilsack is doing with this program. This challenge is only one of 70 receiving funding, however with it being in Georgia, I’m positive it will likely be essentially the most profitable.”
Worldwide Recent Produce Affiliation Chief Science Officer Max Teplitski, PhD
“IFPA applauds the USDA funding into all climate-smart tasks and is very motivated by USDA’s robust dedication to tasks impacting specialty crops. We’re thrilled to see the ‘Vibrant Future’ challenge funded, as an funding into specialty crops is very well timed. This funding will enable us to ‘test-drive’ applied sciences which can be climate-smart and likewise guarantee monetary sustainability of grower operations, develop advertising methods to coach customers on how recent fruit, vegetable and floral {industry} contributes to assuaging the local weather disaster and – importantly – collect knowledge that can allow our {industry} to take part within the Inexperienced Economic system.”
Nationwide Cotton Council Chairman Ted Schneider
“The U.S. cotton {industry} is dedicated to sustainability and to defending the setting. The $90 million of funding allotted to the U.S. Local weather Good Cotton Program is a historic funding that can additional improve our {industry}’s voluntary environmental stewardship efforts to scale back greenhouse fuel emissions, soil loss and water and vitality use, whereas rising land effectivity and soil carbon. The U.S. cotton {industry} is honored to companion with USDA on this essential environmental enterprise. We stay up for working with Secretary Vilsack on future climate-smart packages not solely to construct and develop market alternatives for U.S. cotton however be world leaders in mitigating the impression of local weather change by means of voluntary and revolutionary conservation practices.”
Nationwide Council of Farmers Cooperatives President and CEO Chuck Conner
“The Secretary’s announcement at the moment represents a major dedication by USDA and the federal authorities to serving to America’s farmers, ranchers, and growers undertake local weather good farming practices and measure the optimistic impacts they’ve on reaching this nation’s local weather objectives. It’s particularly heartening to see that some 10% of the tasks are both being led by or have main participation by farmer cooperatives. This illustrates not simply the dedication of co-ops to climate-smart agriculture, however that co-ops can carry these advantages to the best variety of producers whereas serving to attach them to different companions up and down the meals and ag worth chain.”
Nationwide Milk Producers Federation President and CEO Jim Mulhern
“America’s dairy neighborhood applauds USDA’s help for the strong efforts dairy farmers are resulting in develop and implement climate-smart options that can profit the whole meals chain, from producer to client. As an agricultural chief in sustainability, dairy farmers recognize this funding that can assist us meet our formidable industry-wide objectives for net-zero emissions and optimized water use.”
New York Governor Kathy Hochul
“Sustainable agriculture is vital for combatting the results of local weather change, and this important funding dedication will tremendously assist New York’s farm and forest house owners, permitting us to companion collectively as a nation to scale back greenhouse gases. Due to this funding introduced beneath President Biden and his Administration, we take one other main step in the direction of enhancing the environment for the following era. The private and non-private partnerships main the Local weather Good Farms and Forests Mission will present new and revolutionary measures that promote forestry and farming that can assist obtain our formidable local weather objectives, defend the setting, protect farmland, and meet a worldwide demand for merchandise grown with greener expertise.”
Natural Valley Director of Sustainability Nicole Rakobitsch
“Dealing with the rising impacts of the local weather disaster, this motion from the USDA is important for the way forward for farming within the U.S. to climate the present and coming storms. This strategic funding provided by USDA permits us and others to innovate in a significant method with farmers and produce to the market local weather pleasant meals. Natural Valley is making a mannequin strategy to decreasing carbon emissions, and we imagine that mannequin might be replicated throughout the meals sector. As we advance carbon insetting, we’ll share our learnings and finest practices. In the end, we’re excited to supply customers the merchandise they’re demanding within the market: dairy and eggs with a low carbon footprint.”
Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf
“Agriculture bears the brunt of the impression of local weather change, from excessive climate to an setting that’s extra inviting to invasive pests, vegetation and illness. My administration has supplied unprecedented help for the {industry} that feeds and sustains us – as seen by means of the PA Farm Invoice and Clear Streams Fund – and I’m happy that our efforts shall be multiplied exponentially with federal help. Farmers can’t deal with local weather change alone.”
Propagate Director of Strategic Partnerships Audrey Epp Schmidt
“We’re grateful to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack for this transformative funding by the USDA into the agroforestry {industry}. This funding will catalyze important non-public investments into the {industry} and enhance farmers’ incomes whereas concurrently increasing carbon sequestration, soil well being, biodiversity, and water high quality. To present extra farmers entry to this rising and worthwhile agroforestry market, the companions will advance this work on a number of fronts, concurrently giving farmers incentives and entry to capital and technical help to plant bushes and rising the marketplace for their merchandise to make sure their long-term success. By rising the demand for agroforestry commodities, this effort will domesticate new provide chains and develop markets for domestically produced climate-smart agroforestry commodities.”
Rural Funding to Shield Our Setting Government Director Aliza Drewes
“We’re honored that USDA sees the potential in our strategy to paying producers pretty for conservation. USDA’s willingness to pilot the RIPE100 idea alerts a nationwide urge for food for game-changing options and acknowledges many producers’ need to maneuver away from cost-share.”
Senate Committee on Agriculture, Diet, and Forestry Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow
“In the present day’s announcement is a large step ahead to supply extra of the instruments our farmers and rural communities want to deal with the local weather disaster and keep worthwhile on the similar time. From climate-smart agriculture and forestry to biobased merchandise and renewable fuels, these public-private partnerships create good-paying jobs and enhance our carbon footprint on and off the farm too. By pairing federal funding with innovation on the native stage, USDA is scaling up the thrilling work that so many companions are already doing on the bottom.”
Senator Bob Casey
“Pennsylvania’s agricultural {industry} is central to our financial system. This funding will toughen farmers and ranchers in addition to producers utilizing climate-smart manufacturing to help native economies and enhance PA competitiveness whereas combatting the local weather disaster.”
Senator Lindsey Graham
“I very a lot recognize Secretary Vilsack awarding this grant to strengthen South Carolina’s agriculture financial system. The world is experiencing a meals disaster, and Clemson College, South Carolina State College, and South Carolina farmers are on the forefront of accelerating crop yields and serving to poverty-stricken areas by means of cutting-edge analysis. Investing in analysis and growth – notably because it pertains to agriculture – is a no brainer. I used to be proud to be a companion within the efforts to get this accomplished.”
The Nature Conservancy Director for Science in North America Joe Fargione
“Local weather change is the best environmental problem of our time, and farmers are on the frontlines. Placing extra bushes in agricultural landscapes is a win for farmers and a win for nature. It reduces greenhouse fuel emissions by storing extra carbon within the soil, and it helps farmers’ backside line by creating an expanded income stream.”
U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King and Representatives Chellie Pingree and Jared Golden
“By supporting revolutionary and environmentally pleasant logging and farming practices in addition to increasing market alternatives, this funding is a win-win for producers in addition to our local weather. We’re notably happy that USDA is investing in two tasks which can be being spearheaded in Maine. This funding will enable Wolfe’s Neck Farm to launch an initiative to assist farmers implement climate-smart methods and entry {the marketplace} for climate-smart commodities. Furthermore, this funding will profit our forest merchandise {industry} by supporting the New England Forestry Basis’s effort to assist landowners and loggers enhance forest well being and market locally-grown, wholesome, low-carbon constructing supplies. Along with mitigating the impression of local weather change, these tasks will present substantial financial advantages to our rural communities.
US Cotton Belief Protocol President Dr. Gary Adams
“The Belief Protocol was launched in 2020 to set a brand new commonplace in sustainable cotton manufacturing the place full transparency is a actuality and steady enchancment is the central aim. The U.S. Local weather Good Cotton Program is a vital step in offering the mandatory assets wanted for growers to be taught, develop and discover new alternatives that can enhance their environmental footprint. We stay up for working with Secretary Vilsack to implement this system’s complete strategy.”
US Sugar Beet Affiliation President Cassie Bladow
“On behalf of the US Beet Sugar Affiliation and its members, I need to thank Secretary Vilsack and Beneath-Secretary Bonnie for recognizing our efforts in the direction of a climate-smart agricultural future. Daily, our cooperative-owned members make the most of cutting-edge expertise to make sure our merchandise are dependable and sustainable. We stay up for increasing these strategies with our challenge companions and the USDA.”
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