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New climate-smart pilot program for Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska

The USDA’s second pool of climate-smart ag funding will help jumpstart a pilot program for the Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska.

Heather Dawn Thompson, USDA Tribal Relations Director, says the Center for Excellence in Regenerative Native Agriculture (CERNA) project will educate Native American participants on the benefits of climate-smart commodities.

“When folks talk about regenerative agriculture, they are really talking about indigenous agriculture,” she said. “This project is exactly on point.”

The USDA announced another $325 million in funding for the Partnerships for Climate Smart Commodities effort earlier this month.

She says the project will be driven by farmers. Each producer in the pilot program will receive annual incentives and premium payments for the training needed to implement climate-smart practices.

“There’s nobody that is affected by the climate change more than those that are out on the land every day that are affected by these floods, by these blizzards, and by the change in climate,” Thompson said. “There’s nobody that wants to make sure that the land and the Earth are being treated well than those of us that are living on it.”

Thompson says CERNA plans to support producers in the program by purchasing 100 percent of all eligible climate-smart commodities produced.

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