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Vilsack announces expanded Climate Smart Commodities package

The Biden administration is already expanding a new climate initiative for agriculture. 

Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack announced Wednesday USDA will utilize 2.8 billion dollars in Commodity Credit Corporation funding to launch 70 selected projects under the first pool of the Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities. “We’re excited about the fact that over 50 universities, historic Black colleges, and minority institutions, will be involved in partnering with major food companies, with major agricultural and commodity groups, with conservation and environmental groups.”

Vilsack says the initial 70 approved projects cover a variety of commodities and have matching funds from the private sector. “There are five timber and forest projects, thirteen beef and livestock projects, twelve corn and soybean projects, six cotton and peanuts projects, nine dairy projects, thirteen fruit, vegetable, and specialty crop projects, three hay, grass, and energy crop projects, two hemp projects.” He says there are other projects, and additional projects will be announced later this year.

Vilsack says the program will open up new opportunities for producers. “Not only to get a higher value proposition for what they grow and raise but also to potentially qualify for private market ecosystem benefits opening up new income opportunities for producers across the United States.”

Vilsack says the Partnership for Climate Smart Commodities program had guidance from the agriculture organizations. “If you want to get into the climate smart activities, this is how you should do it and we basically followed the prescription that they outlined to a tee, and they responded.”

Vilsack says participants will be part of a transparent network reporting data and information from the pilot projects on a regular basis.  He says some projects might also benefit from funding under the Inflation Reduction Act.

The program announced in February offers financial and technical assistance to producers who voluntarily implement climate-smart practices such as cover cropping, interseeding, reduced tillage, establishing buffers, forest management, feed efficiency, and climate-smart pasture practices.

The Secretary says consumers are more interested in purchasing sustainably produced goods, and this program will allow USDA to work with food and commodity groups to verify and quantify the products produced through climate-smart practices.

Vilsack says 1,058 applications were filed by every major commodity group, food companies, land grant universities, and conservation groups requesting more than 20 billion in funding, which he says opened a few eyes in Congress about the significance and importance of this program.

American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall issued a statement saying, “We are pleased that several projects that received support from AFBF and involve state Farm Bureaus were selected to receive funding.”  He says, “AFBF is proud to be a founding member of the Food and Agriculture Climate Alliance, which believes conservation goals should be voluntary and market-driven. We’re pleased that USDA based the program on Food and Agriculture Climate Alliance recommendations and believe this is a positive step toward advancing conservation solutions that respect farmers as partners.”

The more than 80 member organizations of the Food and Agriculture Climate Alliance issued a statement representing farmers, ranchers, agribusiness, forest owners, state departments of agriculture, and nongovernmental organizations saying they support voluntary, incentive-based climate solutions.  “FACA appreciates USDA’s use of Alliance recommendations as a guidepost when developing Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities and commends Secretary Vilsack and Under Secretary Bonnie for their meaningful inclusion of early adopters and small and underserved producers in the program. The Alliance is pleased that the projects selected recognize differences between regions, farm size and forest type, and diversity of production in the United States.”