With the backdrop of cows grazing pasture at the Anibas family organic dairy farm, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack highlighted historic investments to support projects building farmer resiliency to combat the climate crisis and strengthen rural America. Up to $2.8 billion through 70 projects spanning the agricultural industry were initially selected as part of the Partnership for Climate Smart Commodities funding opportunity, including multiple projects in Wisconsin and Minnesota.
The grant provides resources to accelerate 1,200 new carbon reduction and removal projects on 500 Organic Valley farms.
The USDA partnership program included a $25 million award to the cooperative headquartered in rural Wisconsin under the project name: Organic Valley Carbon Insetting Program: Building a Multi-stakeholder Path to Produce, Market and Promote Climate-Smart Commodities Across the U.S. The grant is focused on helping small organic family farms establish and measure on-farm practices to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Also Read: AP Lazer releases a new laser system to create an interactive shopping experience
The grant will provide technical and financial resources to accelerate the adoption of 1,200 new carbon reduction and removal projects on 500 Organic Valley member-farms across rural America over the next five years. For Organic Valley, this builds on a new study in the August issue of the Journal of Cleaner Production that shows how organic dairy farming can store carbon and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Through this program, Organic Valley will include direct farmer payments for carbon reduction and removal, as well as cost-share for design and implementation of climate-smart agriculture practices. Climate Smart Practices included in Organic Valley’s Carbon Insetting Program include improvements to grazing, pasture and croplands, manure management, feed supplements, agroforestry and solar energy.
“Through Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities, USDA is delivering on our promise to build and expand market opportunities for American agriculture and be global leaders in climate-smart agricultural production,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “I’m glad to have the opportunity to join stakeholders at Organic’s Valley to highlight our strong partnership in increasing the competitive advantage of U.S agriculture, building wealth that stays in rural communities, and supporting new revenue streams for America’s climate-smart producers.”