The Secretary of Agriculture announced today that the administration will launch a new initiative to help farmers address climate change.
In a speech at Colorado State University, Secretary Tom Vilsack said USDA is investing in a series of pilot projects, as part of the “Climate Smart Partnership Initiative,” which will provide incentives to implement climate smart conservation practices on working lands and to quantify and monitor the carbon and greenhouse gas benefits associated with those practices.
USDA will receive stakeholder input over the next 30 days to determine how the partnerships will be structured and will then initiate a series of partnerships over the next six months.
“Today’s announcement underscores the fact that farmers are part of the climate solution,” said NCGA President John Linder. “We look forward to working closely with USDA in the coming weeks to provide input from corn growers.”
Vilsack also announced $3 billion in additional funds and activities to address immediate agricultural issues, including drought, supply chain disruptions, animal disease and nutrition.