Wisconsin-based Grande Cheese Company has a new partnership with the Farmers for Sustainable Food Climate-Smart Program.
The FSF Climate-Smart Program is possible through the USDA’s Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities award. It targets initiatives committed to data-driven conservation practices and outcomes. The Grande project is the first processor-driven initiative in FSF’s Climate-Smart Program.
“Adding a processor-led project into the FSF program allows us to further collaborate within the full dairy supply chain,” says FSF CEO Tim Trotter. “The Grande project, like all the projects built in the program, is designed to address concerns or challenges unique to the project members.”
Grande is urging producer partners to participate. This program comes at no cost to them, and depending on their level of participation, they receive a corresponding stipend. Farmers can get up to $9,000 annually for program participation.
Greg Siegenthaler, Grande’s Vice President of Milk Marketing, Sustainability, and Strategic Sourcing, says they’ve seen first-hand FSF’s impact on farmer-led groups.
“We are excited to offer this program to our producer partners,” Siegenthaler says. “This program aligns with our Social Responsibility Pillars. In particular our environmental stewardship pillar, and our commitment to protecting the planet.”
The FSF Climate-Smart Program provides three pillars:
- To provide technical and financial assistance to producers to implement climate-smart production practices on a voluntary basis on working lands.
- To pilot innovative and cost-effective methods for quantification, monitoring, reporting, and verification of greenhouse gas benefits.
- Work on developing markets and promoting the resulting climate-smart commodities.
The Grande project is planning to run for the duration of the five-year program. It will generate annual outcomes for the participating farmers after each cropping year.