Approximately 13,000 American farms participate in the Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities program, covering about 8 million acres of land. In a recent visit to Wisconsin, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said he expects those numbers to continue growing.
“First of all, we’re paying farmers to do what they’re already doing on the farm. Whether it may be no-till, it may be cover crops, it may be rotational grazing…,” he told Mid-West Farm Report. “We’re paying farmers to embrace those practices in exchange for them giving us a better understanding of the impact of those practices.”
He added the Climate-Smart Commodities program also creates new market opportunities. He says farmers will get a premium for what they’re growing because it goes into a value-added product.
“Someone will be able to promote to their customers that what they’re purchasing has been good for the environment as well as… local producers,” Vilsack emphasized.
He offered a couple of examples of how climate-smart commodities are directly benefiting producers.
“One Wisconsin producer today is selling some of what he grows on his farm to DeLong, who in turn, is providing it to the distillery,” Vilsack said.
Another example is rice producers in Arkansas and Louisiana receiving a premium for rice grown with less methane and water.
“We’re beginning to see both: reducing the cost of climate-smart practices and developing the market incentives,” Vilsack said.
It’s been about a year since the U.S. Department of Agriculture sent out checks to its Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities program recipients. The goal was to fight climate change while supporting rural America. Wisconsin has 28 climate-smart projects that are engaging hundreds of farmers across 46 major commodities in our state. There are 118 different climate-smart practices being implemented on Wisconsin farms, according to Secretary Vilsack.
