Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack was in Jefferson City, Missouri yesterday to announce $1 billion in partnerships to support America’s climate-smart farmers, ranchers and forest landowners.

The new Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities opportunity will finance pilot projects that create market opportunities for U.S. agricultural and forestry products that use climate-smart practices and include innovative, cost-effective ways to measure and verify greenhouse gas benefits. USDA is now accepting project applications for fiscal year 2022.

“Now, this program is not a carbon market program. It’s focused on commodity production,” said Vilsack. “And working alongside some of the great activity that we’re already seeing out in the market. We’re hopeful that we’ll see additional adoption of climate-smart practices across all regions of the country and all commodity types for those producers by themselves or their partner to obtain those private sector markets, another revenue source if you will, for farmers.”

Listen to Vilsack’s address here.
Secy Vilsack - Climate Smart Commodities (30:30)