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Climate-smart ag interest growing, USDA says

USDA says it continues to see a rise in interest from the ag industry for conservation programs.

Robert Bonnie, Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation, says there have been more applicants than resources. “We’re really excited about our Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities. We have a million, seven acres right now that have been enrolled. Those numbers are from late December. We expect them to continue to grow. We’ve got some really good projects out on the ground right now that we’re excited about.”

Speaking to Brownfield in Washington, D.C., he says the agency is figuring out how to best monitor and measure newly implemented climate-smart farming practices. “It’s an important year for the partnerships program. It’s an important year for our IRA resources. We’ve got to demonstrate that we can go out and execute. And so we’re really focused on that.”

USDA says it’s investing more than $3.1 billion for 141 projects through Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities.

AUDIO: USDA Under Secretary Robert Bonnie