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USDA falling short on climate program details

Most climate-smart program grant holders are still waiting for the USDA to provide details on how to resubmit projects under the new Advancing Markets for Producers initiative.

Pasa Sustainable Agriculture’s Hannah Smith-Brubaker tells Brownfield, “We haven’t received any information about options.”

The USDA rebranded the Climate Smart Commodities in mid-April as the Advancing Markets for Producers Initiative to align with the current administration’s priorities.

A Pennsylvania farmer, Smith-Brubaker says her organization has been told it can resubmit, but USDA remains short-staffed and lacks substantive information about the new program.

“Not only are there not a sufficient number of USDA employees for being able to answer our questions, the employees that are on staff are all new and they don’t know the answers to the questions,” she shares. “Our program officers are only permitted to help us close out our current grant.”

PASA joined more than 100 grant holders in a recent letter to the U.S. Ag Secretary calling for a path forward for projects shortly before the rebrand was announced. Smith-Brubaker says most of the 135 project grantees are still in the dark.

The National Pork Board’s Advancing U.S. Pork Sustainability and Market Value Grant, AgriCapture’s rice program, MU Center for Regenerative Agriculture crop and livestock project, and California’s Blue Diamond Growers cover crop project are among the few programs to have been given the green light to continue.