USDA’s Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities turned on the spigot to fund 141 projects, totaling $3 billion in 2023, a historic investment in agriculture. Understanding the projects — each run by a different organization with its own unique offerings and structure — begs the question: Is it possible to have too much of a good thing?

To cut out the tedious task of wading through the climate-smart projects, a new app pilot, the Climate-Smart Opportunity Navigator, seeks to remove the paperwork clutter and match farms and ranches with the right Climate-Smart Commodity grant project in minutes.

“Quicker and more efficient means to evaluate opportunities will increase participation, offer simple communication avenues, and, ultimately, get funding into the hands of growers so they can quickly turn those dollars into applied practices,” says Joelle Mosso, Western Growers Association associate vice president of science.

Using the Climate-Smart Opportunity Navigator app

The app pilot, created by Farm Journal’s Trust In Food and AgWeb, is powered by USDA data on the 141 projects, most of which are focused on major commodities such as corn, soybeans and livestock. Harnessing this data, producers can input their operation basics — such as location, commodities produced, and production practices and interests — and be matched with one or more of the Climate-Smart Commodities projects that fit their individual specs.

The app provides a basic description of each program match along with contact information so that it’s easy to compare options and take the next step to participate.

For example, a Maryland specialty crop grower interested in adopting cover crop and mulching practices would input this data to the Climate-Smart Commodities Opportunity Navigator. In 4 questions, the tool matches the farm’s profile and interests with 5 grant programs that includes A Greener World’s “Increasing Accessibility to Regenerative Farming Practices and Markets” and Prince George’s County Maryland’s “Prince George’s County Climate-Smart Local Producers.” 

Zoom out: The right program isn’t one-size-fits-all

“It’s great that there's lots of opportunity for producers with USDA’s Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities, but with so much opportunity it can be very overwhelming,” says Andrew Lyon, Trust In Food’s director of technical assistance and Kansas rancher. “By putting in specific information about your operation, the Navigator tool allows you to whittle down grant opportunities to the handful that are most applicable to you and provides you contact information so that you could follow up with those few opportunities that best suit you.”

While Farm Journal is excited about its own $40 million Climate-Smart Commodity grant, The Connected Ag Project, it wants producers to get in touch with the opportunity that best suits them, Lyon adds.

The ability to drill down through a series of questions is novel, says Jesse Roseman, the Almond Board of California’s principal regulatory and environmental affairs analyst.

Try the tool

Trust In Food and AgWeb look forward to hearing from producers about their experience. Share feedback on the beta version: take the Climate-Smart Opportunity Navigator for a test run and let us know what worked and what didn’t.