USDA's climate smart-commodities program: does it make a dent in the problem for growers?
The climate change struggle is real. More than one in four who voted in a recent poll I posted in the LinkedIn Fresh Produce Industry Discussion Group said climate change is the biggest long-term problem growers face.
Here is the question:
The biggest long-term problem for growers is...
The results were:
- Climate change: 28%
- Lack of labor: 41%
- Drought/water shortage: 23%
- Other (list): 9% (lack of governmental support)
Is the USDA's foray into funding "climate-smart" projects for U.S. farm commodities a helpful solution?
Rep. Glenn "GT" Thompson, R-Pa., Republican Leader of the House Committee on Agriculture, was harsh in his criticism, releasing this statement:
"The Biden Administration is unilaterally spending billions of dollars without Congressional input. While I am sure there are worthy projects, USDA is abusing the authorities of the Commodity Credit Corporation to stand up a 'pilot program' while ignoring the significant issues facing farmers and ranchers. It’s as though Secretary Vilsack is intent on having Congress once again limit his ability to use the CCC."
To backtrack a bit, here is a recap of today's news from Farm Journal reporter Jenna Hoffman:
After months of talking about climate-smart agriculture and working with a handful of funding recipients, USDA is now investing up to $2.8 billion in 70 projects under the first Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities funding pool. The projects, which seek funds ranging from $5 million to $100 million, include everything from flood control to building carbon markets.
According to Tom Vilsack, USDA secretary, these efforts will “increase the competitive advantage of U.S. agriculture both domestically and internationally,” while building wealth in rural America.
“Through today’s announcement of initial selections for the Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities, USDA is delivering on our promise to build and expand these market opportunities for American agriculture and be global leaders in climate-smart agricultural production,” he says.
USDA’s press release says, from the funding, farmers can expect:
1. Technical and financial assistance to implement voluntary climate-smart practices.2. Methods to quantify, monitor, report and verify greenhouse gas benefits.
3. New markets and promotion in climate-smart commodities.
A complete list of the funded projects is found at this link:
From that summary page, this one caught my eye:
A Vibrant Future: Pilot Projects for Climate-Smart Fruit and Vegetable Production, Marketing, and Valuation of Ecosystem Services
This project will incentivize growers of specialty crops to adopt climate-smart production in order to establish consumer-driven climate-smart markets for fruits and vegetables grown using climate-smart practices.
Lead Partner: International Fresh Produce Association
Other Major Partners: University of Florida, CropTrak, Frehner-Jens Consulting, Clark McDowall Brand Architecture Company, Alcorn State University, Measure to Improve, LLC, MS Small Farm and Agribusiness Center at Alcorn State, Alamo Farms, Bayer, Bland Farms, Bolthouse Farms, Calavo, Campbell Soup Company, Del-Monte, Driscoll's, Limoneira, Monterey Pacific, Noble Produce Holdings, Sun Pacific
Primary States Expected: AL, CA, FL, GA, LA
Major Commodities: Berries, Grapes, Fruits and Vegetables
Approximate Funding Ceiling: $15,000,000
The International Fresh Produce Association issued a news release about the climate-smart commodity funding.
“IFPA applauds the USDA investment into all climate-smart projects and is especially motivated by USDA’s strong commitment to projects impacting specialty crops,” IFPA Chief Science Officer Max Teplitski said the release. “We are thrilled to see the ‘Vibrant Future’ project funded, as an investment into specialty crops is especially timely. This funding will allow us to ‘test-drive’ technologies that are climate-smart and also ensure financial sustainability of grower operations, develop marketing strategies to educate consumers on how fresh fruit, vegetable and floral industry contributes to alleviating the climate crisis and – importantly – gather data that will enable our industry to participate in the Green Economy.”
The release said IFPA is also an active partner of the Food and Agriculture Climate Alliance, which represents more than 80 organizations from farmers to ranchers, agribusinesses, forest owners, state departments of agriculture and non-governmental organizations that support voluntary, incentive-based climate solutions.
“IFPA has been actively engaged as one of the members of the Steering Committee of FACA as we both recognize the need for bringing specialty crops to the table and ensure that our industry is part of conversations on climate-smart and carbon-smart innovations,” Teplitski said in the release. “IFPA has long advocated that the federal investment into our industry’s R&D is long overdue, and we grateful to see an investment of this scale. We are excited to see that 15 projects aiming to develop climate/carbon-smart production practices for fruits, vegetables, and nuts are a significant category of investment in the USDA grants. IFPA is excited to work together with other grantees on serving the industry as we collectively navigate challenges associated with the changing climate.”
In my view, growers can't rely on a government program, no matter how ambitious, to navigate climate change.
Will the USDA program help specialty crop growers participate in a market-based "green economy," or is it just more billions from the taxpayers that can be taken away with the next administration?
Growers must consult with seed breeders, agriculture extension specialists, input and technology providers and their near neighbors to walk that path of climate change.
Here's hoping USDA's climate-smart commodities program can at least give growers some help.
