to offer up a chance for businesses and other organizations to create voluntary market incentives on working lands to measure, quantify and verify practices that lower or minimize emissions of carbon and other greenhouse gases.
USDA will need to move quickly on funding the projects, given that the last time Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack used CCC funds in a way that upset Republicans they restricted his ability to tap the fund when they took control of Congress.
In an interview with DTN, Bonnie stressed the USDA mantra that the new program focuses on “voluntary, incentive-based, producer-led efforts” around climate change.
“And that is what it is.
Among the criticisms of the partnership is that producers don’t just go into their local Farm Service Agency office to sign up for it.
When looking for projects to fund, USDA will be focusing on making sure the money provided will be going to producers who enroll in a particular program.
On the forestry side, there are projects by groups such as the Nature Conservancy and American Forest Foundation that are looking for ways to aggregate landowners who have small clusters of wooded lands, or tree farmers.