USDA Under Secretary Robert Bonnie says the department is working to rapidly distribute funds to help farmers implement climate-smart practices.
He tells Brownfield $2.8 billion has been allocated for the Partnerships for Climate Smart Commodities program. “We’ve set out a calendar this fall to negotiate those contracts and move those dollars so that we can begin to get those dollars flowing before next planting season,” he said.
The department announced $1 billion for the new pilot program in February, but then recently raised the amount after commodity organizations expressed overwhelming interest.
