Morrison Clients Secure $170M in Climate-Smart Ag Grants

On September 14, 2022, U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced a historic $2.8 billion investment in climate-smart agriculture, and three of the 70 funded grants were written with support from the Morrison Grants team. All three proposals submitted by Morrison in the first round of the Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities grant program were funded for a total of $170 million in successful awards, which will collectively encompass more than 345 farms, resulting in greenhouse gas emission reductions of more than 1.3 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent. Morrison is proud to have worked with these extraordinary partners:

 

California Dairy Research Foundation: This project will build climate-smart dairy markets and provide financial incentives for dairy producers to adopt climate-smart manure management practices to reduce methane emissions, leveraging matching funding from non-federal sources.

Lead Partner: California Dairy Research Foundation

Other Major Partners: California Department of Food and Agriculture, California Association of Resource Conservation Districts, California Milk Advisory Board, Dairy Cares, California Dairy Campaign, California Dairy Quality Assurance Program, Milk Producers Council, National Milk Producers Federation, Sustainable Conservation, Western United Dairies, California Farm Bureau Federation, University of California, Davis, University of California, Riverside, University of California Cooperative Extension, Truterra, California Dairies, Inc., Challenge Dairy Products, Nestlé

Primary States Expected: California

Major Commodities: Dairy

Approximate Funding Ceiling: $85,000,000

 

National Sorghum Producers: This project will implement climate-smart production practices across hundreds of thousands of acres of sorghum working lands, with the goal of reducing hundreds of millions of pounds of carbon emissions and developing markets for sorghum as a climate-smart commodity.

Lead Partner: National Sorghum Producers Association

Other Major Partners: KS Black Farmers Assoc.; Peoria Tribe of Indians of OK; KS AgriWomen; Women Managing the Farm; CO, KS, NM, OK & TX Sorghum Assocs; United Sorghum Checkoff, Prairie View A&M, CO State, TX Tech, TX A&M, KS State and OK State Univ.; NM & KS Depts of Agriculture; Field to Market; RIPE; Trust in Food™; Natl. Cotton Council; Amer. Coalit. for Ethanol; KS Water, Pheasants/Quail Forever; Salk Institute; Danforth Center; Galvanize Clim. Solut.; Arable; Argonne Natl Lab; K-Coe Isom; Sust Envir Consult; ServiTech, Danone; Kashi; Bayer Crop Sci; ADM; Conestoga Energy; KS Ethanol; Pratt, West. Plains & Energy; Nu Life Market; CoBank; & High Plains Farm Credit

Primary States Expected: Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Tribal

Major Commodities: Sorghum

Approximate Funding Ceiling: $65,000,000

 

Elevated Foods: This project will implement climate-smart production practices, activities, and systems on a large scale across cropland planted to fruits and vegetables, with a particular focus on fresh fruit and vegetable crops. Partners propose to implement practices on hundreds of thousands of acres planted to fruit and vegetables in key growing regions across the United States, and extend the producer reach to urban farmers in Orange County, California, and the Navajo Nation, to meet the needs of small and underserved producers.

Lead Partner: Elevated Foods Inc

Other Major Partners: California Department of Food & Agriculture, World Wildlife Fund, Solutions for Urban Agriculture, AgLaunch, Understanding Ag, Soil Health Academy, University of Arizona Cooperative Extension, Feeding the Northwest, CropTrak, Regenified, Synoptek

Primary States Expected: Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Missouri, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee, Tribal

Major Commodities: Apples, Grapes, Fruits and Vegetables

Approximate Funding Ceiling: $20,000,000

 

A second round of Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities grants will be announced later in the year.

 

Morrison has extensive experience writing successful applications for clients for USDA programs. For more information on how Morrison can help your business or organization secure state or federal grant funding, please contact the Morrison Grants Team by email at grants@morrisonco.net or call us at 530-893-4764.

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