The federal government is adding financial support for farmers in Texas and across the U.S. to adopt climate-friendly practices.

This month, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced a $1 billion investment encouraging farmers and landowners to implement tools such as cover crops and nutrient management.

Aliza Wasserman-Drewes, executive director of Rural Investment to Protect our Environment, said existing climate-smart program ideas are more of a cost-share model.

"And that is not a way that will really work for farmers to scale up their adoption of these practices," Wasserman-Drewes asserted.

Wasserman-Drewes' group is pushing for a model to pay farmers a minimum of $100 an acre for stewardship practices. Meanwhile, the USDA is accepting applications for pilot projects. Public and private entities from small businesses to tribal governments to colleges can apply.

Wasserman-Drewes feels there are a lot of producers who want to change how they grow their crops, so they can improve soil health and protect surrounding waterways.

But she noted existing programs and markets can leave them wondering if they should take on the risk.

"And the core concern is always, 'Do I invest in my business or do I invest in something that is maybe good for the long term, but I don't have the new-term funding to do so,'" Wasserman-Drewes explained.

Other supporters of the new federal initiative pointed out it leans on the idea of collective efforts, rather than individual farmers seeking reimbursement through long-standing cost-share programs. The USDA said it hopes the initiative will reach historically underrepresented communities.

Minnesota has had a dry start to the fall but saw record rain this past spring.

One farmer said changes to his land made it easier for the crop fields to survive, an encouraging sign in a more industrialized farming era. High rainfall amounts from April through June contributed to flooding in some parts of the state.

Adam Griebie, a Hutchinson-area farmer, no longer sees huge ponding and gullying in his fields after a heavy rain. The solution is a series of water retention basins funded by federal conservation programs. He said it is a big sigh of relief to the soil on his property.

"I like to say it slows the water down," Griebie explained. "The slower the water moves, the less that it erodes and gathers nutrients and pollutants."

Not only does it mean his crops are in solid shape for the fall harvest, local waterways are not exposed to harmful runoff. Griebie estimated eight surrounding farms also embrace the approach.

He pointed out it is harder for smaller operations like his to compete at a time when factory farms proliferate across the U.S. and despite the popularity of conservation incentives, he said there are still barriers to accessing them.

Over the past few years, the USDA has announced funding to improve access to these programs, often for selected projects involving historically disadvantaged farmers.

Even with the challenges in applying for cost-sharing aid, Griebie noted initiatives like the Environmental Quality Incentives Program help to ensure independent farms will not disappear, potentially giving them an edge as the nation rethinks how food is produced under the threat of climate change.

"It really gives us small to mid-sized farmers that opportunity to do the right thing," Griebie emphasized.

He has also tapped into incentives to improve prairie habitat. According to the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, only 26% of Environmental Quality Incentives Program applicants in Minnesota were awarded contracts. The Land Stewardship Project found hundreds of millions of dollars in funds have been spent on projects to support factory-farm operations, providing little environmental benefit.


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Access to nutritious food can be hard to come by for underserved populations.

A Wisconsin program that relies on contributions from locally based producers serves as a go-between, with the added bonus of a smaller climate impact.

The state's Local Food Purchase Assistance Program is closing in on its second anniversary.

Under the initiative, farmers around Wisconsin are awarded grants to set aside some of their fresh produce and other items that get picked up and distributed to hunger relief sites.

The Wisconsin Farmers Union helps lead the effort, and the organization's Local Foods Organizer Forrest Humphrey said one of the benefits is helping smaller farms expand their markets.

"This guaranteed income has allowed farms to invest in their operations, and do things that they otherwise wouldn't be able to do," said Humphrey, "because we've been able to provide some stability through some unpredictable growing seasons."

And for people seeking help from hunger-fighting groups, their outcomes might improve if food insecurity becomes one less thing to worry about.

Meanwhile, agriculture and the food-production system are under pressure to reduce their carbon footprint.

Humphrey said the program allows sites to order food in bulk that doesn't have to travel from other regions or states, potentially reducing transportation emissions linked to supply chains.

Researchers say there's debate over just how effective locally grown food is in reducing emissions, when focusing on how products are delivered.

Still, Humphrey pointed out that a number of the small farms signed up for the program prioritize climate-friendly practices.

"We have producers, for example, who are providing some really, really high-quality grass-fed beef into the program," said Humphrey. "And the reason that they're able to do that is because they have a really sophisticated managed grazing setup on their farms."

The exact climate impact of the program is unclear - but officials say, so far, it has served 70 counties across Wisconsin, with nearly $3 million worth of food delivered.

Organizers are hosting several events this fall to provide technical guidance and other resources as local partners try to sustain these newer, more efficient supply chains.




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Massachusetts fishermen said they are optimistic the next Farm Bill will provide greater support to smaller, community-based fishing fleets.

The bill's framework includes provisions to increase the amount of domestic seafood purchased for federal nutrition programs and creates a special seafood liaison to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

John Pappalardo, CEO of the Cape Cod Fishermen's Alliance, said the liaison could help local fishermen gain access to federal programs geared toward larger farming operations.

"Hopefully we can put somebody in the USDA that talks fish and talks ocean," Pappalardo explained. "Lock some of those opportunities for the smaller food producers like the fishermen on Cape Cod and in the Commonwealth."

The Farm Bill is renewed every five years and Pappalardo said fishing groups have been lobbying to raise the industry's value within the Department of Agriculture. The U.S. currently imports roughly 65% of its seafood.

The Farm Bill remains the largest source of federal funding for America's food producers and Pappalardo observed ensuring initiatives for fishermen in the bill is a bit like "herring pushing upstream, battling a political flow."

He argued it is important local fishermen and the businesses that support them have a level playing field with farmers, ranchers and loggers.

"The United States is divided into eight regions when it comes to fisheries management," Pappalardo pointed out. "We'd like to see each region have an opportunity to participate in the funding and training opportunities that are currently in the Farm Bill for farmers."

Pappalardo wants an expansion of the 2020 Young Fishermen's Development Act in the Farm Bill to ensure the next generation get the training it needs to grow the seafood industry, while preserving the traditions of independent small-boat fisheries supporting communities like on Cape Cod. He said one day perhaps the Farm Bill could even be renamed the "Food Bill."


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