Posted on April, 9, 2025 at 09:11 am
An agricultural nonprofit says USDA is expected to make decisions on the future of Climate Smart Commodity Programs and frozen assets by the end of the month.
Michigan Agriculture Advancement’s Julie Doll tells Brownfield,“Let’s try to hold them to this.”
“If they have said 90 days, I feel very strongly that they should provide us with answers and end this uncertainty,” she stresses.
More than $3 billion in funding for USDA Climate Smart Programs has been frozen since late January. Doll’s group is partnering with Star of the West Milling Company and others to expand food-grade grain markets as part of a $5 million climate grant.
She says project goals would remain even if grant language needed to adapt to the new administration.
“At the core of our work is really good programming, supporting farmers to do soil health management and to improve soil and water quality, and to support farmers who are interested in moving further along the sustainable, regenerative path,” she explains.
The Erb Family Foundation in Michigan has provided a three-month “bridge” for their work to continue but Doll says farmer payments are still on hold.
She says the group will host a Food Grade Grains Field Day on June 10th and hopefully have more answers before then.
Source: Brownfield