We know it is a busy time of year, and it’s a full season at A Greener World (AGW) too. This week, the focus of our update is on a grant opportunity for producers farming in the United States (whether you’re certified or not). Please read on for details and be in touch with us if you have questions about the project. For those of you farming in locations outside of the U.S., please be assured that we will continue to keep our eyes and ears open for grants for producers in other countries and will share as applicable. Also, the holiday season is fast approaching, and we would like to help promote AGW-certified farmers’ holiday specials. We will be in touch soon with a call for holiday specials, promotions, gift boxes, and more that we can help promote to our wider network. Lastly, stay tuned for the newest issue of Sustainable Farming, as it will be hitting inboxes (and doorsteps for print subscribers) in just a few days. Thanks for your continued work in building a greener world.

Grant Opportunity: USDA Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities grant project

AGW, along with project partners Rural Advancement Foundation International (RAFI) and the Soil Health Institute (SHI), was awarded a USDA Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities Grant for our project called “Increasing Accessibility to Regenerative Farming Practices and Markets for Small and/or Underserved Producers.” If you have considered regenerative certification and/or are already using regenerative practices on your farm, this is a wonderful opportunity to be compensated. The project provides a framework for farmers to transition towards regenerative practices, improve their farm operations, gain access to regenerative and climate-smart markets, and become part of a growing network of farmers committed to environmental stewardship.

Eligibility: The project is a good fit for farmers who have full management control of their farms and for farmers seeking clear traceability of their products. We invite a range of farming systems and scales, including livestock production, cropping or both. The project includes farmers producing the following commodities:

• Livestock: dairy cows, beef cattle, sheep, goats and swine
• Row crops: corn, soybeans, barley, oats, rye, triticale, cotton, peanuts, sunflowers, potatoes, kidney beans, alfalfa, clover, rice and wheat
• Specialty crops: peas, pumpkins, squash, kale, green beans, beets carrots and a range of fruits

Benefits: Through participation, farmers receive:

• A $1250 stipend to cover time spent on climate-smart regenerative farm planning and emissions reduction plan design.
• Auditing and certification with Certified Regenerative by AGW (up to a $2050 value), third-party verification to help access new climate-smart markets and premiums.
• Access to incentive payments averaging $10,000, dependent on emissions reductions and specific implementation of climate-smart agriculture and forestry practices.
• Technical assistance through RAFI and customized marketing and labeling support through AGW

Please complete info. The deadline to fill out the interest form is December 15, 2023.

In the Media

• PAHomepage.com features The Lands at Hillside Farms in Shavertown, PA in “Elementary Students learn about farm animals.”
• Forbes and ABC7 San Francisco feature Big Picture Farm in Townshend, VT in “Best Things we ate October 2023” and “25 advent calendars that will bring joy to every person on your gift list”

You can help us reach more farmers by sharing our weekly farmer updates. Just pass this linkalong and thanks for helping us get the word out about farmer resources and AGW-certified businesses.