Earth Day was first celebrated 54 years ago, and over the years America’s farmers, ranchers and forest landowners have seen for themselves the effects of climate change. Producers are also uniquely positioned to deliver climate-change solutions by implementing Climate-Smart Agriculture and Forestry Mitigation Activities on their operations. And now these activities are not only supported by Farm Bill funding, but also supported by additional funding from the Inflation Reduction Act.
The Inflation Reduction Act represents the single largest investment in climate and clean energy solutions in American history. It provides an additional $19.5 billion to existing Farm Bill funds to help support USDA’s conservation programs that yield climate mitigation benefits while building resilience to climate change in agricultural operations. These activities conserve natural resources, build healthier soils, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and sequester carbon.
And the Inflation Reduction Act is enabling USDA to get more financial assistance to producers for conservation than ever before. In fiscal year 2023, USDA supported more than 45,000 conservation contracts, more than any year in the 89-year history of USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, totaling over $2.8 billion in financial assistance to producers for conservation efforts.
Earth Day is a day to recognize the producers who are investing in the climate solutions that will ensure a prosperous agricultural future for generations to come.
Please join us in thanking our nation’s producers and wishing them a happy Earth Day!
