Last Updated: April 29, 2025 For more than three months, billions of dollars of lawfully obligated USDA funding have been frozen or terminated. While the agency has still not made public the full scope of what remains frozen or targeted for termination, the harms to communities, farmers, and organizations are already clear. This blog post […]
Partnership for Climate-Smart Commodities
Release: NSAC Responds to USDA Announcement on Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities Program
For Immediate Release Contact: Laura Zaks National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition Email: press@sustainableagriculture.net Tel. 347.563.6408 Release: NSAC Responds to USDA Announcement on Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities Program Widespread Farmer Support Informs USDA Decision to Rebrand Program and Restart Payments, but Overhaul Nonetheless Disregards Lawful Agreements with Farmer-Serving Organizations Washington, DC, April 14, 2025 – Today, the […]
Farmers Lose When Climate-Smart Partnerships are Frozen
Recent Executive Orders have led to the freezing of billions of dollars of already committed grant money, including funds for the Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities (PCSC), an innovative program to support public-private partnerships to develop markets for climate-smart agricultural commodities. Through PCSC, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has entered into agreements with 135 partner […]
Release: Farmers Shine Spotlight on Vital Impact of Climate Funding at the IRA Conservation and Farmers Roundtable
Members of the House Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition (SEEC) hosted a public roundtable highlighting the Inflation Reduction Act’s (IRA) transformational investments in climate and clean energy solutions for America’s food producers. Farmers from across the country discussed firsthand how the IRA has provided much-needed, long-sought federal funding to bolster farmer-led conservation efforts. Farmers’ firsthand stories of how climate change is affecting their farms demonstrate the importance of protecting the federal programs helping them build resilience. … Read More →
Who Benefits? A Look at the Partnership for Climate Smart Commodities Preliminary Awards
In February 2022, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) first announced details of its Partnerships for Climate Smart Commodities (PCSC). The PCSC is a centerpiece of the Biden Administration’s strategy to help farmers and ranchers address climate change. In late 2022 USDA announced further details about projects, and more recently debuted the Partnerships Network. As the PCSC ramps up in earnest, now is an important moment to take stock of where the program stands and gauge its future promise. … Read More →
Climate and Agriculture Policy Recommendations from House Climate Leaders
Two different bodies within the House of Representatives recently released recommendations for how to address climate change in agricultural legislation. Members of the Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition (SEEC) provided recommendations to House leadership on how to address climate change in the 2023 Farm Bill reauthorization. In addition, the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis (HSCCC) released a final report on its accomplishments as well as additional opportunities–including those that can be included in the next Farm Bill…. Read More →
Release: USDA Announces Second Round of Partnership for Climate-Smart Commodities Awards
Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced the second-round awardees of the Partnership for Climate-Smart Commodities, a USDA effort to combat the climate crisis by partnering with agriculture, forestry, and rural communities to provide climate solutions that strengthen rural America. NSAC is pleased to see that the Administration’s latest round of awards will benefit more than 30 minority-serving institutions and more than 20 Tribal partners…. Read More →