2022 Fall Farm Outlook

2022 Fall Farm Outlook Lincoln Daily News Oct 2022 Page 25 Any farmer knows that working in agribusiness is not a solo career. It takes community efforts and a vast network of resources to operate a farm. One of many organizations that reach out to individuals and organizations alike is the USDA, and every year they award grants to groups of applicants that work together as part of such a network. The USDA has awarded two specific grants this year that will potentially help farmers not just in Illinois, but across the country. Both of these grants are part of the Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities program. The USDA describes this program as one that is “committed to supporting a diverse range of farmers, ranchers, and private forest landowners through Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities. This effort will expand markets for America’s climate- smart commodities, leverage the greenhouse gas benefits of climate-smart commodity production, and provide direct, meaningful benefits to production agriculture, including for small and under-served producers.” An important aspect of this program is that the grants found under it are not for individual farmers. Instead, there is a specific list of requirements for potential applicants. According to the USDA website, applicants for grants like these are: “County, city or township governments; special district governments; state governments; small businesses; for-profit organizations other than small businesses; federally recognized Native American Tribal governments; Native American Tribal organizations other than federally recognized Tribal governments; nonprofits that have a 501(c)(3); nonprofits that do not have a 501(c) (3); private institutions of higher education; and public and state-controlled institutions of higher education.” Additionally, small-scale agricultural producers and forest landowners may be part of larger grant applications in conjunction with these groups. One such grant, for $95 million, was awarded to Farmers for Soil Health (FSH). According to their website, FSH is a multi- state organization that works “with the Soy Checkoff, Pork Checkoff, National Corn Growers Association and American Soybean Association to create a farmer-led cover crop program that advances the use of soil health USDA FUNDED CLIMATE SMART PROGRAMS CONTINUED --