Omnibus Includes Growing Climate Solutions Act, SUSTAINS Act

The National Milk Producers Federation commended Congress this week for including the Growing Climate Solutions Act and the SUSTAINS Act in its final fiscal year 2023 budget package.

The measures, NMPF said, will help dairy producers seek additional sustainability opportunities as they work to fulfill the dairy sector’s voluntary, producer-led goal of becoming greenhouse gas neutral or better by 2050.

The Growing Climate Solutions Act would enable USDA to register technical service providers that help farmers implement stewardship practices that can generate credits on environmental markets.  The SUSTAINS Act would allow private sector funds to supplement existing funding for farm bill conservation programs, which are continuously oversubscribed.

The Senate will vote on the omnibus appropriations bill this week which also includes $40 billion in disaster funding.

"Environmental markets and conservation programs have the potential to meaningfully assist dairy producers as they work to meet their 2050 environmental stewardship goals," said NMPF president and CEO Jim Mulhern.

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