USDA Looks To Promote Climate Smart Commodities

"I'm hopeful this moth that we will establish the framework for what we refer to as the Climate Smart Agriculture and Forestry Partnership Initiative," Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said recently while speaking at a bi-partisan policy council web event. He noted the initiative will be important in establishing climate smart commodities and particularly, "What does it mean to be a climate smart commodity?  How do you measure it?  How do you quantify it?  How do you guarantee and verify that, indeed, a particular product is a climate smart commodity?"

Vilsack said the role of large-scale pilot and demonstration projects funded through this initiative will provide the data, measurements and, eventually, standards for climate smart commodities. And for producers to, "be able to say to the industry, farmers have now have met the standard and they need to be rewarded for that standard.  They can be rewarded not only in the market value of those climate smart commodities, but also in the ability to quality for private markets...a tremendous opportunity for different revenue streams; new revenue streams that haven't been created before, so that farmers are benefited."

If you have a story idea for the PNW Ag Network, call (509) 547-1618, or e-mail gvaagen@cherrycreekmedia.com