CULTIVATING SUSTAINABILITY
Looking Forward for the CSG While the application period for the 2023 CSG ended in August, growers can still look forward to its reopening in Spring 2024. Our team is diligently working to extend the program’s offerings to include hedgerows and whole orchard recycling in the next grant cycle. As we gather more data and insights around the USDA requirements surrounding certain practices, we will keep our grower- owner community informed. Even without the inclusion of hedgerows and whole orchard recycling in its inaugural year, the CSG has already accomplished notable wins. The CSG has made significant strides in lowering the financial barrier for the adoption of cover crops and conservation cover, making BFF Certification, and the OSIP Triple Diamond status, more accessible. It has also laid the groundwork for developing additional programs associated with climate-smart practice implementation, programs that will score market premiums for almonds. Moving forward, we remain committed to driving innovation and sustainability, leveraging the CSG to maximize returns for our growers. We thank you for your continued support and stewardship efforts. You can learn more about our USDA Climate-Smart Grant by going to our webpage: bluediamondgrowers.com/usda-clim
•Establishing permanent nesting habitat through features like hedgerows.
We are incredibly excited that the CSG helps growers achieve these BFF requirements for little to no cost. It is a significant step towards helping make the financial benefits of our stewardship program more accessible for our growers. Note: To achieve BFF certification for the 2023 crop year, you will need to meet these requirements by Fall 2023. Market Premiums for Climate-Smart Practices The CSG involves more than implementing climate-smart practices on-farm. While on-farm implementation is a vital component, it is only one part of the bigger program. The CSG program has four key areas designed to generate premiums for almonds grown with climate-smart farming practices: 1. Grower implementation — Engaging Blue Diamond growers to adopt climate-smart farming practices. 2. Greenhouse Gas (GHG) and Ecosystem Services Measuremen t — Establishing methods to measure and verify the environmental benefits of these practices. 3. Traceability — Creating a system to link and trace these benefits from almond orchards to the end products in our supply chain, enhancing transparency and credibility. 4. Sales and Marketing of Benefits — Developing market-based mechanisms to capture a premium for these environmental benefits. Although we are still in the initial stages of researching how to both quantify the benefits and to capture premiums from this program in the marketplace, the goal is to make the CSG stewardship profitable for you as a grower and help fund stewardship practices in the long term.
Erik Stanek, Sustainability Specialist, Blue Diamond Growers
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ALMOND FACTS
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