NEWS IN A NUTSHELL
USDA Under Secretary, Robert Bonnie, Visits a Blue Diamond Orchard and the Almond Innovation Center®
Blue Diamond showcased their application of the $45 million Climate-Smart Commodities Grant awarded by the USDA
The USDA Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation, Robert Bonnie, met with Blue Diamond team members for an orchard tour followed by a discussion at the Almond Innovation Center ® in Sacramento. Joining Under Secretary Bonnie were members of the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Division: State Conservationist, Carlos Suarez, Deputy State Conservationist, RaeAnn Dubay, State Resource Conservationist, Jon Gustafson, and Public Affairs and Outreach Director, Jonathan Groveman. Mr. Bonnie and the NRCS team toured Blue Diamond farmer Ben King’s orchard along with Blue Diamond team members. Dr. Dan Sonke, Head of Sustainability for Blue Diamond, provided insight into the engagement Blue Diamond ’s participating farmers, like King, have made with the $45 million USDA Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities grant awarded to Blue Diamond . The project is one of approximately 140 grant projects being funded by the USDA’s Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities. The USDA is investing $3 billion to build and expand markets for commodities made with climate-smart practices. To advance rural communities, the department hopes to increase the competitive advantage of U.S. agriculture both domestically and internationally. These climate-smart projects support a diverse range of producers and operations as they voluntarily adopt climate-smart agricultural practices and market their climate-smart commodities.
The Blue Diamond team shared the work they are accomplishing with grant partners: Project Apis m . (P Am .) and Pollinator Partnership (P2). P Am . provides participating Blue Diamond farmers with funds and resources to plant temporary cover crops through the “Seeds for Bees” program and perennial conservation cover. P2 supports Blue Diamond farmers implementing permanent pollinator habitat with hedgerows. These practices are supported by the USDA’s grant, which was awarded to Blue Diamond in 2023, and is being disbursed over five years to support participating farmers’ sustainability activities and to develop markets for those climate-smart commodities. Under Secretary Bonnie was shown that, like many Blue Diamond farmers, King’s application of the USDA- awarded Climate-Smart Grant has enhanced his ability to
Dr. Dan Sonke, Head of Sustainability, Blue Diamond Growers discusses Blue Diamond‘s utilization of the $45 million USDA grant with Under Secretary Robert Bonnie at the Almond Innovation Center ®
I appreciate what you [Blue Diamond] are doing with the grant to help position American agriculture as a leader in delivering climate solutions. —Robert Bonnie, USDA Under Secretary
18
ALMOND FACTS
Made with FlippingBook - Online Brochure Maker