CULTIVATING SUSTAINABILITY
SUSTAINABLY SPEAKING, WITH DR. DAN
Blue Diamond Growers Climate-Smart Commodities Grant from the USDA
Who is eligible to receive the grant funding? Blue Diamond grower members are eligible to receive the grant funding. Members will be required to enroll in OSIP (our Orchard Stewardship Incentive Program) and participate in CASP (the California Almond Stewardship Platform from the Almond Board of California) to receive funding. What does the funding pay for? The grant funds growers for implementing one or more of the following practices: •Annual cover cropping •Conservation plantings (i.e. permanent cover crops outside the orchard/bee pastures) •Permanent hedgerow plantings (pollinator-friendly trees and shrubs) •Whole orchard recycling Some of the funding of these practices will be through our partners (for example, to provide things like cover crop seed direct to growers, as opposed to growers being paid to go out and purchase seed). How much will growers get paid? There are many details to be worked out yet. The $45 million awarded was less than our proposal request, so our budgets must be reconfigured and adjusted accordingly. Also, annual cover cropping, conservation plantings, and permanent hedgerows will be managed through our partners Project Apis m . and Pollinator Partnership, who will be funded to provide growers seed, transplants, planting assistance, advice, and more. This reduces or eliminates up- front costs to the grower and enables technical assistance beyond what Blue Diamond can provide. The goal is to cover a significant portion of implementing practices for our members, but it may not add up to 100% of the costs.
As was reported in the last issue of Almond Facts , on September 14 the USDA announced they will be awarding Blue Diamond Growers up to $45 million from the Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities grant fund. At the urging of our Government and Public Relations team, the Sustainability Program and Member Relations assembled a team of partners to write and submit a proposal in May of this year. The proposal was one of over 1,050 submitted, and one of 70 selected for funding — but also one of a handful that were funded to address specialty crops. We will use these funds to support implementation of specific “climate-smart” practices (which are designed to combat climate change) on Blue Diamond member orchards. Besides the USDA focus on aiding farmers in adopting practices, a second requirement of proposals was that they must connect these climate-smart practices to markets. As you’ve read previously in this column, using our sustainability activities to drive business growth is a focus of our strategy. Near the end of October, the USDA began a contracting process with Blue Diamond outlining the deliverables and activities eligible for funding under the grant. Once that is finished, Blue Diamond will have to hire coordinators and set up the program structure. Members and others likely have questions. While we are still very early in the process, we provide some answers here.
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ALMOND FACTS
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