In 2022, U.S. Department of Agriculture announced the investment of $3.1 billion for 141 projects through the Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities. With billions of dollars being invested in climate-smart, are farmers participating and how can a farm identify which on-farm project is the best fit? Drew Kessler, senior scientist at Houston Engineering, shares what farmers should consider when engaging with a climate-smart program, time commitment, benefits, tools and unique ways farmers engage their communities on conservation efforts. Dairy Stream host Joanna Guza dives into the topics below with Drew:
1:45: Increased conservation efforts
2:45: What commodities Drew works with
3:22: What should farmers look for when engaging with a climate smart program
7:37: Time commitment to participate
10:15 What happens after 2028
11:26: Example of a farm’s involvement
13:11: What benefits do farmers receive from data collection
15:39: Tools and platforms
20:52: How to understand the data
25:12: Could a farm be penalize for sharing their data, data security
28:47: Watch-outs with joining groups
30:11: How farms share information with their communities
31:33: Future of on-farm sustainability programs

Special thanks to The Nature Conservancy of Wisconsin for sponsoring this episode.
About the guest:
Drew Kessler is the Senior Scientist at Houston Engineering. He leads Houston Engineering’s Environmental Service Sector. He has been working at Houston Engineering for over 10 years during which he’s grown the company’s connections to the food and dairy industry. Prior to joining Houston, Drew spent 10 years in academia focused on environmental research.

The Farmers for Sustainable Food (FSF) Climate-Smart Project is the culmination of years of proven on-farm, farmer-led sustainability work. We bring extensive experience with farm-level sustainability projects to facilitate locally focused initiatives that support targeted environmental concerns.
Our project stands out among the rest in three important ways:
Farmer-driven: No requirement for farmers to implement any specific practices, individual farm groups determine the area of focus.
Incentives: Stipends available up to $9,000 a year based on level of participation
Hands-on support: Technical support at the farm level to help participants understand their scores and how to leverage their data into management decisions for positive environmental and financial outcomes.
Learn more here: farmersforsustainablefood.com/climate-smart/