Developing Climate-Smart Grain Markets in the Mid-South through Diverse Partnerships and a Farming-Systems Approach to Practice Integration to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Notice: _On April 14, 2025, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced the cancellation of the Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities (PCSC). The USDA plans to reform the program into the Advancing Markets for Producers (AMP) initiative. Contact your local USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) for more information on how to apply to the AMP initiative. _

This project seeks to demonstrate the viability of growing climate-smart (CS) grains that are sold to poultry feed operations. This project will develop a pilot program for grain producers to utilize multiple climate-smart practices to achieve greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions.

The pilot program includes a monitoring /verification system, local climate-smart market opportunity for direct sale, and tracking CS grain to broiler operations. Soil sampling and GHG emissions monitoring is planned to be conducted on a subset of the incentivized acres and the data will be utilized to refine a generalized regional scale model of estimated suitability for climate smart systems and prediction of benefits.  Verified GHG emissions reports and ownership of verified emission reductions is planned to be directly provided to producers as the owners.

The project plans to establish a direct market for sale of climate-smart grains through partnerships with local poultry industries who source grain as a key feed ingredient. Historically underserved producers are planned to receive a 15% higher payment to incentivize climate smart practice implementation.

The project plans for 50% of annual producer enrollment and incentive payments to be directed to minority or underserved producers.

Those interested in participating in this pilot project can contact Beth Baker for more information.