Quantified Ventures and Soil and Water Outcomes Fund Among Partners on Three Projects Awarded Climate-Smart Commodity Funds Through USDA

Approximate Funding Ceiling for the Three Projects Totals $215 Million;
Projects Will Develop Climate-Smart Commodity Markets Across 33 States

Quantified Ventures and the Soil and Water Outcomes Fund are among the key partners on three of the projects awarded funding through the USDA’s Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities initiative on September 14, 2022.

The three projects are the Midwest Climate-Smart Commodity Program (with an approximate funding ceiling of $95 million), the U.S. Climate-Smart Cotton Program (with an approximate funding ceiling of $90 million), and the New England Climate-Smart Forest Partnership Project (with an approximate funding ceiling of $30 million).

Only 41 projects nationwide were awarded with approximate funding ceilings of $30 million or more from the 1,000-plus applications received by USDA.

This project will build markets and provide funding to farmers via outcome-based contracts for the reduction and removal of carbon dioxide through the adoption of new climate-smart practices. The remaining project funding will support farmer enrollment assistance, carbon quantification, technical assistance support, measurement, reporting and verification, and underserved farmer outreach and enrollment.

Approximate Funding Ceiling: $95 Million

Primary States Expected: IL, IN, IA, KS, NE, ND, OH, WI, SD, MO, MI, MN

Lead Partner: Iowa Soybean Association

Partner Organization: Soil and Water Outcomes Fund / ReHarvest Partners

This project will build markets for climate-smart cotton and provide technical and financial assistance to over 1,000 U.S. cotton farmers, including underserved cotton producers, to advance adoption of climate-smart practices on more than 1 million acres, producing millions of bales of Climate-Smart Cotton over five years, and demonstrating major carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) reductions and millions of dollars of economic benefits to farmers.

Approximate Funding Ceiling: $90 Million

Primary States Expected: AL, AZ, AR, CA, FL, GA, KS, LA, MO, MS, NC, NM, OK, SC, TN, TX, VA

Lead Partner: U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol

Partner Organization: Soil and Water Outcomes Fund

This project will implement forest management practices with large commercial producers and smaller woodlot owners to store more carbon in the forest, quantify the resulting carbon gains, and build markets for climate-smart forest products to store carbon in wood products and substitute wood products for fossil fuel-based materials.

Approximate Funding Ceiling: $30 Million

Primary States Expected: ME, MA, NH, VT, CT, RI

Lead Partner: New England Forestry Foundation

Partner Organization: Quantified Ventures