At a roundtable discussion, Secretary Vilsack announced a $90 million investment by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in 53 Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) projects. This funding, bolstered by President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, supports the development of new tools, practices, and technologies for natural resource conservation on private lands. The focus includes innovative solutions to reduce livestock emissions of enteric methane, a potent greenhouse gas.

“Over the last 20 years, USDA’s Conservation Innovation Grants have spurred new tools and technologies that conserve natural resources, build resilience, and improve the bottom lines of producers,” Vilsack stated. “Thanks to President Biden’s historic Inflation Reduction Act, we can further empower our conservation partners and meet the growing demand from producers for sustainable practices.”

The USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will distribute over $69.7 million for CIG On-Farm Trials projects and more than $20.2 million for CIG Classic projects. The Inflation Reduction Act provides $19.5 billion over five years to support USDA’s oversubscribed conservation programs, including CIG grants. This funding directly benefits local communities, helping farmers with financial assistance to implement conservation and climate-smart practices.

Two notable CIG projects will be implemented in Pennsylvania. One aims to enhance nutrient management in the Chesapeake Bay watershed through innovative farm management decisions. The other focuses on using precision agriculture technology to measure forage availability on dairy farms. This project will provide technical assistance, data collection, and evaluation of both economic and conservation impacts, facilitating the transition from continuous grazing to managed grazing.

“Inside the work of investing is being creative. Thinking about how and what we need to do, particularly when agriculture is confronted with some of the most important issues of our time. How you do that is part of the collective challenge that we talk about today” said Secretary Redding during the roundtable discussion.

“I think that’s the important space that the Secretary has done, and what we as a state, Governors Shapiro, has done is to think about the intersections. We believe strongly that there’s an opportunity in agriculture and connecting our food systems to the environment, climate, youth and education. All of that combined allows us to position both the state and industry to prepare for that future.”

The Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) program addresses challenges related to water quality, air quality, soil health, and wildlife habitat, while improving agricultural operations. Since its inception in 2004, CIG has invested $541.9 million in 929 innovative projects involving 467 partners, with $170 million allocated to 121 projects under the Biden-Harris Administration.

The national CIG program is divided into CIG On-Farm Conservation Innovation Trials and CIG Classic. The CIG Classic program develops new tools and strategies for next-generation conservation efforts and market-based solutions. This year’s priorities included forestry, habitat conservation, local water quality improvement, energy conservation, economics, and strengthening conservation through Indigenous knowledge.