Jeanne Merrill

Final Budget Deal Restores Funding for Healthy Soils, SWEEP

June 26, 2018 by Jeanne Merrill Leave a Comment

One of CalCAN’s top priorities for the year was to restore funding to the Healthy Soils Program and the State Water Efficiency and Enhancement Program (SWEEP), two Climate Smart Agriculture programs that had their budgets eliminated last year.

We succeeded, with considerable effort by many of you, our coalition partners, who made the case to the Governor and to the legislature about the importance of these programs. But our collective success comes at much lower funding levels than what is needed to reach the majority of the state’s diverse farming community.

In a deal with Governor Brown, this week the legislature finalized a package of climate change investments funded by cap-and-trade revenue. Combined with funding in Proposition 68 that voters supported in June (more on this below), this deal improves upon last year’s massive cuts to our key programs.

CalCAN and our partners advocated for $25 million for Healthy Soils and $40 million for SWEEP. With the inclusion of Proposition 68 bond dollars, the programs will receive roughly half of what we believe is necessary for the programs based on farmer demand and scope of work. Disappointingly, the budgets of these past two years represent a shift away from transformative climate change programs.

Here are the final budgets for FY 2018 – 2019:

	Healthy Soils	SWEEP	Dairy Methane (AMMP and Digesters)
Prop 68	$9 million	$18 million	N/A
Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund	$5 million	$0	$99 million
TOTAL	$14 million	$18 million	$99 million

We also advocated for funding for a relatively new program aimed at reducing methane emissions from dairies and livestock operations. However, despite our calls for a specific funding allocation for the Alternative Manure Management Program (AMMP), the legislature has yet again left it up to the discretion of the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) to determine the funding split between the two Dairy Methane programs it manages: AMMP and the Dairy Digester Research and Development Program. Without clear criteria for how to determine the funding split we remain concerned that despite high dairy producer demand for AMMP, the bulk of the Dairy Methane funds will likely go to digesters as they did last year.

The Sustainable Agricultural Lands Conservation Program (SALCP) is the only Climate Smart Agriculture Program with a continuous appropriation and it is not part of the annual budget process. Sixty percent of California’s cap-and-trade funds are continuously appropriated to several climate change programs including High Speed Rail, Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities, SALCP and others. The rest of the cap-and-trade funded climate change programs are decided annually in the budget process, including Healthy Soils and SWEEP.

$1.4 billion in climate investments

The package of annual climate change investments totals $1.4 billion with the majority of the funds going towards tail pipe emissions programs (e.g. zero emission cars, clean fleet incentives, etc.), AB 617 implementation (i.e. toxic air pollutant monitoring and technical assistance) and conventional agriculture funding asks. More on that below.

Here is the funding summary:

What were the budget dynamics this year?

New this year was Proposition 68, a natural resources bond measure that was approved by voters in June 2018. It provides $4 billion in multi-year funding for parks, water infrastructure, climate change adaptation work, state conservancies and more. The bond’s passage, which CalCAN supported, is important for reinvesting in natural and working lands programs, but it also impacted this year’s cap-and-trade budget debate.

There was a push by the administration and some in the legislature to limit natural and working lands climate change investments this year, arguing that the bond dollars were sufficient to cover these needs. However, the bond does not fund all the same programs as the climate change investment programs and cannot fund some important activities, including technical assistance. CalCAN and several of our allies in the natural resources community were able to argue for the inclusion of many of our programs in the final funding deal, but some programs did not receive cap-and-trade funding and must rely exclusively on one-time bond funding, including SWEEP.

Another important dynamic, like last year, was that Governor Brown and some members of the legislature remained committed to funding $300 million in conventional agriculture trade groups requests from the cap-and-trade budget. We reported on this last year when a deal was struck between ag trade groups, the administration and legislative leaders to support the cap-and-trade program extension in exchange for $300 million in cap-and-trade investments, ultimately leading to cuts to Healthy Soils and SWEEP. Those same dynamics hurt our efforts to restore funding for SWEEP this year and kept overall funding for our key programs low.

What’s next?

CalCAN staff will turn our attention to program implementation and outreach. In July, CDFA will release draft program guidelines for Healthy Soils and SWEEP. We anticipate the next call for proposals for the programs to go out in late fall, likely November. CDFA has open until June 28^th a request for proposals for new practices eligible for AMMP funding. Lastly, we anticipate a robust round of awards for the SALCP, which will be announced at the end of this year.

We are also turning our attention to the new Governor. CalCAN, with our advisors, is wrapping up our policy recommendations for the new Governor and will be reaching out to the campaigns this summer. Key among our priorities is robust funding for the Climate Smart Agriculture programs moving forward.

And finally, we will ask you again to keep raising your voices to educate the legislature and the next Governor about the powerful solutions to climate change that sustainable and organic agriculture have to offer.

Filed Under: California Policy, Cap and Trade, Dairy Methane, Farmer Resources, Farmland Protection, Featured - Sidebar, Healthy Soils, SALC Program News, SWEEP Tagged With: budget, Climate Investments, GGRF, Governor Brown, Prop 68

Assembly Passes CalCAN Bill, Budget Negotiations on Climate Change Investments Continues

June 1, 2018 by Jeanne Merrill Leave a Comment

CalCAN’s bill, AB 2377, passed unanimously on the Assembly floor this week on a 72-0 vote. The bill now heads to the state Senate. AB 2377 aims to improve farmer participation and impact of Climate Smart Agriculture programs by providing technical assistance for farmers and ranchers seeking to do projects under the programs.

Photo courtesy of USDA NRCS.

CalCAN developed the bill with Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin, D-Thousand Oaks, and our partners after hearing loud and clear from farmers that the Climate Smart Agriculture programs require considerable project development and implementation work and the applications are complex and time consuming. But unlike the federal farm bill conservation programs, the state offers very little technical assistance for farmers who want participate in the Climate Smart Agriculture programs. AB 2377 aims to fix that. The bill is supported by over 20 agriculture and conservation groups.

The bill requires that 15 percent of the annual budgets for three Climate Smart Agriculture Programs—State Water Efficiency and Enhancement Program (SWEEP), Alternative Manure Management Program (AMMP), and Healthy Soils Program—are used to establish a technical assistance grant program. Resource Conservation Districts, Cooperative Extension and nonprofits can apply to technical assistance fund. They can receive up to $125,000 annually for up to three years to support farmer applicants to the programs with outreach, project design, application assistance, and project implementation.

Importantly, AB 2377 prioritizes technical assistance for small and moderately-scaled farms and ranches and requires at least 25 percent of the technical assistance funds available to be provided to socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers, as defined by the Farmer Equity Act that passed last year.

We will keep you update on the bill’s progress and opportunities to voice your support. If you have any questions or comments about the bill, please email us at info@calclimateag.org.

Climate Change Investments Debated

This year, CalCAN and our partners have been advocating to restore funding to Healthy Soils Program and the State Water Efficiency and Enhancement Program (SWEEP). Funding for both programs was eliminated for the current fiscal year. More on that here.

To our disappointment, the funding for fiscal year 2018-19 proposed by the Governor, the Assembly and Senate for Healthy Soils and SWEEP fall well below what is needed for the programs. See the table below.

CalCAN is also advocating to decouple the budget for the Alternative Manure Management Program (AMMP) from the other dairy methane program that funds anaerobic digesters. To date, AMMP’s funding level has been determined by CDFA which appears to base its AMMP funding decisions not on demands for the program, but on demands for dairy digester funding. We want to see an end to this competition in funding for the two program and instead have specific allocation of funding for AMMP, based on the program’s needs.

Another important part of this year’s budget debate is the prospect of additional funding for natural and working lands programs from Proposition 68, a bond measure that will go before the voters in June. This one-time funding could provide an important boost, but not a long-term funding fix for our key programs.

Climate Smart Agriculture Budget Proposals*

	Healthy Soils	SWEEP	Dairy Methane (AMMP and Digesters)
CalCAN Budget Asks	$25 million	$40 million	$40 million for AMMP
Assembly	$5 million	$5 million	$99 million (unspecified split between programs)
Senate	$0 (GGRF) $10 million (General Fund)	$0	$99 million (unspecified split between programs)
Governor	$5 million (GGRF) $9 million (Prop 68) Total = $14 million	$0 million (GGRF) $18 million (Prop 68) Total = $18 million	$99 million (unspecified split between programs)

The Assembly and Senate budget conference committees began meeting this week. Different than in recent history, it seems likely the June budget will include final funding levels for the climate change investment programs, including the Climate Smart Agriculture Programs.

Stay tuned for our updates in the coming weeks. In the meantime, please call your Assemblymember and Senator to urge their support for CalCAN’s budget asks. Click here for our recent call to action!

*GGRF is the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, the cap-and-trade funding that supports California’s Climate Change Investment programs.

Filed Under: California Policy, Cap and Trade, Dairy Methane, Farmer Resources, Featured - Sidebar, Healthy Soils, SB 32, SWEEP Tagged With: AB 2377, Climate Change Investments, Farmer Equity Act, GGRF, Irwin

The Facts About Working Lands Conservation in the House Draft Farm Bill

April 16, 2018 by Jeanne Merrill Leave a Comment

CalCAN is a member of the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC). We occasionally repost their blogs on key federal policy issues. Last week, the House Agriculture Committee Chair released a draft farm bill. Below is NSAC’s analysis on the working lands conservation provisions in the House bill. NSAC has a series of important blog posts on the proposed farm bill, found here.

Washington, DC, April 13, 2018 – Yesterday, House Agriculture Committee Chairman Mike Conaway (R-TX) presented a draft farm bill to America’s farmers and ranchers that would eradicate the nation’s largest voluntary working lands conservation program, the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP).

Photo courtesy of USDA NRCS.

The Chairman’s press materials claim that the bill is prioritizing working lands conservation by “folding the best features of the Conservation Stewardship Program into the nation’s flagship incentive-based program for voluntary conservation – the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP).” However, this is simply not true.

In total, the draft bill proposes to cut funding for working lands conservation programs by 25 percent ($4.3 billion) over five years and 20 percent ($7.1 billion) over 10 years, exclusive of final payments to existing CSP contracts. To put that figure in contrast, the 2014 Farm Bill cut the entire conservation title by $4 billion over 10 years.

CSP and EQIP are separate programs for a reason – they each have unique roles to play in enhancing the sustainability of American agriculture. CSP helps farmers and ranchers implement advanced conservation stewardship systems to address priority resource concerns on their land. EQIP, in contrast, is more of an “on-ramp” to working lands conservation, and provides cost-share assistance on a one-time basis to help producers implement specific conservation practices.

The draft bill proposes to add “stewardship contracts” into EQIP, with the purported intention of retaining the core elements of CSP. However, the proposal eliminates nearly all of these core elements – the comprehensive conservation approach, the inclusion of the entire farm in stewardship efforts, and the eligibility requirement to reach a decent environmental stewardship level before enrolling. Furthermore, the bill would cut funding for stewardship practices by as much as 100 percent by placing a ceiling, rather than a minimum floor, on the amount of total funding that must go to stewardship contracts within EQIP.

Adding insult to injury, in addition to eliminating incentives for the most effective conservation activities, the Chairman’s bill would also make infrastructure activities for concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) eligible for stewardship contracts for the first time, a practice currently prohibited by CSP.

The following chart outlines the devastating effect the Chairman’s draft bill would have on working lands conservation efforts by comparing current CSP standards (“CSP Best Features”) under current law with the draft bill’s plan for an “enhanced” EQIP:

“CSP Best Features”	Current Law	Conaway Farm Bill

Comprehensive Conservation Approach	YES	NO
Whole Farm Conservation Approach	YES	NO
Reach Good Environmental Stewardship Threshold to be Eligible	YES	NO
Designate at Least 5 Priority Resource Concerns	YES	Designates only 3
Payments for Active Management of Ongoing Conservation	YES	NO
Payments for Advanced Conservation Enhancements	YES	NO
Payments Based on Conservation Benefits	YES	NO
Supplemental Payments For Ag Diversification – Resource Conserving Crop Rotation	YES	NO
CAFO Infrastructure	INELIGIBLE	ELIGIBLE
Five Year Renewable Contracts with Continual Improvement	YES	NO Single 5-10 year contract
$40,000/year Payment Limitation	YES	Unnecessarily increased to $50,000
Five Year Funding (2019-2023)	$8.8 Billion	Anywhere from $0-$6.6 billion; a cut of 25-100%
Ten Year Funding (2019-2028)	$17.7 Billion	Anywhere from $0-$14.1 billion; a cut of 21-100%

To learn more about the current structure, terminology, and benefits of CSP, see NSAC’s online publications: Grassroots Guide to Federal Farm and Food Programs and Farmers’ Guide to CSP.

While there is indeed room to make improvements to CSP in the next farm bill, the wholesale elimination of the nation’s largest conservation program is the opposite of a thoughtful approach. Reforms to CSP should focus on increasing conservation benefits and program accessibility, and NSAC remains committed to working to protect and enhance CSP as the farm bill process moves forward.

America’s family farmers and ranchers rely on Congress to deliver a farm bill that gives them the best opportunities to feed their neighbors, earn a decent living, and keep their lands sustainable and healthy – this, sadly, is not that bill. NSAC urges both the House and the Senate to commit to bipartisan reforms in the 2018 Farm Bill, and to producing a bill that offers the best possible future for American agriculture.

In the following days, NSAC will publish a detailed analysis of the Chairman’s draft bill and its potential impact on working lands conservation programs on our blog.

Filed Under: Farmer Resources, Featured - Sidebar, Federal Policy Tagged With: CSP, EQIP, farm bill, House Agriculture Committee

Assemblymember Garcia and Other Legislators Request Reinstatement of Climate Funding for Critical Natural Resources Programs

March 16, 2018 by Jeanne Merrill Leave a Comment

CalCAN recently joined with Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia, chair of the Joint Committee on Climate Change Policies, to support his proposal to restore funding for the Healthy Soils and SWEEP programs as part of a larger funding request for climate investments in natural and working lands.

Read below for more on the proposal and take action! Please call or write to your Assemblymember asking them to sign on to proposal for $400 million for natural and working lands climate change investments.

The message is simple: “I am calling from my town/city. I would like my Assemblymember to support $400 million for natural and working lands climate investments. I support Assemblymember Garcia’s proposal.”

Find your Assemblymember here.

(SACRAMENTO, CA) — Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia (D-Coachella), Chair of the Joint Legislative Committee on Climate Change Policies and about a dozen other California legislators submitted a letter requesting that critical natural resources programs receive funding in this year’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF) budget allocations. Earlier today, they were joined by several advocacy groups to announce their list of priorities for the 2018-2019 GGRF Expenditure Plan.

“Following the success of our work with AB 398 (E. Garcia), which extended our state’s cap-and- trade program, it is essential that the legislature continues to ensure the equitable appropriation of these revenues into programs proven to provide significant health, environmental and economic benefits. I have made it a point to follow these Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund dollars through the budgeting process, until we see these investments allocated and at work advancing California communities, like those in my district, most impacted by pollution,” stated Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia.

The 2017-2018 expenditure plan for GGRF adopted in August 2017 appropriated $1.521 billion. That appropriation was made when only $811 million was technically in the GGRF account, and relied on estimates of auction revenue for the rest of the 2017-2018 auctions to fulfill the remainder of the expenditure plan. Auctions conducted since the expenditure plan was adopted have performed better than expected, resulting in an approximate surplus of $450 million for the 2017-2018 fiscal year.

The letter submitted to Budget subcommittee Chair Bloom requests that the Legislature appropriates $400 million from the GGRF for the following programs:

Urban Forestry Program under Cal Fire
Urban Greening Program under the California Natural Resources Agency
State Water Efficiency and Enhancement Program (SWEEP) under the California  Department of Food and Agriculture
Healthy Soils Program under the California Department of Food and Agriculture
Wetlands and Watershed Restoration Program under the California Department of Fish  and Wildlife
Climate Adaptation and Resiliency Programs under the Wildlife Conservation Board, California State Coastal Conservancy, California Coastal Commission, and San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission

These programs had previously been funded by GGRF but had not been included or were not fully represented in the current proposal.

“Greening our communities is essential to the health, wellness, and safety of Californian children and families. The Urban Greening program transforms local infrastructure to clean our air and water, create safe places for kids to play outside, and protect neighborhoods from severe weather events,” said Mary Creasman, California Director of Government Affairs for The Trust for Public Land. “Communities all over the state are feeling the impacts of fires and flood, particularly in low-income areas and communities of color. California should increase these programs, not cut them. We are committed to working with the Legislature to restore funds for these critical programs.”

“We can plan for a climate resilient future by funding natural resources programs with the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund,” said Assemblymember Marc Levine (D-Marin County). “Continued investment is the best way to sequester carbon, reduce GHG emissions, and fight climate change while realizing economic benefits for California.”

Assemblymember Garcia maintains that, “These climate investment tools wield immense power to transform our most vulnerable populations. Green infrastructure, like that supported through the Urban Greening and Urban Forestry grant programs, is a critical component of creating healthy and resilient communities. Last year, we were able to utilize a collective $4 million of these cap-and-trade dollars to break ground and set out to construct new local park projects in North Shore and El Centro. Creating green space, safe recreational opportunities where there was none.”

“Imperial County agriculture contributes more than $4.5 billion to the local economy. Likewise, the economies of the Coachella Valley and Blythe are also predominantly driven by this industry. Farmers rank amongst our state’s largest employers. For these reasons, we have been vehemently advocating for additional investments into resources like the State Water Efficiency and Enhancement Program (SWEEP). Upon our encouragement, several local farmers have already been able to take advantage of this assistance. In fact, this week, Ronald C. Leimgruber Farms will be celebrating the completion of an energy efficient conservation project that was supported by SWEEP funding,” commented Garcia. “By keeping these programs alive, we can help our vital agricultural industries meet our emission reduction targets while cleaning our air and improving our region’s overall health and prosperity.”

“Coming from the world’s leading region for sustainable agriculture practices, I’m proud to join this effort to fund the state’s environmentally responsible agriculture and forestry programs, said Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D-Winters). “We must do a better job of providing incentives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, runoff, and the use of water and soil additives in rural California. This initiative will help us protect our land and water.”

Jeanne Merrill, Policy Director with the California Climate and Agriculture Network added, “Turning our farms into carbon sinks is not only good for our climate, but good for the bottom line. The high demand for the Climate Smart Agriculture programs demonstrates that. Mr. Garcia’s proposal today acknowledges the importance of California farms and ranches in meeting our climate change goals.”

California ReLeaf Executive Director Cindy Blain noted, “Assembly Member Eduardo Garcia’s recognition of the critical role all natural resources — including community trees and green infrastructure — contribute to meeting the State’s GHG reduction goals and creating safer, healthier communities is reflected in this bold proposal. We applaud his vision and leadership.”

In addition to Eduardo Garcia, Assemblymembers Aguiar-Curry (D-Winters), Arambula (D- Fresno), Caballero (D-Salinas), Friedman (D-Glendale), Kalra (D-San Jose), Levine (D-Marin County), McCarty (D-Sacramento), Rubio (D-Baldwin Park), Stone (D-Monterey Bay), Talamantes Eggman (D-Stockton) and Wood (D-Healdsburg) signed on in support of this venture.

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Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia (D-Coachella) serves as the chairperson of the Assembly Committee on Water, Parks and Wildlife. He represents the 56th district, which comprises the cities and communities of Blythe, Brawley, Bermuda Dunes, Calexico, Calipatria, Cathedral City, Coachella, Desert Hot Springs, El Centro, Holtville, Imperial, Indio, Mecca, Oasis, North Shore, Salton Sea, Thermal, Thousand Palms, and Westmorland.

What They Are Saying About It/Additional Stakeholder Statements:

Michelle Passero, The Nature Conservancy

“California cannot meet its climate goals without improved management and protection of our forests, farms, ranches, wetlands, and coastlines. Meaningful investments in these resources, will not only help us address climate change, but will also help urban and rural communities thrive and be more resilient in response to changing climate conditions and extreme weather events.”

Sarah Rose, Executive Director, Audubon California

“The Golden State’s natural and working lands are vital to our collective identity as Californians, and they’re also a key part of our strategy to address climate change. This proposed investment in wetlands, working farms, forests, and urban greenery will not only have immediate benefits for our people and our economy, but it will also provide greater resiliency as our climate changes.”

Laurie Wayburn, President, The Pacific Forest Trust

“Restoring and conserving our natural and working lands is essential to solving the climate crisis, and creating a resilient future. These investments help safeguard our water, protect our California heritage and ensure recreation for future generations. We fully endorse Mr. Garcia’s leadership in this critical effort.”

Filed Under: California Policy, Cap and Trade, Farmer Resources, Featured - Sidebar, Healthy Soils, SB 32, SWEEP Tagged With: Asm Friedman, Asm. Garcia, cap-and-trade, Carbon sinks, Expenditure plan, GGRF, Joint Committee on Climate Change Policies, natural and working lands

California Dairies Seek Alternatives

February 9, 2018 by Jeanne Merrill Leave a Comment

New Funding Supports Methane Reductions, Other Benefits

Seventeen dairies recently received the first round of funding from the new Alternative Manure Management Program (AMMP). The program funds innovative manure management projects on dairy and livestock operations that reduce methane emissions and improve air and water quality. CalCAN advocated for the creation of the program as part of the state’s efforts to reduce short lived climate pollutants like methane.

The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) received 53 applications requesting nearly $30 million in AMMP funding, but only funded 17 projects for a little more than $9.6 million. The greatest number of projects were in the Central Valley with 14 projects awarded out of 45 applications from the region. Three projects out of six applications were funded on the North Coast. Neither of the two applications from Southern California were funded.

According to CDFA, the funded project types include:

35 percent of projects will improve the solid separation of manure solids and liquids (with some form of drying manure or composting)
35 percent of projects will convert from flush to scrape manure management (with some form of drying manure or composting)
18 percent of projects will have a combination of new practices
12 percent of projects will enhance their pasture-based practices (e.g. increased time on pasture or build a compost bedded pack barn)

The tentative timeline for the next round of funding is that CDFA will release the second request for proposals (RFP) in March with applications due in May. Awards will be announced in August. You can sign up for AMMP announcements from CDFA here.

Advisory Group Discusses Pasture-Based Dairying, AMMP Program

On February 5^th, the SB 1383 work group on “Fostering Markets for Non-Digester Projects to Reduce Methane Emissions on Dairies” met to discuss pasture-based strategies for methane reduction and to discuss AMMP. CalCAN’s Jeanne Merrill sits on the advisory group.

Three presenters reviewed pasture-based dairying, including work group member Cody Nicholson Stratton who dairies with his family in Humboldt County; Dr. Al Rotz with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agriculture Research Service; and Dr. Randi Black with Cooperative Extension in Sonoma, Marin and Mendocino counties. The presenters discussed additional opportunities for pasture-based practices that could be incorporated into AMMP, among other topics. You can find their presentations here.

Following CDFA’s presentation on the recent AMMP awards, work group members and others who worked with dairy producers shared their experiences with completing AMMP applications. The work group then discussed recommendations for CDFA to improve the program over time. Those recommendations included:

Simplifying the application, going to a two-phased application process
Developing a process for adding new eligible practices to the program
Allowing for more time to apply

Those recommendations will be finalized by the work group before the March RFP.

CalCAN and several of our partners recently submitted comments to CDFA on the program. You can find our recommendations here.

The next meeting of the SB 1383 work group is tentatively scheduled for March 12^th. You can sign up for meeting announcements and updates from the subgroup here. The work group will submit final recommendations to the California Air Resources Board by mid-year.

Filed Under: AB 32 Implementation, Dairy Methane, Farmer Resources, Featured - Sidebar Tagged With: AMMP, dairy methane, sb 1383

Governor’s Proposal Falls Short of Transformative Climate Smart Ag Investments

January 31, 2018 by Jeanne Merrill 3 Comments

Governor Brown recently issued his proposed climate change investments for FY 2018- ‘19, outlining his priorities as he enters his final year as Governor. The plan focuses heavily on transportation-related investments, calling for billions of dollars in zero emissions vehicle (ZEV) incentives.

Governor Jerry Brown offers opening remarks at the Conference on Extreme Climate Risks

The plan also acknowledges the importance of Climate Smart Agriculture, but shifts away from water conservation on farms and cuts funding for the Healthy Soils Program. The plan instead focuses on funding farm equipment replacements ($102 million), food processor energy efficiency upgrades ($34 million) and dairy methane reduction projects ($99 million). Click here for the full plan.

This shift away from transformative sustainable agriculture investments toward helping the industry meet longstanding air pollution regulatory requirements threatens to undermine efforts to support farmers in adopting management practices that have multiple benefits – reducing greenhouse gas emissions, improving carbon sinks – all while providing agronomic, economic and public health benefits to our communities.

Among the disappointments of the Governor’s plan is the lack of proposed climate change investment in the State Water Efficiency and Enhancement Program (SWEEP). As farmers and ranchers across the state are bracing for another dry winter and dismal snowpack, we are reminded by what climate science tells us: California faces an uncertain water future where conservation must become a way of life.

The popular SWEEP program funds improvements to on-farm irrigation management to save water and energy while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The Governor’s larger budget assumes Proposition 68, a natural resources bond measure on the June ballot, will pass and fund SWEEP with a one-time investment of $18 million.

However, that funding is dependent upon voters approving the measure and relies on successful future bond sales. As a result, we could be looking at two years of no funding for the program, frustrating farmers and ranchers who were eager to apply, and the state losing out on hundreds of new water-saving, climate smart agricultural projects.

After eliminating funding for the Healthy Soils program in the current fiscal year, the Governor’s plan proposes $5 million for the program in the next fiscal year. Governor Brown initially proposed the Healthy Soils Initiative in 2015 to meet the goals of his fifth pillar of his climate change plan – to increase carbon storage in agricultural lands. But since then, the program has been stymied from taking off with only $7.5 million in the first year and no funding for the current fiscal year. Like SWEEP, the Governor proposes one-time Prop. 68 funding of $9 million for Healthy Soils.

The legislature will now take up the question of future climate change investments. CalCAN will advocate, with our partners, to restore funding for Healthy Soils, the State Water Efficiency and Enhancement Program (SWEEP) and a robust funding allocation for the Alternative Manure Management Program. The Sustainable Agricultural Lands Conservation Program (SALCP), an important farmland conservation program, is the only Climate Smart Agriculture Program with continuous appropriations and not part of the annual budget debate.

Farmers and Ranchers Speak Up

Andrea Davis-Cetina, Assm. Jim Frazier, Al Courschesne, Dave Runsten and Rich Rominger. March 2017.

We recently spoke to several farmers and ranchers who participate in the Climate Smart Agriculture Programs. Here’s what they had to say:

Collins Farm and The Cloverleaf Farm, Solano County
“This funding will not only help the environment but allow us to become more efficient producers of better crops.” —Rich Collins, Owner
These two adjacent organic vegetable and fruit farms received a SWEEP grant to install solar pumps, a greywater irrigation system and soil moisture sensors. They also received a Healthy Soils grant to improve their carbon sinks and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Alexandre EcoDairy Farms, Del Norte County
“This is a win-win for our business and the environment. It supports our goal of increasing pasture productivity as well improving watershed health and providing climate benefits.” — Blake Alexandre, Co-owner
With their Healthy Soils grant, this organic dairy will apply compost, plant cover crops and install riparian buffers to improve carbon storage in soil and woody plants and improve overall all soil health.

Pauma Band of Luiseno Indians, San Diego County
”We will bring together farmers, tribal representatives and other stakeholders to learn about carbon farming.” — Miguel Hernandez, Project Coordinator
This Healthy Soils project will support the conversion of a vegetable operation to a no-till orchard, increasing soil carbon sequestration and reducing fuel and chemical inputs.

Sharyne Merritt, Santa Barbara County
“This grant allows us to irrigate precisely and when necessary. It is not only saving water, it has helped reduce crop damage from weather extremes.” — Sharyne Merritt, Owner
This SWEEP grant funds a variety of water efficiency measures on an avocado orchard near Santa Barbara where water shortages have been severe. It will fund state-of-the-art weather and soil moisture monitoring equipment, improve irrigation efficiency, and fund the application of mulch to preserve soil moisture.

Agriculture and Land-Based Training Association, Monterey County
“With this grant, we will integrate renewable energy and water conservation concepts in our training program for new farmers. It is challenging to get funding for capital improvements, so this is really impactful.” — Nathan Harkleroad, Program Manager
With a SWEEP grant, this training center for limited-resource and aspiring organic farmers will install solar power for the pump on its agricultural well, soil moisture sensors and a weather station.

Filed Under: California Policy, Cap and Trade, Dairy Methane, Farmer Resources, Farmland Protection, Featured - Sidebar, Healthy Soils, SB 32, SWEEP, Water Tagged With: Budget Proposal, Climate Change Investments, Governor Brown

Farmland Conservation: New Awards Give Ag Climate Strategy a Boost

December 18, 2017 by Jeanne Merrill Leave a Comment

The Strategic Growth Council recently approved nearly $34 million in new grants for the Sustainable Agricultural Lands Conservation Program (SALCP).

Source: DOC

SALCP is one a suite of Climate Smart Agriculture programs developed in California to meet the state’s greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals. The state program aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with urban sprawl and rural ranchette development by protecting at risk agricultural lands. SALCP is part of a larger effort to promote in-fill, transit-oriented development by the Brown administration.

The Council funded 25 agricultural conservation easement projects and 2 Strategy and Outcome grants for local governments to improve farmland conservation planning and policy development. The latest round of funding brings the total number of awarded conservation easement projects to 52 and 8 local government farmland conservation projects since the program began in 2014. The Council has invested nearly $76 million since the inception of SALCP.

The current round of conservation easement projects span 17 counties and covers over 46,000 acres. In three years, SALCP has protected nearly 80,000 acres in agricultural land. When compared to the 58,000 acres of agricultural land protected since 1996 with support from the California Farmland Conservancy Program, which relies on limited bond dollars, SALCP has made significant advancements in farmland protection in California is a short period of time.

More can still be done. California loses an average of 50,000 acres of crop and rangeland every year. Greater emphasis on farmland conservation policy development at the local level is needed. CalCAN will work with our agricultural conservation and land trust partners in the coming year to support efforts to improve support for local farmland mapping, planning and policy development.

Filed Under: AB 32 Implementation, California Policy, Cap and Trade, Farmland Protection, Featured - Sidebar, SALC Program News Tagged With: farmland conservation, SALCP, SB 32, smart growth, strategic growth council

Healthy Soils = Healthy Lives

December 4, 2017 by Jeanne Merrill 1 Comment

California Soils Week Gets Underway

USDA NRCS

Today, launches the California Healthy Soils Week when the many benefits of building healthy soils on our farms and ranches will be featured in Sacramento and in events around the state. Agriculture covers 43 million acres in crop and rangeland in California, producing over 400 crop and livestock products and supplying the majority of the country’s fruits, vegetables, nuts and dairy products. Fundamental to our robust agricultural production is the soil that is the basis for growing our vibrant food and fiber economy.

Soils week builds upon a long tradition of acknowledging the importance of soils to our economy, health and environment. In response to the Dust Bowl of the 1930s, the federal government, under President Roosevelt and Agriculture Secretary Wallace, created the Soil and Water Conservation Districts. The districts were a radical experiment in bringing farmers together with soils and other agronomy experts to democratically forge voluntary partnerships to better steward the land and avoid future catastrophic losses like the Dust Bowl, which displaced thousands and disrupted our food production.

Today, those districts, now known as Resource Conservation Districts in California, continue to thrive and provide the on-going technical assistance needed for farmers and ranchers who want to conserve their land while maintaining their businesses. With the new Climate Smart Agriculture Programs, like Healthy Soils, we have an opportunity to expand upon these partnerships with farmers and ranchers to further healthy soils practices that build soil, improve crop and forage yields and better our air and water quality.

Secretary Henry Wallace famously said, “People in cities may forget the soil for as long as a hundred years, but Mother Nature’s memory is long and she will not let them forget indefinitely.”

This week, we remember the importance of our soils and how, together with California farmers and ranchers, we can forge healthy soils and healthy lives.

For a complete list of CA Healthy Soils Week activities, click here: https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/healthysoils/soilsweek.html

For more on the Healthy Soils Initiative and Program, click here:

https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/healthysoils/ and here: http://calclimateag.org/healthysoils/

Filed Under: California Policy, Featured - Sidebar, Healthy Soils, SB 32 Tagged With: CA Soils Week, Healthy Soils = Healthy Lives

Bond Measure Bright Spot as Sustainable Agriculture Solutions Abandoned in Climate Deal

October 20, 2017 by Jeanne Merrill Leave a Comment

Late on the night of this past Sunday October 15th, Governor Brown signed SB 5, a $4 billion bond measure, that provides important natural resources and sustainable agriculture funding. If approved by voters in June 2018, the bond measure would make a one-time allocation of $10 million for the Healthy Soils Program and $20 million for State Water Efficiency and Enhancement Program (SWEEP)— two Climate Smart Agriculture programs that were cut in the recent climate investments budget deal.

Photo courtesy of USDA NRCS.

“The bond measure will give Californians an important opportunity to invest in sustainable agricultural solutions to climate,” said Jeanne Merrill, CalCAN Policy Director. “An opportunity, that unfortunately, the Governor and the legislature walked away from in this recent climate investments budget.”

The Healthy Soils Program funds incentives and demonstration projects for soil management practices on farms and ranches that sequester carbon and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The program launched this summer with $7.5 million. Program funding was zeroed out for FY 2017-18 in the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund budget bills.

Photo courtesy of USDA NRCS.

SWEEP funds irrigation management improvements on farms and ranches that save water and energy while reducing GHG emissions. Since 2014, this program has received over $60 million. Over the life of the program, farmer demand for the program has exceeded available funding by more than 200 percent. As climate models suggest California will continue to experience constrained water resources in the years and decades to come, SWEEP is an important part of realizing the Governor’s long-term water conservation goals. Like Healthy Soils, the program will be without funding next year.

SB 5 also includes $20 million in funding for the California Farmland Conservancy Program, which will permanently protect agricultural lands. And it includes $30 million for agriculture adaptation to support farmers in increasing on-farm resilience to the many climate-related challenges they face with extreme and unpredictable weather patterns, drought and new pest and disease problems.

Filed Under: Adaptation, California Policy, Cap and Trade, Farmland Protection, Featured - Sidebar, Healthy Soils, SWEEP, Uncategorized

No Funding for Healthy Soils and SWEEP Programs in Cap-and-Trade Budget Deal

September 19, 2017 by Jeanne Merrill 2 Comments

Sustainable Ag Priorities Included in Bond Measure

Last week, the state legislature passed budget bills, AB 109 and AB 134, to allocate $1.5 billion in cap-and-trade funding for FY 2017-‘18. To the dismay of CalCAN and a wide network of partners, the deal cut funding for the Healthy Soils Program and the State Water Efficiency and Enhancement Program (SWEEP). This is a huge setback for these trailblazing programs.

What happened to Healthy Soils and SWEEP?

The $1.5 billion climate investments package was different than previous years in two key ways.

First, the legislative deal struck earlier this year to extend the cap-and-trade program to the year 2030 allowed several new issue areas to be eligible for funding and prioritized investments in projects that would have direct air quality benefits.

CalCAN supported the extension of the cap and trade program (more on that here). The extension bill, AB 398, along with its companion measure, AB 617, allow for funding in new issue areas including reducing air pollution (from mobile and stationary sources), climate change adaptation, and climate research—none of which was eligible to receive climate investments prior to AB 398. This brought significantly more pressure to bear on how to prioritize cap-and-trade revenue investments. Of the $1.5 billion package, a little over $900 million will go to clean vehicles (cars, trucks, farm equipment upgrades) and community clean air projects—leaving a much smaller piece of the funding pie for other climate change investments.

Second, several moderate Democratic and Republican members agreed to vote for the cap-and-trade program extension only if agriculture received cap-and-trade investments. The deal – made between conventional agricultural interests, members of the legislature and the Governor – left out Healthy Soils and SWEEP. Instead, the deal included $160 million to fund upgrades to farm equipment (tractors, ag pumps, harvesters, etc.), $99 million to reduce methane emissions on dairies, and $66 million for food processor upgrades and renewable energy projects. The cap-and-trade funding will come on top of existing funding, like the Carl Moyer program for farm equipment upgrades.

What does this mean for the future of these programs?

In some good news, funding for Healthy Soils and SWEEP is included in the recently passed natural resources bond, SB 5. If voters approve the bond measure in 2018, the Healthy Soils Program and SWEEP will be eligible for a total $10 million and $20 million, respectively, beginning in 2019. While this provides some consolation, bond funding alone cannot sustain these programs. We still face a-year plus funding gap, uncertainty around the passage of the bond measure and limited dollars, hurting the momentum for these important climate programs.

CalCAN will redouble our efforts and collaborate with our network of partners to ensure there is cap-and-trade funding for the programs in the next budget cycle that begins in July 2018. We will also keep working to improve SWEEP and Healthy Soils program implementation moving forward.

Stay tuned for ways you can join us in ensuring that there is reliable, ongoing cap-and-trade funding for these important programs.

Bright spots: Dairy Methane, Farmland Conservation and Climate Adaptation & Research

Thankfully, two other Climate Smart Agriculture program areas will remain funded under the cap-and-trade budget package. The Dairy Methane programs, which include the Alternative Manure Management Practices Program (AMMP) and the Dairy Digester Research & Development Program, received $99 million, a doubling in funding from the previous year.

The Sustainable Agriculture Conservation Program (SALCP), which funds conservation easements on agricultural lands at risk of development, will once again receive a portion of the climate investment funds that go to the Strategic Growth Council to support in-fill development.

Other bright spots from the climate investment deal were new funding for the climate change adaptation ($26 million) and climate research ($11 million). CalCAN championed new climate change adaptation funding to provide planning and technical assistance resources for farmers and ranchers wanting to improve resiliency and address impacts from climate change to their production. The adaptation funding will also help fund conservation easements to protect natural and working lands that improve the state’s resilience to a changing climate.

The climate change research money, to be coordinated by the Strategic Growth Council, will fund adaptation and clean energy research projects. While there is no specific call out for agriculture-related climate research, CalCAN will advocate for agriculture’s inclusion in the new program.

The bond measure, SB 5, also includes important funding for sustainable agriculture. CalCAN and our partners successfully advocated for the inclusion of the California Farmland Conservancy Program ($20 million) in the bond. There is also significant climate change adaptation funding: $30 million for agriculture through the Department of Conservation; and much larger pot of funding with the Natural Resources Agency, $443 million, to support a broad array of climate adaptation work, including agricultural viability.

Filed Under: California Policy, Cap and Trade, Climate & Ag Research, Dairy Methane, Farm Energy News, Farmer Resources, Farmland Protection, Featured - Sidebar, Healthy Soils, Research, SALC Program News, SB 32, SWEEP Tagged With: Budget Deal, cap-and-trade, Climate Investments, climate smart agriculture, Governor Brown, SB 32

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Assembly Passes CalCAN Bill, Budget Negotiations on Climate Change Investments Continues

The Facts About Working Lands Conservation in the House Draft Farm Bill

Assemblymember Garcia and Other Legislators Request Reinstatement of Climate Funding for Critical Natural Resources Programs

California Dairies Seek Alternatives

Governor’s Proposal Falls Short of Transformative Climate Smart Ag Investments

Farmland Conservation: New Awards Give Ag Climate Strategy a Boost

Healthy Soils = Healthy Lives

Bond Measure Bright Spot as Sustainable Agriculture Solutions Abandoned in Climate Deal

No Funding for Healthy Soils and SWEEP Programs in Cap-and-Trade Budget Deal

Sustainable Ag Priorities Included in Bond Measure

What happened to Healthy Soils and SWEEP?

What does this mean for the future of these programs?

Bright spots: Dairy Methane, Farmland Conservation and Climate Adaptation & Research

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