Are you a Pennsylvania dairy producer interested in improving sustainability and profitability in your farm?

If you said yes, you may be interested in applying for this grant opportunity with the CARAT (Climate-smart Agriculture that is Profitable, Regenerative, Actionable, and Trustworthy) Project.

Applications are now open. Click Here for information on how to apply online or via mail.

The CARAT Project is led by Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences and partners with funding from the program Partnerships for Climate Commodities, an initiative of the USDA.

The goal of the project is to help PA dairy producers to implement climate-smart practices that will lead to enhanced sustainability and profitability in their operations.

The project will involve 69 dairy producers across three cohorts - each representative of the various scales and types of dairies in Pennsylvania.

The participating farms will be selected through a three-step process: pre-qualification, development of climate-smart plans for all pre-qualified farms, and selection of implementation farms (the final 69 farms).

Once your farm goes through the pre-qualification process, a technical service provider will be assigned to help your farm identify climate smart practices and develop an implementation plan fitting to your operation.

Your plan will be presented to the CARAT Review Committee to be considered as one of the farms receiving funding toward implementation.

Penn State expects approximately 150 farms to be approved through the pre-qualification process.

Pre-qualification does not guarantee your farm will be approved as one of the final 69 CARAT participants. However, pre-qualified farms that do not advance to the implementation step will still benefit from no-cost technical service to develop climate-smart implementation plans.

For more information, visit the Climate Smart Grants webpage.  Questions should be directed to Melissa Anderson at 717-636-0779 or email: manderson@centerfordairyexcellence.org.

Resource Links:

-- Penn State Extension: New Program Offers Free Technical Assistance To Transition To Organic Production Agriculture

-- 2023 Keystone Crops & Soils Conference Nov. 2-3, Dauphin County

(Reprinted from Penn State Extension website.)

NewsClips This Week:

-- PA Capital-Star: PA House Committee Hears Testimony On Riparian Stream Buffer Bill

-- Chesapeake Conservation Landscaping Council, Partners: October Is Riparian Buffer Month!  Join Special Events Near You! Build Awareness. Share Tips, Facts!

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-- LancasterOnline: Mountville Holds Community Watershed Event Oct. 7

-- Warren Times: Warehouse Growth Worrying PA Environmental Groups

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-- Maryland's Conowingo Pay For Success Program Funding Now Available In PA’s Susquehanna River Watershed For Projects To Reduce Nutrient Pollution  [PaEN]

-- Could Your Land Benefit From A Forested Riparian Stream Buffer?  Contact The Western PA Conservancy  [PaEN]

-- Coalition For The Delaware River Watershed: 300+ Attend 11th Annual Delaware River Watershed Forum Uniting Hundreds Of Conservation Advocates, Constituents And Organizations  [PaEN]

-- Pike County Conservation District: What Is The Conservation Districts' Role?  [PaEN]

-- The Allegheny Front: Three Rivers Waterkeeper Citizen Monitoring Finds Plastics Maker Styrenics LLC Discharging Plastic Nurdles Into Ohio River, Threatens Lawsuit To Stop Them  - By Reid Frazier  [PaEN]

-- Pennsylvania Students Join Others At Chesapeake Bay Foundation Student Leadership Summit To Take Action On Climate Change  [PaEN]

-- Stroud Water Research Center Honors Laura Turner Seydel Of Captain Planet Foundation With Freshwater Excellence Award  [PaEN]

[Posted: October 4, 2023]

10/9/2023