WASHINGTON – National Farmers Union (NFU) commends the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for publishing an interim rule on Technical Guidelines for Climate-Smart Agriculture Crops Used as Biofuel Feedstocks.
“Any federal climate-smart agriculture incentives must consider the real-world and financial impacts on farmers. USDA incorporated feedback from NFU and others in this interim rule to ensure biofuels programs create practical, flexible and farmer-focused market opportunities,” said NFU President Rob Larew.
The interim rule allows for the unbundling of climate-smart agriculture (CSA) practices, enabling farmers to adopt practices such as reduced tillage, cover cropping and advanced nutrient management individually or in combination. It also introduces the USDA Feedstock Carbon Intensity Calculator (FD-CIC), a tool capable of quantifying farm-level carbon intensity at a county-by-county level, further strengthening the credibility of CSA practices.
“NFU is eager to further review the rule and provide comments during the 60-day public comment period to ensure it serves family farmers and ranchers effectively,” Larew added. “We look forward to working with the new USDA leadership to strengthen these opportunities for farmers.”