WACD is pleased to partner with others to welcome Secretary Vilsack back to USDA and extoll the virtues of the Sustainable Farms and Fields program.
Here is the cover letter from the Washington State Conservation Commission that includes the Washington Department of Agriculture, Washington State University, and WACD:
Dear Secretary Vilsack,
On behalf of the Washington State Conservation Commission, Washington Department of Agriculture, Washington State University, and the Washington Association of Conservation Districts, I am so pleased to welcome you back to USDA.
We are excited to share a new voluntary program that incentivizes farmers to increase climate-smart practices, called Sustainable Farms and Fields. Representatives from agricultural and environmental groups worked together to produce the program’s foundation. Individual farmers from across the State of Washington weighed in significantly on what they wanted to see in this climate-smart program.
We believe this program could serve as a model for incentivizing farmers to sequester carbon while improving farming practices and their bottom line.
The attached letter contains further information about the program and why it could provide an ideal opportunity for Washington State to partner with USDA by adopting SFF as a pilot program to demonstrate the tremendous benefits of climate-smart farming.
Respectfully,
Carol Smith
Below is the body of the full letter as sent to the Secretary:
