Department of Agriculture September 30, 2021 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

As part of our (USDA) broader efforts on climate change, we are requesting information (comments) from the public on a Climate- Smart Agriculture and Forestry Partnership Program. In response to the Executive Order titled Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad, we published a Federal Register notice on March 16, 2021, to request comments on a Climate-Smart Agriculture and Forestry (CSAF) strategy. Based on public comments received and our ongoing stakeholder engagement activities, we published a progress report in May 2021 on the CSAF strategy. As one element of the CSAF strategy, we are considering actions to expand the use of climate-smart farming practices and aid in the marketing of agricultural commodities. The term ``climate-smart commodity'' is used to refer to an agricultural commodity that is produced using farming practices that reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions or sequester carbon. This requested information is intended to help test development of a Climate-Smart Agriculture and Forestry Partnership Program that could encourage adoption of CSAF practices and promote markets for climate-smart commodities. The Climate-Smart Agriculture and Forestry Partnership Program could be developed under the authority of the Commodity Credit Corporation Charter Act of 1933. This document requests comments on priorities and program design of the Climate-Smart Agriculture and Forestry Partnership Program that would facilitate the expansion of markets for agricultural commodities.