Boston — Today, the Healey-Driscoll Administration announced $1.75 million in Climate Smart Agriculture Program (CSAP) grants to 56 Massachusetts agricultural operations to implement management practices that will help them adapt to changing climate conditions and enhance their contributions to meeting the state’s carbon reduction and climate change mitigation goals. CSAP is a competitive grant program that incentivizes voluntary adoption of conservation, soil health, renewable energy, energy efficiency, and climate-smart agricultural practices, allowing agricultural operations to accomplish climate mitigation solutions and ensure economic resiliency.

“Our farmers see the devastating impacts of climate change every day. They are seizing this opportunity to adopt cutting edge technology and the latest climate science to help lower emissions and promote sustainability,” said Governor Maura Healey. “We’re proud to support the efforts of our farmers. As extreme storms and severe weather become the new norm, these grants will help protect our farms from the unpredictable weather brought on by climate change.”

By providing financial incentives to Massachusetts growers for practices that will improve soil health, ensure the efficient use of water, prevent impacts on water quality, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and sequester carbon, Massachusetts farms will be better able to move the state toward its ambitious climate change goals. The program will also provide financial incentives for agricultural operations to proactively address risks and strengthen their economic and environmental resiliency as they adapt to a changing climate. The program is broken into two categories: Environmental and Energy.

“When we invest in resiliency in our agricultural sector, we’re also investing in food security and the economy,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. “The climate crisis is affecting every aspect of our lives, and the Climate Smart Agriculture Program will help our farmers stay strong during uncertain times.”

“The climate crisis is here and our farms are bearing the brunt. We can all learn a great deal from our farmers about how to prevent and respond to the climate crisis,” said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rebecca Tepper. “Our administration stands with Massachusetts farmers and we are proud to support their innovative approaches to reduce emissions.”

“CSAP is a dynamic suite of programs that combines our water, energy, and climate grants into one application and is designed to position farmers to manage their operations in a time of increasing climate volatility,” said MDAR Commissioner Ashley Randle. “As we’ve seen from this past year, farmers have been severely impacted by the ravages of extreme weather conditions with freeze, frost and flooding events wreaking havoc on farmland and crops, so it’s critical to provide our farming community with the necessary tools and resources to deal with these challenges.” 

Since Fiscal Year 2021, CSAP merges MDAR’s water, energy, and climate grants under one program to simplify the application process and provide one annual funding opportunity for all of the department’s climate-related programs.  The three grant programs combined in this application are the Agricultural Climate Resiliency & Efficiencies (“ACRE”) Grant, the Agricultural Environmental Enhancement Program Grant (“AEEP”) and the Ag-Energy Program Grant (“ENER”).

“I appreciate the support of the Healey-Driscoll administration in providing these important grant opportunities,” said Director of Rural Affairs Anne Gobi. “Farmers are part of the backbone that make sure our rural communities prosper and are resilient.”

"This year we have seen firsthand in Western MA the impact of climate events on our local farms and their ability to survive,” said Senator Paul W. Mark (D - 2^nd Berkshire District). “These grant awards will help our farmers adjust their practices to remain viable in the face of climate change while also helping to mitigate future damage and find a sustainable balance with the environment.  I applaud the Healey-Driscoll Administration and MDAR for their forward-thinking work to assist farmers."

"It is an honor to have two of the innovative farmers from my district win this award,” said Representative Margaret Scarsdale (D – Pepperell). “Their hard work and dedication help put food on our tables, and these grants ensure their innovative practices will help Massachusetts reach its 2050 goals.”

“In a growing season like this past summer, there were very few bright spots,” said Chris Clegg, owner of Four Town Farm in Seekonk and one of this year’s grant recipients. “Every day was a struggle to farm and hold our produce to the high standards we expect but at the end of the day, nothing is more important than the health of our soil and all the microbes and nutrients that exist in it. One of the best ways to keep a healthy soil is to always have healthy plants growing on it with minimal disturbance. The cover crop no-till drill will allow us to do just that, reducing fuel consumption, ground compaction, and other degrading soil practices that negatively affect the overall health of our land.”

The following local agricultural operations are receiving grants through the Climate Smart Agriculture Program for 2024: 

Section I: Environmental

 

Section II: Energy

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