1. Program detail

Farmers and ranchers in Idaho’s southern and eastern regions, particularly potato and sugar beet producers, are targeted in the Innovative Agriculture and Marketing Partnership’s second-round application period open through Feb. 21.

The University of Idaho-led partnership is funded with a five-year, $59 million grant through USDA’s Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities program.

Reducing climate impacts associated with producing the state’s top commodities — including potatoes, beets, wheat, barley, hops, chickpeas and beef — is a focus along with creating marketing opportunities for sustainably raised food, according to a UI news release.

More than $31 million in incentives are available to Idaho producers who carry out designated climate-smart practices. Applicants can receive technical and financial incentives to put in the practices, generally intended to prevent carbon dioxide equivalents from entering the atmosphere while replenishing cropland soil carbon.

A team of University of Idaho graduate students and postdoctoral researchers last summer took greenhouse gas measurements and sampled soil carbon from research and extension center plots where IAMP-approved practices are used. The data will help guide program estimates on climate and soil benefits.

“I’m optimistic we can make a big impact on changing agriculture in Idaho,” Erin Brooks, IAMP co-director and professor in the UI department of soil and water systems, said in the release.

“I see a potential transformation that could happen over the next five years, and IAMP could be the key catalyst,” he said.

The partnership plans to enroll more than 200 farms, with at least 30% of participants representing underserved populations, according to the university.

In the application, producers can identify their preferences among a list of partner organizations — including county soil conservation districts, the Nature Conservancy, Desert Mountain Grass-Fed Beef, and the Nez Perce and Coeur d’Alene tribes.

Last fall’s initial signup period received heavy interest among wheat growers in the state’s northern region, according to UI. Some on-the-ground work on climate-smart practices is slated to get underway this spring.

Producers who registered during the initial signup round do not need to take action in the current round.

Information: iamp@uidaho.edu.