The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing $90 million in 53 Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) projects, which support the development of new tools, approaches, practices and technologies to further natural resource conservation on private lands. This includes two projects in Indiana. In fiscal year 2023, increased funds were available through the Inflation Reduction Act, which is funding CIG projects that address climate change, with a particular focus on innovative solutions to reduce livestock emissions of enteric methane, a potent greenhouse gas.
“Over the last 20 years, USDA’s Conservation Innovation Grants have helped spur new tools and technologies to conserve natural resources, build resilience in producers’ operations and improve their bottom lines here in Indiana,” said Damarys Mortenson, State Conservationist with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service in Indiana. “The Inflation Reduction Act funding further empowers our conservation partners, as well as help meet the demand from producers, to engage in conservation practices that are good for profitable farming, good for rural economies and good for the climate.”
NRCS is awarding more than $69.7 million for CIG On-Farm Trials projects and more than $20.2 million for CIG Classic projects. In total, the Inflation Reduction Act provides $19.5 billion over five years to support USDA’s oversubscribed conservation programs, including CIG grants. The Inflation Reduction Act represents the single largest investment in climate and clean energy solutions in American history. This conservation funding flows directly into local communities and helps ensure farmers receive the financial assistance to buy equipment, hire labor, and take the necessary steps to implement these practices. This helps producers with their bottom line and lowers their costs for the implementation of conservation and climate-smart practices.
Two awarded FY23 CIG projects will take place in Indiana:
- Enhancing Solar Energy Utilization with a Holistic Control Approach to Improve Climate Resiliency of Agricultural Energy and Water Management: Led by Michigan State University, this project will develop an energy monitoring system that has plug-and-play products and can be retrofitted to most existing irrigation pumps and grain dryers, ultimately improving energy efficiency.
- Accurate Assessment of Corn Nitrogen Status with High Spatial-spectral Proximal Sensing: Led by Purdue University, this project will explore a new algorithm to utilize both spatial and spectral information in the hyperspectral leaf image for more accurate nitrogen assessment with a new tool, LeafSpec. A fully automated robot system will also be further developed to operate this touch-based leaf scanner in the field.
Source : usda.gov