Tuskegee University to lead USDA climate-smart agriculture projects

The federal government has announced another $325 million dollar for agricultural projects that are intended to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the grants at Alabama’s Tuskegee University. The historically Black college is leading two federal projects. One focuses on climate-smart agroforestry products. The second involves underserved communities in the creation of environmentally friendly foraging land for the raising of sheep and goats. Secretary Vilsack told his audience that small operations benefit from the program. The latest list of seventy one recipients for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Climate-Smart Commodities program primarily involve small and underserved farmers and ranchers. The payments follow $2.8 billion dollars awarded in September to seventy projects. Those are mostly larger-scale efforts backed by universities, businesses and agricultural groups.