USDA Climate-Smart Commodity Grant Awarded to The DeLong Co., Inc.

The DeLong Co., Inc. is honored to have been selected as a recipient of a United States Department of Agriculture Climate-Smart Commodity (CSC) grant. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced the new partnerships last Wednesday and met with farmers and some of the recipients on Thursday.

The CSC grant was looking for companies to develop programs that incentivize Climate-Smart practices on the farm, to track the greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions from the implemented practices and define what makes a “Climate-Smart Commodity”.

The program involves giving direct incentives to farmers on a per acre basis for having Climate-Smart practices on the farm that include: cover crops, no or reduced till cultivation, nutrient management programs, and windbreak establishments. To define what a Climate-Smart Commodity is, a “Climate-Smart” brand will be developed for commodities grown in the program with the end goal of having a defined market and globally recognized brand.

“This program really encompasses our company’s values and vision,” said Matt Woods, with The DeLong Co., Inc. “It will allow us to give back to the community by giving direct incentives to qualifying and enrolled farmers for existing and new climate smart practices on their farms, provide benefits to the environment, and increase the marketability of row crops produced using climate smart practices.”

The program will be available for up to five years. Matt Woods and Chris DeLong, with The DeLong Co., Inc. were the primary authors of the grant, and worked with RaSmith of Brookfield, WI.

For more information, please contact Matt Woods at matt.woods@delongcompany.com or 608-676-3026.

The DeLong Co., Inc. is a 6th generation, family-owned business that is headquartered in Clinton, WI. The company operates 37 locations around the U.S. and comprises six divisions of agricultural and logistical sales and services: grain, exports, agronomy, seed, transportation and wholesale feed.