LUXEMBURG, Wis. — When Paul Cornette and his brother, Tom, started down the path to farm in a more environmentally sustainable way on their dairy years ago, they soon came to realize there would be no finish line.
“We’re always looking for ways to do better. We’ll never be done,” Paul said.
What has become a journey of continuous improvement for Cornette Dairy led the family to step up a year ago as one of the first participants in what was at the time a pilot project in the Farmers for Sustainable Food Climate-Smart Program. FSF, in partnership with Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative, fully opened enrollment in the program earlier this month.
 |
The purpose of the five-year program is to establish and support farmer-led projects in the Upper Midwest focused on documenting conservation practices aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions and storing carbon in the soil. Farmers receive financial stipends of between $1,500 and $9,000 per year depending on their level of involvement. Participants who go all-in also get connected with supply chain partners, such as a processor, with the goal of realizing added value for their milk downstream in the supply chain.
Initial funding for the program comes from a U.S. Department of Agriculture Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities grant that Edge was awarded and is administering.
“This presents an incredible opportunity for farmers to take control of their own future as they adapt to an evolving marketplace, one that increasingly demands sustainably produced food,” Tim Trotter, CEO of Edge, said. “We have developed a program that supports farmers in their environmental stewardship and, as a result, creates a competitive advantage.”
FSF and Edge for years have been helping farmers to establish on-farm environmental sustainability projects and to work collectively in local farmer-led watershed conservation groups. The Cornettes are part of one of those groups in northeastern Wisconsin.
From 2020 to 2022, the farm joined 10 others in the group in a data-driven project based on the Framework for Farm-Level Sustainability Projects, a first-of-its-kind, nationally recognized model created nearly three years ago by FSF and other partners. The Climate-Smart Program is grounded in the framework, which helps farmers determine what conservation practices are most effective for their individual farms both environmentally and financially.
Paul Cornette sees his farm’s involvement in the Climate-Smart Program as a logical next step.
“This is another step along the way, to do more analysis and see what we’re doing well and where there might be greater opportunities to improve,” he said.
Farmers in control
The Cornettes’ project is in the data analysis stage, measuring the first-year effects of practices like no-tillage planting of corn into cover crops and strip tilling with fertilizer banding.
The Climate-Smart Program differentiates from many other sustainability programs because it doesn’t dictate any specific practices, Lauren Brey, FSF’s managing director, said.
 |
“Our program goal is to help farmers learn to use measurement and analysis tools to make data-driven management decisions that are right for their farm when incorporating new sustainability practices,” she said.
The autonomous aspect of the program sets it apart, Cornette said.
“That flexibility and ownership of what happens on your farm is empowering,” he said. “I think this is going to make the program one of the most successful.”
Brey said the program also takes farmer involvement to the next level by incorporating other entities in the supply chain, including dairy processors. Those processors have the opportunity to spearhead projects. Likewise, FSF and Edge will support farmers in sharing their outcomes with processors to help realize additional value at the end-user stage.
“We see this as a true added value to those who enroll in our program,” Brey said.
The farmers participating in this project are creating a value-added product for everyone in the supply chain just by sharing the data, regardless of whether it meets sustainability benchmarks, Cornette said.
“Of course, farmers don’t just want to share their current story, they want to have a better story to tell by meeting and exceeding those project benchmarks and their own goals. Theoretically, that should create even more value,” he said. “As a farmer, I hope that everyone else in the supply chain recognizes that value and realizes that some of that value should make it back to the farm.”
“I’m optimistic that this project will lead to exciting opportunities for all the parties involved.”
Stipends are ‘investment’
The financial incentive in the Climate-Smart Program is recognition that implementing or expanding new farming practices comes with costs, Trotter said.
“We don’t want affordability to be a deterrent or to impede progress,” he said.
Cornette Dairy’s first payment went toward buying a no-till drill.
“I see the money as an investment in our sustainability practices,” Cornette said. “Having the drill is huge when it comes to planting your own cover crops and no-till planting alfalfa. I think that’s going to change the way we farm pretty substantially, and there will be climate benefits to that.”
What should farmers who are considering enrolling in the Climate-Smart Program expect?
“The initial setup with the different modeling and measurement tools is not complicated, because the program provides engineers and experts to walk you through the process,” Cornette said. “But, it is going to require time; the data needs to be complete. Like most things, you’ll get out of it what you put into it.”
The extra attention and effort, though, is worth it,” he said. “I think that just about anybody would enjoy learning more about their farm and how to improve.”
HOW IT WORKS
Farmers can enroll in the Farmers for Sustainable Food Climate-Smart Program through one of three channels:
- Member of Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative
- Membership in a local farmer-led watershed group that participates in FSF
- Dairy processor or another
organization-led project
Financial compensation is based on the farm’s participation level:
- Contributor: Participants complete a simple greenhouse gas and carbon assessment based
on current on-farm practices. No additional requirements. Contributors receive $1,500 per year of participation. - Cultivator: Participants take a deeper dive into their farm data through more in-depth assessments of farming practices using tools such as the Fieldprint Platform, COMET-Farm
or other approved assessment tools. Cultivators receive an additional $3,000 for a total of $4,500 per year. - Collaborator: Farmers who help connect the supply chain by sharing data with downstream partners, such as processors, to help generate added value for commodities. Collaborators receive an additional $4,500 for a total of $9,000 per year.
Enrollment: Farmers interested in enrolling should send an email to climate-smart@voiceofmilk.com.
Comments