Dr. Jewell Bronaugh has started her new position as deputy secretary of agriculture at the USDA.
Bronaugh, who has a long career in agriculture including her stint as the Virginia State Executive Director for the USDA Farm Service Agency, recently met with farm broadcasters during an NAFB Zoom call. She said USDA officials are spending a lot of time on the topic of climate-smart agriculture.
?First of all, we have had many producers, we’ve had farmers and ranchers and landowners, who have really been doing things that have protected our climate for years, and we have to acknowledge the great work that’s been done for years,? said Bronaugh. ?As we think about how we’re going to take those practices that we’ve already been doing and advance those into meeting the goals that the administration has set around climate change, one, this is for USDA whole-of-government effort to address the climate crisis.?
Bronaugh says USDA can?t meet their climate goals without the help of farmers, ranchers, and landowners.
?To be effective, one thing we know is we’re going to have to work with our farmers, ranchers, and our landowners to engage,? said Bronaugh. ?It?s not something that will happen through regulation. We’re going to have to have our farmers and ranchers, and landowners closely engaged as we make decisions about practices and opportunities for our farmers and ranchers to really meet the climate change goals. So that’s foremost: this is going to be farmer-based, and that’s going to be the beginning point of how we move forward.?
Bronaugh noted USDA is also looking at ways to establish voluntary markets like a carbon credit market. USDA recently announced it will invest $4 billion to strengthen the U.S. food system. Dr. Bronaugh says they will be working to make the funds available as quickly as possible.
