Farmers Apply for CLEAR to Promote Healthy Waters

Posted on August 10, 2020 by Taylor in Farming Resources, Funding, News, Policy, Subsidies, Sustainable Agriculture // 0 Comments

Farmers Apply for CLEAR, Federal Support For States & Tribes Building Climate Resilience Through Soil Health, and Updated COVID-19 Resources in this Week’s Sustainable Agriculture Roundup from the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC).

Enrollment Alert! Farmers Apply For CLEAR and CLEAR30 to Promote Healthy Waters

In order to address the problem of hypoxia and widespread dead zones, the Clean Lakes, Estuaries, and Rivers program (CLEAR) was established in 2017. This program, championed by NSAC and created by Congress, provides direct financial support to farmers that want to implement conservation practices such as buffers, grass waterways, filter strips, and other practices that reduce the amount of nitrogen and phosphorus in the water. CLEAR is open for enrollment in every state across the country for interested farmers.

This is also the first year of a new pilot program called CLEAR30, which will provide eligible farmers and landowners in the Great Lakes and Chesapeake Bay watersheds with a 30-year contract to continue conservation practices that keep our waterways clean and healthy. Read our blog for more details on eligibility, important deadlines, and more:

Federal Support For States & Tribes Building Climate Resilience Through Soil Health

Editor’s Note: This is the sixth blog in a series focusing on specific provisions included in the Agricultural Resilience Act (ARA), introduced by Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-ME). It is co-authored by Duane Hovorka, Agriculture Program Director for the Izaak Walton League of America, and Cristel Zoebisch, Climate Policy Associate at the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition in partnership with the Organic Farming Research Foundation. Read blogs one, two, three, four, and five here.

In addition to the increased investment and expansion of working lands conservation programs, the ARA would support state-level soil health efforts through a new block grant program, which would help state and Tribal governments build on their existing soil health programs. Learn more about soil health programs below:

Updated COVID-19 Resources

The coronavirus pandemic has presented enormous challenges to farmers, farm and food system workers, and consumers.The work of NSAC to help others continues to develop rapidly.

This page compiles all of the resources NSAC has received and will be updated on an ongoing basis as we learn about new available resources.

You can also read NSAC’s Statement in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and find technical resources and analysis here.