ONE RED – Ag Registry and Grants Program

Concept

The ONE RED Ag Registry and Grants Program is made up of three strategies to help farmers adopt and improve innovative practices that benefit their operations and protect the environment: a Carbon Intensity (CI) Scores Registry, Regenerative Agriculture Incentives, and Precision Agriculture Incentives.

A Nebraska-based organization and governing council made up of agricultural leaders, state agencies, and industry experts will work together to manage the program. NDEE will select the organization through a competitive request for proposals (RFP) process. The governing council will coordinate implementation of the three strategies to help farmers adopt regenerative and precision agriculture practices and ensure farmers who have already adopted these practices receive credit. See more information about the three Ag Registry and Grants Program initiatives below.

Funding available: $150 million

Greenhouse gas reductions by 2023: 28 million metric tons

CI Score Registry

To begin, the Ag Registry and Grants program will create financial incentives for ag producers to measure their carbon intensity, or carbon dioxide emissions created through crop production, and register their carbon intensity (CI) score into a registry specifically designed with Nebraska farmers in mind. The registry will then pay farmers to register their scores per bushel produced. Lower CI scores may mean a farmer can get paid a premium price for their crop through a variety of tax incentives and market forces.

The registry will be administered by a Nebraska-based organization, sub-awarded through a competitive RFP process. A governing council comprised of ag leaders and experts will be created to determine the parameters of the CI Registry Program, with extensive input from the agricultural community.

After registering their CI scores with the registry, farmers will also be eligible to apply for the Regenerative Agriculture Incentives and the Precision Agriculture Incentives programs, which will help them further reduce their CI score.

Regenerative Agriculture Incentives

Regenerative Agriculture refers to a variety of farming practices that improve the regeneration of a healthy topsoil. These practices include, but are not limited to, cover crops, no-till, reduced chemical fertilizer, and grazing strategies.

The Regenerative Agriculture Incentives program will provide funds to producers attempting to implement such strategies. Producers will pick what practices work best for their operations, and the funding will help eliminate barriers and mitigate risks that may have prevented them from using these strategies before. Small and medium farming operations will be given special consideration for this program.

In addition to the regenerative ag funds for individual producers across the state, this award will also fund a community-based ag demonstration in south-central Nebraska, followed by expansion to other areas in the state. The innovative pilot project will focus on community-based collaboration and cover a multi-county area including several low-income disadvantaged communities. Information learned from this demonstration will be shared among producers so they can learn more about regenerative ag practices.

Precision Agriculture Incentives

Precision Agriculture refers to the application of water, nutrients, and pest control according to the specific needs of a plant and its specific environment. Precision agriculture utilizes soil sampling, satellite imagery, and real-time sensors to track growing conditions. With this data, growers will utilize GPS along with advanced equipment designs and chemicals that meet the individualized needs of particular crops and their specific conditions.

This precision allows farmers to apply fertilizers or other chemicals only where needed, in the amount it is needed, or use less fuel as they plant and treat their fields, thus lowering their CI Score.

The Precision Agriculture Incentives program will provide funding to help farmers, COOPs, NRDs, and other groups purchase:

• Precision agriculture equipment
• Soil health and regenerative agriculture equipment
• Water management and irrigation systems
• Data collection and monitoring technologies
• Carbon measurement and monitoring equipment
• Livestock management and regenerative grazing equipment

Small and medium farming operations will be given special consideration for this program.

Eligibility

Ag producers must measure their carbon intensity and register their CI score to be eligible for all three components of the Ag Registry and Grants Program.

How to apply

Application details about this grant will be made available as the program is developed. Thanks for your patience!

Additional Information

More details about this program can be found in the workplan document attached at the bottom of this page. The full workplan is available on the ONE RED Implementation Page. 

The program is being developed through information gathered from a report titled, “Climate Neutrality for Nebraska Agriculture: Benchmarking current emissions,” prepared by Blonk Consultants. 

Contact

Email -- NDEE.ONERED@nebraska.gov

Or sign up for the ONE RED Listserv -- https://dee.nebraska.gov/aid/one-red-opportunity-nebraska-reducing-emissions-decarbonization/one-red-contact-information