Take action to help RIPE policy principles become reality!
As we work to build support for RIPE100 to ensure that farmers and ranchers earn $100 per acre or animal unit for stewardship, we are are pursuing multiple paths to achieve this goal. Learn more about our current initiatives and how you can take action to help advance the policy below.
Help Shape Farm Bill Away From Cost-Share to Reasonable Return
As a member of the Food and Agriculture Climate Alliance (FACA), RIPE joins meetings to develop and promote climate policy priorities across the agriculture, food and forestry value chains. It’s a critically important coalition including farm bureaus and environmental organizations developing its Farm Bill platform in the next two months. FACA supports carbon farming programs and research. However, since RIPE’s research indicates those programs leave most farmers at a net-loss, we want to broaden their scope to include a reasonable return principle.
In June, we submitted a policy recommendation to FACA’s relevant working groups to consider a climate-smart conservation program that would set a price floor above climate policy costs to ensure producers can earn a reasonable return, based on environmental benefits including greenhouse gas, soil health, water and others.
We need your help to build on our letter activate this powerful coalition to shift from cost-share to reasonable return! If you are connected to any of FACA’s Founding Members or Steering Committee Members, please reach out to them right away to encourage them to endorse RIPE.
Contact us at TakeAction@RIPEroadmap.org for support. We can help you draft a brief email to encourage the advancement of the RIPE100 policy.
See FACA member organizations
FACA member organizations include:
- American Farm Bureau Federation
- Environmental Defense Fund
- The Food Industry Association
- National Alliance of Forest Owners
- National Association of State Directors of Agriculture
- National Council of Farmer Cooperatives
- National Farmers Union
- The Nature Conservancy
- American Seed Trade Association
- American Sugar Alliance
- Association of Equipment Manufactures
- Association of Public Land-Grant Universities
- Biotechnology Innovation Organization
- Crop Insurance and Reinsurance Bureau
- Croplife America
- Ducks Unlimited
- Farm Credit Council
- Federation of Southern Cooperatives
- National Cattlemen’s Beef Association
- National Corn Growers Association
- National Cotton Council
- National Milk Producers Federation
- Produce Marketing Association
- USA Rice
Tell Sen. Klobuchar to Back RIPE
The RIPE team, including staffers and members of the board and steering committee, have been meeting with Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s office to discuss the RIPE100 policy proposal.
While we are excited that Congress is committing nearly $20 billion for conservation and climate-smart agriculture in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) — which is expected to pass the House and be signed into law by President Joe Biden soon — we encourage Klobuchar to introduce the RIPE100 policy to provide our nation’s producers with a reasonable return for implementing voluntary stewardship practices.
Her staff said they would brief the senator and asked to hear more from producers across Minnesota. This is a critical moment to let her know how many farmers and ranchers support the RIPE100 policy proposal and want to move away from cost-share.
Please add your name to the letter below to show your support for the RIPE100 policy and help advance it! Thank you!
Read RIPE’s Letter to Sen. Klobuchar
Dear Senator Klobuchar,
We, the undersigned producers, strongly encourage you to introduce the RIPE100 proposal to enable producers to be fairly compensated for voluntary conservation practices — such as no-till, reduced-till, cover crops and nutrient management plans — that deliver significant public benefits. These contributions include improved greenhouse gas benefits, carbon sequestration, soil health, cleaner water and air, water conservation, and greater biodiversity.
As the Senate continues its work on the 2023 Farm Bill, we believe this is a vital opportunity to encourage more producers to voluntarily adopt stewardship practices beyond the Conservation Stewardship Program, Environmental Quality Incentives Program, and the Regional Conservation Partnership Program. Limiting producers’ options to cost-share programs leaves us to take risks and foot the bill for investments that deliver significant public benefits.
American producers have a pivotal role in mitigating climate change, but we should not have to sacrifice our livelihoods in the process.
Sincerely,