The farmer-owned cooperative accelerates its
ongoing sustainability achievements through its $45M Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities
grant.
SACRAMENTO, Calif.,
May 13, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Blue
Diamond Growers, a farmer-owned cooperative and the world's largest
almond marketer and processor, launched the second year of
enrollment for their $45 million
Climate Smart Commodities Grant this month. The grant, awarded by
the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), provides
farmers funding to implement climate-smart practices on-farm
including planting cover crops, conservation cover and hedgerows.
Blue Diamond's farmer-members planted more than 17,000 acres of
almond orchards with cover crop and over 100 conservation cover in
the first year of the project. Starting May
1, the cooperative began accepting applications from their
approximately 3,000 farmer-owners for the second year of
activities, which are supported by grant partners
Project Apis m. and Pollinator Partnership.
The grant is part of the USDA's Partnerships for Climate-Smart
Commodities program aimed at equipping farmers with the resources
and incentives needed to further their sustainable practices
on-farm. Through this grant, Blue Diamond has provided almost
$800,000 in funds for seeds, and
incentive payments for 91 farmers in the first year. The total
acres of almond orchards implementing pollinator habitat practices
through the grant would be large enough to cover the island of
Manhattan.
"This grant is an important piece of Blue Diamond's
sustainability story, and we are proud of our first-year
successes," said Dr. Dan Sonke, Head
of Sustainability. "We are thankful for our partnership with the
USDA as we invest in the future of agriculture and assist our
farmers with implementing these critical practices."
The grant expands Blue Diamond's current sustainability efforts,
including the cooperative's flagship Orchard Stewardship Incentive
Program (OSIP), which began providing incentive payments to
participating farmers in the 2020 crop year. Through OSIP, Blue
Diamond has provided millions of dollars in incentives and has the
most acres in an almond sustainability program in the world. Today,
over 57% of Blue Diamond member acreage is participating in OSIP.
The Climate Smart Grant will bolster Blue Diamond's farmers to
employ practices that support the good stewardship of their
orchards.
"Blue Diamond has always been synonymous with quality because of
our commitment to producing the best product possible," said
Carmen Bourgaize, Chief Commercial
Officer. "This commitment continues through our investment in
sustainability and in turn, increases our value proposition because
our retail and manufacturing customers know they are receiving
almonds that are not only safe and high-quality, but are supported
by important on-farm stewardship initiatives."
About Blue Diamond
Blue Diamond Growers, a grower-owned cooperative representing
approximately 3,000 of California's almond farmers, is the world's
leading almond marketer and processor. Established in 1910, it
created the California almond
industry and opened world markets for almonds. Blue Diamond is
dedicated to delivering the benefits of almonds around the world
and does so by providing high-quality almonds, almond ingredients,
and branded products. Headquartered in Sacramento, the company employs more than
1,800 people throughout its processing plants, receiving stations
and gift shops. To learn more about Blue Diamond Growers, visit
www.bluediamond.com and follow the company on Facebook, Instagram,
and LinkedIn.
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