(NAFB.com) – Rural Investment to Protect our Environment (RIPE) and its partners have been awarded $80 million for a pilot program by USDA’s Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities program.

RIPE is a producer-led organization advancing RIPE 100. It’s a conservation program that would pay producers $100 per acre or animal unit for stewardship, offering equitable payments above costs associated with practice implementation. Under the three-year program, the pilot will help producers in Arkansas, Minnesota, North Dakota, and Virginia prove the value of paying farmers and ranchers $100 per acre or animal unit for stewardship practices that deliver public value through carbon sequestration, greenhouse gas reductions, improved soil health, water quality and conservation, and other environmental practices.

Other key principles of the pilot include easy enrollment, equitable payments, and no penalty for early adopters. Participants will get technical support in learning how to implement climate-friendly practices such as cover crops, no-till, nutrient management, and more.