Rural Investment to Protect our Environment, known as RIPE, seeks to reward farmers for voluntary stewardship through the RIPE100 plan. The farmer-led nonprofit seeks to pay farmers $100 per acre, rewarding farmers for the total public value of their conservation practices. In addition to carbon sequestration, the voluntary federal program would pay for improved soil health, cleaner water, biodiversity and other environmental services.
Brandon Hunnicutt, RIPE steering committee chair and Nebraska farmer says, “This is a first-of-its-kind policy that will help farmers invest in environmental improvements while mitigating the risk of implementing a new practice.” The organization is advancing the policy plan, that will ensure that climate policy does not negatively affect farmer profitability.
RIPE payments would surpass the full cost of practice implementation and input cost increases from climate policy. RIPE is a coalition of farmers, ranchers, and agricultural trade association representatives advancing a national dialogue for climate policy that integrates fair and forward-looking agricultural solutions.
The National Association of Farm Broadcasting and the American Farm Bureau Federation contributed to this report.