RCDMC is proud to be a partner in a new, USDA-funded project with Cal State Monterey Bay for “Developing capacity to quantify climate‐smart practices in cool season specialty crops”. The goals of the project are to encourage growers to adopt climate-smart practices by providing them financial incentives and then to evaluate the benefits to the environment and the participating growers’ businesses. The specific conservation practices to be promoted and evaluated in this project include reducing nitrogen fertilizer use, planting cover crops and applying compost. Under the grant, the RCD’s bilingual ag team will provide technical guidance for up to 88 underserved Central Coast farmers over the course of five years to implement those practices on their fields and receive financial incentives to cover their costs. The Monterey Herald recently published a story about the project.