The American Soybean Association said late Friday that it and other agriculture groups want the Agriculture Department to resume payments under the Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities program (PCSC).

Noting that “grant recipients have been notified recently that funds associated with the PCSC program have been paused while the new Trump administration reviews various grant programs,” ASA President Caleb Ragland, a soy farmer from Kentucky, said of the freeze, “The American Soybean Association and other agriculture groups think it is important for USDA to honor the contractual commitments made to farmers and recipient organizations who are administering these grants.”

“Under the grants, farmers have implemented practices to make their operations more resilient and improve environmental outcomes. These projects are integral to the continued success of the agriculture industry by advancing efficiencies in our farming practices and tapping potential new markets while also improving environmental outcomes.”

ASA added, “PCSC provides funding to projects that implement resilient farming practices, measure and verify the resulting greenhouse gas benefits, and create market opportunities for climate-smart products.”

“The outcomes of PCSC projects go beyond climate benefits: Over the course of several planting seasons, farmers can see improved soil quality and improvements to overall farming resiliency, which bolsters the productivity of U.S. soybean farmers well into the future,” ASA said.

ASA said that, since the program’s inception in February 2022, “USDA has invested $3.1 billion in 141 selected projects,” although that is the total amount that Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack took from the Commodity Credit Corporation, USDA’s line of credit at the Treasury, to launch the program.

It is unclear how much money has gone out to the partnership lead partners who distribute the money to smaller partners who make payments to farmers.