seven hubs in regions around the country, as well as three sub-hubs in the Southeast, Midwest, and Southwest. The Hubs will provide outreach and information to producers on ways to mitigate risks; public education about the risks climate change poses to agriculture, ranchlands and forests; regional climate risk and vulnerability assessments; and centers of climate forecast data and information.
• In April, USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) awarded $6 million to 10 universities to study the effects of climate on agriculture production and develop strategies to provide farmers and ranchers with the solutions they need to supply the nation with quality
• The Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) is helping farmers lead the way when it comes to utilizing advanced energy. Since the start of the Obama Administration, REAP has supported more than 8,200 renewable energy and energy efficiency projects nationwide with $264 million in grants and $212 million in loan guarantees. The new Census of Agriculture shows the number of farms using renewable energy sources has doubled in the last five years.
• The U.S. Food Waste Challenge, a partnership between USDA and EPA, is working to curb food waste within the United States, which is the single largest type of waste entering our landfills. It's estimated that between 30 to 40 percent of the U.S. food supply is wasted. Food waste is generating substantial amounts of methane, a greenhouse gas 21 times more potent than carbon dioxide.
• USDA is taking immediate steps to assist areas across the country affected by chronic drought. In February, President Obama and Secretary Vilsack announced financial assistance for California producers.
• Earlier this year, Secretary Vilsack announced that NIFA will make $6 million in grants available in 2014, and up to $30 million total over the next five years as part of a new initiative to provide solutions to agricultural water challenges. The grants will be used to develop management practices, technologies and tools for farmers, ranchers, forest owners and citizens to improve water resource quantity and quality.
• Last year, USDA renewed an historic agreement with the dairy industry to lower greenhouse gas emissions and to accelerate the adoption of innovative waste-to-energy projects on U.S. dairy farms which help producers diversify revenues and reduce utility expenses on their operations. This partnership will support the dairy industry as it works to reach its long-term goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent by 2020.
• With fires seasons 60-80 days longer than just three decades ago, President Obama has proposed a new framework forfunding fire suppression operations in US Forest Service and the Department of the Interior to provide stable funding for fire suppression, while minimizing the adverse impacts of fire transfers on the budgets of other fire and non-fire programs. Similar proposals in the House and Senate have