If you have more questions, please get in touch.
Application & Enrollment
Who is eligible?
The Alliance is open to farmers and ranchers within select soil and water conservation districts in Arkansas, Minnesota, North Dakota and Virginia.
To align with the Justice40 goals to include Historically Underserved Farmers and Ranchers, at least 40% of participants will be underserved – reaching at least 1,800 operations across the four participating states. These producers will qualify for an additional equity payment to help them install climate-smart practices.
Over three years, the program will enroll an estimated 1,100–1,200 farms in each of the four states, for a total reach of 4,400 — 4,800 operations.
When are applications open?
Open enrollment periods will vary by state. Sign up for the newsletter to find out when applications open in your state. Virginia Tech will issue enrollment decisions within 30 days of the application closing date. Contracts are valid for one calendar year.
What information is required to apply?
▸ W9 (individual, not entity)
This is required for Virginia Tech to issue producer payments. As of July 2024, Virginia Tech will only accept the most recent W9 from the IRS, published March 2024.
▸ Farm Service Agency farm number(s)
▸ Farm Service Agency tract number(s)
This is required for Virginia Tech to issue producer payments. As of July 2024, Virginia Tech will only accept the most recent W9 from the IRS, published March 2024.
▸ Farm Service Agency farm number(s)
▸ Farm Service Agency tract number(s)
What information is required to enroll?
If you are selected to participate in the Alliance, producers must provide the following to complete enrollment:
▸ Subsidiary Print
▸ Farm Map(s)
▸ NRCS CPA-52 Environmental Evaluation Worksheet, if applicable
Select practices will require the CPA-52 worksheet. See the Approved Practices for more information.
▸ Subsidiary Print
▸ Farm Map(s)
▸ NRCS CPA-52 Environmental Evaluation Worksheet, if applicable
Select practices will require the CPA-52 worksheet. See the Approved Practices for more information.
How can producers obtain a farm, tract, or field number?
Producers are required to submit Farm Service Agency farm and tract number during the application.
If you are a producer and do not currently have established farm records, please make an appointment at your local FSA office with staff who will assist you through the process. To find the nearest service center, please use the online FSA Service Center Locator.
How are producers selected?
Virginia Tech implemented a randomized selection model to select farms to be enrolled. Factors considered in the model included pilot goals related to the Justice40 Initiative of 40% of enrolled producers coming from historically underserved operations, representation of a variety of climate-smart practices and commodities, total acreage or animal units, and number of producers.
Can producers apply or enroll more than once?
Absolutely!
All producers who meet the eligibility criteria and submit a complete application are considered in a lottery for selection.
Once an application is submitted, it will be saved on the Alliance Dashboard. Producers may log into the dashboard if they wish to review and resubmit an application. If an enrolled producer completes their contract with the Alliance and wish to enroll for a second year, they are welcome to — as long as a new practice occurs on new acres and/or animal units.
Any producer who is not selected is invited to reapply in subsequent periods, as long as they have met all of the requisite eligibility criteria.
Implementing & Verifying Climate-Smart Practices
What practices are included?
Qualifying practices have been selected from USDA-NRCS Conservation Practice Standards. All practices will meet approved NRCS standards.
Producers may only receive one payment per acre or animal unit; installing multiple practices on the same acre or animal unit will not increase the payment. If a Producer wishes to add multiple practices, they must occur on different acres or animal units.
Conservation Crop Rotation (328)
Residue and Tillage Management, No Till (329)
Cover Crop (340)
Residue and Tillage Management, Reduced Till (345)
Silvopasture (381)
Riparian Herbaceous Cover (390)
Riparian Forest Buffer (391)
Nutrient Management (590)
Tree/Shrub Establishment (612)
Irrigation Water Management, Alternative Wetting and Drying (449)
ℹ Arkansas only
Pasture and Hay Planting (512)
Prescribed Grazing (528)
Feed Management (592)
For a complete list, please see the Approved Practices guide.
How are the practices verified?
All enrolled participants will self-report and self-verify the installed practice and commodity using COMET-Planner or Field to Market’s FieldPrint Platform.
The Carbon Management Evaluation Tool (COMET) is a measurement tool designed to provide the estimated greenhouse gas impacts of conservation practices, without extensive on-site sampling. The Fieldprint® Platform is an assessment framework that measures the environmental impacts of commodity crop production. Alliance will utilize FieldPrint rather than COMET for rice conservation practices (Arkansas only).
All enrolled producers are required to submit COMET-Planner or FieldPrint data to the Alliance at the conclusion of their contract.
Up to 10% of enrolled producers will be selected at random for a site visit by an Alliance state partner.
Is there a minimum or maximum acreage requirement for participation in the Alliance?
Each application may include up to two farms, identified by unique FSA farm numbers. Each designated operator may enroll a maximum of 160 acres and/or animal units per farm, for a potential maximum of 320 acres and/or animal units per application. Producers may not submit multiple applications to exceed the maximum units.
Minimum acreage is determined by each state, as follows:
Arkansas
Must enroll a minimum of 5 acres or 5 animal units.
Minnesota
Must enroll a minimum of 3 acres or 10 animal units.
North Dakota
Must enroll a minimum of 3 acres or 10 animal units.
Virginia
Must enroll a minimum of 2 acres. There is no minimum for animal units, but keep in mind that the stocking rate (i.e., acres per animal unit) must be within an appropriate range for the farm.
Payments
What is the financial incentive?
The Alliance will pay producers $100 per acre or animal unit, per year, for voluntary adoption of climate-smart practices. Qualifying underserved producers will receive an additional equity payment valued at 25% of the baseline $100/unit.
The public environmental benefits – soil health, water quality, pollinator and wildlife habitat and air quality – are estimated to exceed this financial incentive.
The Alliance will also partner with the Sustainable Food Lab to develop a prototype climate-smart certificate that producers can use to market climate-smart commodities to the American public.
How do producers receive their payments, and when?
Once a Producer Agreement has been signed, payments are made in three installments: 50% is released after enrollment is complete, 25% is paid six months into the contract, and the final payment is released when the required data has been submitted and verified by Virginia Tech. See the Producer Guide for complete payment details.
The final payment is guaranteed to farmers as long as they fulfill the terms and conditions set forth in the Producer Agreement.
What if a producer is already enrolled in another federal cost-share or financial incentive program?
Simultaneous enrollment of the same practice on the same acres is not allowed for any NRCS, state cost-share, or any other program under the Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities fund.
If a producer is participating in another voluntary conservation program delivered through USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), they must confirm that the funds received from the Alliance will not be used to pay for the implementation of the same practice on the same land. Generally, if a practice has (or had) a Federal contract and is still within the project lifespan, then that specific practice on that specific land will not be paid for again.
What is the total funding being provided through the Alliance?
A total of $57,407,735 is budgeted to be distributed directly to producer payments, with a $4 million allocation for high-cost livestock practices.
The pilot will allocate 5% of funds for socially disadvantaged producers and 5% for limited resource producers in each state. If the funds are not used during the first year, they will be rolled into the second year allocation for underserved producers. Additional efforts will then be made to achieve the goals, including potentially adjusting the selection of conservation districts to reach more socially disadvantaged producers.
The pilot will reach an estimated 4,670 operations representing a total of 475,000 acres or animal units.
Producer Obligations & Expectations
What data are producers be required to submit?
If you are selected to participate in the Alliance, producers must provide the following to complete enrollment:
▸ Subsidiary Print*
▸ Farm Map(s)*
▸ NRCS CPA-52 Environmental Evaluation Worksheet, if applicable
Select practices will require the CPA-52 worksheet. See the Approved Practices for more information.
▸ Subsidiary Print*
▸ Farm Map(s)*
▸ NRCS CPA-52 Environmental Evaluation Worksheet, if applicable
Select practices will require the CPA-52 worksheet. See the Approved Practices for more information.
Producers must keep records to document progress and proof of implementation. The Alliance will schedule field visit(s) with Producers as needed to confirm compliance.
How will farmer data be protected?
Virginia Tech complies with all statutory and legal requirements with respect to access to information. All personal data will be retained for a period not to exceed (5) years after the retention begin date. Farm, tract, field numbers, and producer name will be provided to the USDA National Program Officer as a part of routine grant reporting.
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
What types of producers are considered underserved?
The Alliance will prioritize participation from historically underserved and underrepresented farmers and ranchers. This includes beginning producers, small-farm operators, 100% women-owned operations, limited resource producers, socially disadvantaged producers, and veteran producers. These groups have been identified and defined by the USDA, details below.
BEGINNING PRODUCERS
An individual who has not operated a farm, ranch, for more than 10 consecutive years. To qualify, an individual must provide substantial day-to-day labor and management of the operation, consistent with the practices in the county or State where the operation is located.
A legal entity or joint operation can be considered a Beginning Farmer and Rancher (BFR) if all members individually qualify.
SMALL PRODUCERS
An operation with gross cash farm income under $250,000.
100% WOMEN-OWNED OPERATIONS
Operations whose principal operator—the individual most responsible for the day-to-day decisions of the farm (or ranch)—is female.
LIMITED RESOURCE PRODUCERS
▸ A farmer or rancher who has direct or indirect gross farm sales not more than the current indexed value in each of the previous 2 years, AND
▸ has a total household income at or below the national poverty level for a family of four in each of the previous 2 years, OR
▸ has a total household income less than 50 percent of the county median household income in each of the previous 2 years.
A legal entity or joint operation can be considered Limited Resource if all members individually qualify.
SOCIALLY DISADVANTAGED PRODUCERS
Groups that have been subject to racial or ethnic prejudice, such as farmers who are Black or African American, American Indian or Alaska Native, Hispanic or Latino, and Asian or Pacific Islander.
ℹ We acknowledge that the term “socially disadvantaged” may not be how individuals who fit the definitions below identify themselves. In this guide, it is included to outline specific incentives and priorities for underserved producers within USDA programs.
VETERAN PRODUCERS
A producer who:
▸ Served in the United States Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, or Coast Guard, including the reserve component thereof; was released from service under conditions other than dishonorable, AND
▸ Has not operated a farm or ranch, or has operated a farm or ranch for not more than 10 years,
OR
▸ First obtained status as a veteran during the most recent 10-year period
A legal entity or joint operation can be a Veteran Farmer or Rancher only if all individual members independently qualify.
Application & Enrollment
Who is eligible?
The Alliance is open to farmers and ranchers within select soil and water conservation districts in Arkansas, Minnesota, North Dakota and Virginia.
To align with the Justice40 goals to include Historically Underserved Farmers and Ranchers, at least 40% of participants will be underserved – reaching at least 1,800 operations across the four participating states. These producers will qualify for an additional equity payment to help them install climate-smart practices.
Over three years, the program will enroll an estimated 1,100–1,200 farms in each of the four states, for a total reach of 4,400 — 4,800 operations.
When are applications open?
Open enrollment periods will vary by state. Sign up for the newsletter to find out when applications open in your state. Virginia Tech will issue enrollment decisions within 30 days of the application closing date. Contracts are valid for one calendar year.
What information is required to apply?
▸ W9 (individual, not entity)
This is required for Virginia Tech to issue producer payments. As of July 2024, Virginia Tech will only accept the most recent W9 from the IRS, published March 2024.
▸ Farm Service Agency farm number(s)
▸ Farm Service Agency tract number(s)
This is required for Virginia Tech to issue producer payments. As of July 2024, Virginia Tech will only accept the most recent W9 from the IRS, published March 2024.
▸ Farm Service Agency farm number(s)
▸ Farm Service Agency tract number(s)
What information is required to enroll?
If you are selected to participate in the Alliance, producers must provide the following to complete enrollment:
▸ Subsidiary Print
▸ Farm Map(s)
▸ NRCS CPA-52 Environmental Evaluation Worksheet, if applicable
Select practices will require the CPA-52 worksheet. See the Approved Practices for more information.
▸ Subsidiary Print
▸ Farm Map(s)
▸ NRCS CPA-52 Environmental Evaluation Worksheet, if applicable
Select practices will require the CPA-52 worksheet. See the Approved Practices for more information.
How can producers obtain a farm, tract, or field number?
Producers are required to submit Farm Service Agency farm and tract number during the application.
If you are a producer and do not currently have established farm records, please make an appointment at your local FSA office with staff who will assist you through the process. To find the nearest service center, please use the online FSA Service Center Locator.
How are producers selected?
Virginia Tech implemented a randomized selection model to select farms to be enrolled. Factors considered in the model included pilot goals related to the Justice40 Initiative of 40% of enrolled producers coming from historically underserved operations, representation of a variety of climate-smart practices and commodities, total acreage or animal units, and number of producers.
Can producers apply or enroll more than once?
Absolutely!
All producers who meet the eligibility criteria and submit a complete application are considered in a lottery for selection.
Once an application is submitted, it will be saved on the Alliance Dashboard. Producers may log into the dashboard if they wish to review and resubmit an application. If an enrolled producer completes their contract with the Alliance and wish to enroll for a second year, they are welcome to — as long as a new practice occurs on new acres and/or animal units.
Any producer who is not selected is invited to reapply in subsequent periods, as long as they have met all of the requisite eligibility criteria.
Implementing & Verifying Climate-Smart Practices
What practices are included?
Qualifying practices have been selected from USDA-NRCS Conservation Practice Standards. All practices will meet approved NRCS standards.
Producers may only receive one payment per acre or animal unit; installing multiple practices on the same acre or animal unit will not increase the payment. If a Producer wishes to add multiple practices, they must occur on different acres or animal units.
For a complete list, please see the Approved Practices guide.
How are the practices verified?
All enrolled participants will self-report and self-verify the installed practice and commodity using COMET-Planner or Field to Market’s FieldPrint Platform.
The Carbon Management Evaluation Tool (COMET) is a measurement tool designed to provide the estimated greenhouse gas impacts of conservation practices, without extensive on-site sampling. The Fieldprint® Platform is an assessment framework that measures the environmental impacts of commodity crop production. Alliance will utilize FieldPrint rather than COMET for rice conservation practices (Arkansas only).
All enrolled producers are required to submit COMET-Planner or FieldPrint data to the Alliance at the conclusion of their contract.
Up to 10% of enrolled producers will be selected at random for a site visit by an Alliance state partner.
Is there a minimum or maximum acreage requirement for participation in the Alliance?
Each application may include up to two farms, identified by unique FSA farm numbers. Each designated operator may enroll a maximum of 160 acres and/or animal units per farm, for a potential maximum of 320 acres and/or animal units per application. Producers may not submit multiple applications to exceed the maximum units.
Minimum acreage is determined by each state, as follows:
Arkansas
Must enroll a minimum of 5 acres or 5 animal units.
Minnesota
Must enroll a minimum of 3 acres or 10 animal units.
North Dakota
Must enroll a minimum of 3 acres or 10 animal units.
Virginia
Must enroll a minimum of 2 acres. There is no minimum for animal units, but keep in mind that the stocking rate (i.e., acres per animal unit) must be within an appropriate range for the farm.
Payments
What is the financial incentive?
The Alliance will pay producers $100 per acre or animal unit, per year, for voluntary adoption of climate-smart practices. Qualifying underserved producers will receive an additional equity payment valued at 25% of the baseline $100/unit.
The public environmental benefits – soil health, water quality, pollinator and wildlife habitat and air quality – are estimated to exceed this financial incentive.
The Alliance will also partner with the Sustainable Food Lab to develop a prototype climate-smart certificate that producers can use to market climate-smart commodities to the American public.
How do producers receive their payments, and when?
Once a Producer Agreement has been signed, payments are made in three installments: 50% is released after enrollment is complete, 25% is paid six months into the contract, and the final payment is released when the required data has been submitted and verified by Virginia Tech. See the Producer Guide for complete payment details.
The final payment is guaranteed to farmers as long as they fulfill the terms and conditions set forth in the Producer Agreement.
What if a producer is already enrolled in another federal cost-share or financial incentive program?
Simultaneous enrollment of the same practice on the same acres is not allowed for any NRCS, state cost-share, or any other program under the Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities fund.
If a producer is participating in another voluntary conservation program delivered through USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), they must confirm that the funds received from the Alliance will not be used to pay for the implementation of the same practice on the same land. Generally, if a practice has (or had) a Federal contract and is still within the project lifespan, then that specific practice on that specific land will not be paid for again.
What is the total funding being provided through the Alliance?
A total of $57,407,735 is budgeted to be distributed directly to producer payments, with a $4 million allocation for high-cost livestock practices.
The pilot will allocate 5% of funds for socially disadvantaged producers and 5% for limited resource producers in each state. If the funds are not used during the first year, they will be rolled into the second year allocation for underserved producers. Additional efforts will then be made to achieve the goals, including potentially adjusting the selection of conservation districts to reach more socially disadvantaged producers.
The pilot will reach an estimated 4,670 operations representing a total of 475,000 acres or animal units.
Producer Obligations & Expectations
What data are producers be required to submit?
If you are selected to participate in the Alliance, producers must provide the following to complete enrollment:
▸ Subsidiary Print*
▸ Farm Map(s)*
▸ NRCS CPA-52 Environmental Evaluation Worksheet, if applicable
Select practices will require the CPA-52 worksheet. See the Approved Practices for more information.
▸ Subsidiary Print*
▸ Farm Map(s)*
▸ NRCS CPA-52 Environmental Evaluation Worksheet, if applicable
Select practices will require the CPA-52 worksheet. See the Approved Practices for more information.
Producers must keep records to document progress and proof of implementation. The Alliance will schedule field visit(s) with Producers as needed to confirm compliance.
How will farmer data be protected?
Virginia Tech complies with all statutory and legal requirements with respect to access to information. All personal data will be retained for a period not to exceed (5) years after the retention begin date. Farm, tract, field numbers, and producer name will be provided to the USDA National Program Officer as a part of routine grant reporting.
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
What types of producers are considered underserved?
The Alliance will prioritize participation from historically underserved and underrepresented farmers and ranchers. This includes beginning producers, small-farm operators, 100% women-owned operations, limited resource producers, socially disadvantaged producers, and veteran producers. These groups have been identified and defined by the USDA, details below.
BEGINNING PRODUCERS
An individual who has not operated a farm, ranch, for more than 10 consecutive years. To qualify, an individual must provide substantial day-to-day labor and management of the operation, consistent with the practices in the county or State where the operation is located.
A legal entity or joint operation can be considered a Beginning Farmer and Rancher (BFR) if all members individually qualify.
SMALL PRODUCERS
An operation with gross cash farm income under $250,000.
100% WOMEN-OWNED OPERATIONS
Operations whose principal operator—the individual most responsible for the day-to-day decisions of the farm (or ranch)—is female.
LIMITED RESOURCE PRODUCERS
▸ A farmer or rancher who has direct or indirect gross farm sales not more than the current indexed value in each of the previous 2 years, AND
▸ has a total household income at or below the national poverty level for a family of four in each of the previous 2 years, OR
▸ has a total household income less than 50 percent of the county median household income in each of the previous 2 years.
A legal entity or joint operation can be considered Limited Resource if all members individually qualify.
SOCIALLY DISADVANTAGED PRODUCERS
Groups that have been subject to racial or ethnic prejudice, such as farmers who are Black or African American, American Indian or Alaska Native, Hispanic or Latino, and Asian or Pacific Islander.
ℹ We acknowledge that the term “socially disadvantaged” may not be how individuals who fit the definitions below identify themselves. In this guide, it is included to outline specific incentives and priorities for underserved producers within USDA programs.
VETERAN PRODUCERS
A producer who:
▸ Served in the United States Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, or Coast Guard, including the reserve component thereof; was released from service under conditions other than dishonorable, AND
▸ Has not operated a farm or ranch, or has operated a farm or ranch for not more than 10 years,
OR
▸ First obtained status as a veteran during the most recent 10-year period
A legal entity or joint operation can be a Veteran Farmer or Rancher only if all individual members independently qualify.