NMDA Healthy Soil Program
Grants to improve soil health are the centerpiece of NMDA’s Healthy Soil Program. Every year, NMDA awards grants to implement on-the-ground projects that involve one or more of the five soil health principles, stated as follows in the legislative Act that created the program:
- keeping soil covered;
- minimizing soil disturbance on cropland and minimizing external inputs;
- maximizing biodiversity;
- maintaining a living root; and
- integrating animals into land management, including grazing animals, birds, beneficial insects or keystone species, such as earthworms.
The next application cycle opens Friday, February 23, 2024 and closes Friday, April 26, 2024 at 12 p.m. (noon) Mountain Time. Projects selected for funding will happen between August 2024 and May 2025
Individual Applicants are individuals, businesses, and nonprofits directly engaged in farming, ranching, and/or other forms of land management in New Mexico. All completed applications must be submitted online by April 26, 2024 at 12 p.m. (noon) Mountain Time. Indvidual applicants must complete their Conservatoin Plan with NRCS by March 22. Individual Applicants must submit required documents to Ciudad SWCD by April 18th, if would like to be considered for support and sponsorship.
Learn more by reading the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) for Individual Applicants. For application tips and Healthy Soil Program updates – as well as soil health news and events – subscribe to our weekly newsletter via the form at the bottom of the Healthy Soil Program web page.
January 16, 2024 pre-application webinar: See the Individual Applicant webinar slides or watch the subtitled recording.
March 5, 2024 application demonstration webinar: Register here to join us from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Mountain Time.