Blue Carbon, Green Fields

Notice: _On April 14, 2025, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced the cancellation of the Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities (PCSC). The USDA plans to reform the program into the Advancing Markets for Producers (AMP) initiative. Contact your local USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) for more information on how to apply to the AMP initiative. _

Mobilizing Marine Algae to Benefit Sea and Soil in the Pacific Northwest

This project plans to pilot a mutually beneficial collaboration between aquatic and terrestrial farms in the Puget Sound region, revolving around the removal and reconveyance of nuisance seaweed for application as a Carbon-sequestering soil amendment. This product would be used on small, direct-to-consumer, specialty crop and diversified farms and the crops would be marketed to pre-existing regional markets that support demand for climate-smart commodities.

Shellfish farmers would benefit from new revenue streams from nuisance seaweed, the value of improved shellfish health and seawater quality and the potential for new marketing opportunities and/or premiums associated with implementing a verified climate-smart practice.

Individual farmers apply directly, through a live intake form — and the eligibility statement is unusually wide. Verbatim: "All Washington state (WA) owner/operators of specialty crop farms and shellfish farms are potentially eligible participants."

The binding tests:

• You must be the owner/operator of the farm, in Washington state.

• You must be either a specialty crop farm or a shellfish farm. The project pairs the two: shellfish growers supply nuisance seaweed, specialty crop growers trial it as a soil amendment. "Participating shellfish farms will provide seaweed and help perfect methods of seaweed harvest, drying, processing and storing. Specialty crop farmers will be involved in seaweed application trials that will help to establish its efficacy as a soil amendment."

• Practically, you should be in reach of the work: "If you are a specialty crop or shellfish farmer in the Puget Sound region and want to participate in Blue Carbon, Green Fields, please fill out the form below." Land farmers are asked whether they have "the capacity to pick up seaweed from a partner shellfish farm and transport it back to your farm," so logistics matter to selection.

FSA registration is preferred, not required: "For the 2026 season, prior FSA registration, or the ability to register with the FSA independently ahead of participating, is strongly preferred." The intake asks whether your farm is FSA-registered and accepts a No.

Selection is by screening, and the project is explicit that no single answer decides it: "Participating farms are screened based on a broad mix of logistical factors. Please answer openly and accurately. No particular responses will disqualify you or guarantee you a participant role."

No acreage minimum or maximum applies — the intake's acreage options run from "Less than 1 acre" through "More than 50 acres," so very small farms are in scope. No revenue test, years-of-experience floor, organic certification, tenure requirement, or audience restriction (beginning, veteran, socially disadvantaged) is published.

How to apply: the intake form at https://bcgf.deohs.washington.edu/join-us, then "A team member will contact you within two weeks to schedule a virtual meeting to gather information about your farm (part of our screening process)." Recruiting is ongoing rather than deadline-driven: "Over the course of the project (2024-2028) we will recruit more specialty crop and shellfish farmers as project participants." Note the project's own status history — terminated by USDA in April 2025 and "re-instated under USDA's new AMP program" as of January 2026 — so confirm the current season is running when you apply.

Participation is paid, but the project publishes no rate and no ceiling — the amount is settled with you individually.

What is stated: "Both specialty crop and shellfish farmers will be compensated for their participation. Farmers will work closely with the project team, receiving ample technical assistance, and in some cases equipment support. Researchers from the project team will also conduct soil sampling and analyses." The land-farmer handout lists the benefits as "Seaweed provided free of charge; Compensation for participation in the trial; Technical assistance from support staff at Viva Farms, UW, and WSU, including soil scientists and researchers; Access to a network of potential sea farm vendors," plus potential marketing premiums.

What is NOT published: any per-farm payment rate, dollar cap, cost-share percentage, or match requirement. Amounts are negotiated after screening — "A team member will contact you within two weeks to schedule a virtual meeting to gather information about your farm (part of our screening process), as well as answer any questions you may have about the project, compensation, timeline, etc."

For scale only, not as an entitlement: the project reports it "Provided over $20,000 in direct financial support to farms participating in the project" across four host farms in its first year, under "a nearly $5 million USDA award," and runs "over the project's five years (2024-2028)." Land is not committed by contract on the page; participation is trial-based.

One short webform on the project's own site, then a screening call. There is no grant application, no forms to download, and no deadline.

The route. "If you are a specialty crop or shellfish farmer in the Puget Sound region and want to participate in Blue Carbon, Green Fields, please fill out the form below, and we will be in touch with you within two weeks." The form — headed "Prospective farmer intake form" — is embedded directly on https://bcgf.deohs.washington.edu/join-us. Nothing is mailed and nothing goes through USDA, even though the project is USDA-funded.

What happens after you submit, from the project's land-farmer handout: "If you are interested in being considered for participation in this project, please complete the form on the BCGF project page. A team member will contact you within two weeks to schedule a virtual meeting to gather information about your farm (part of our screening process), as well as answer any questions you may have about the project, compensation, timeline, etc." Payment terms are settled on that call, not on the form — so the form commits you to nothing.

Rolling intake, no deadline. "Over the course of the project (2024-2028) we will recruit more specialty crop and shellfish farmers as project participants." No application window or closing date is published anywhere on the site.

What the form asks — you can finish it in a few minutes from memory, with no documents to assemble: your name, farm/business name, Washington county, email, phone and contact preference; whether you are a specialty crop farm or a shellfish farm; whether farming is your primary occupation; how long you have been farming and how long the farm has operated; whether you are FSA-registered; what you produce; acres in active production; whether you own, lease, or farm a mix of both; your primary market channels; whether you have "the capacity to pick up seaweed from a partner shellfish farm and transport it back to your farm"; and what space you have for storing seaweed. No budget, business plan, or letters of support.

Two things worth knowing before you fill it in. FSA registration is preferred rather than required — "For the 2026 season, prior FSA registration, or the ability to register with the FSA independently ahead of participating, is strongly preferred" — and the form accepts "No, but I am willing to register before participating." And candour costs you nothing: "Participating farms are screened based on a broad mix of logistical factors. Please answer openly and accurately. No particular responses will disqualify you or guarantee you a participant role."

Who to ask. The project asks prospective producers to use the intake form rather than the general inbox, but for questions the published contact is bcgf@uw.edu or 206-685-8439 — "Email is preferred. A team member will get back to you as soon as possible. Please allow up to two weeks for a response." Two-page handouts for land farmers and for sea farmers are linked from the Join Us page and are worth reading first.

One caution on status. This project was terminated by USDA in April 2025 and, per its own site, "re-instated under USDA's new AMP program" as of January 2026. Intake is genuinely open, but confirm the current season is running when you make contact.