Foodshed Verification Incentive Program

Foodshed Cooperative's Verification Incentive Program pays farmers to adopt regenerative practices and meet the food safety and documentation standards that larger wholesale and institutional markets require. It is funded through USDA's Advancing Markets for Producers (AMP) initiative and runs until September 2028.

Farms choose among three tracks: Food Hub Ready Verified, Regenerative Verified and Food Safe Verified (coming soon). A farm that qualifies can enroll in all three, depending on available funds.

• Food Hub Ready Verified: open to producers across California, with priority for Southern California farmers.

• Regenerative Verified: land-based commercial farms in San Diego and Riverside Counties with at least ½ acre in production.

• Food Safe Verified (coming soon): land-based commercial farms in San Diego and Riverside Counties.

• All tracks: a Farm ID number from the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) is required to receive incentive payments.

• Regenerative Verified also requires an NRCS-approved Environmental Evaluation (form CPA-52) for enrolled land, plus a work plan describing proposed practices, implementation method and timeline, estimated costs and expected outcomes.

• Up to $25,000 in incentives per farm across the program.

• Food Hub Ready Verified: a $2,500 annual stipend for up to two years once the required documentation is complete. In the first year, $1,000 is paid after the insurance certificate, W9 and FSA ID are received, and the remaining $1,500 after the food safety plan, signed vendor handbook and water test results. Participants also get two years of access to the Heavy Connect verification and traceability platform.

• Regenerative Verified: up to $10,000 per year for up to two years for compost application, reduced or no-till (including equipment), high tunnels and cover cropping. The final amount depends on farm size, proposed practices, workplan estimates and NRCS approval of the environmental evaluation.

• Food Safe Verified (coming soon): supports up to 20 farmers with food safety training, a wash station upgrade compliant with the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) worth up to $28,000, and use of the Heavy Connect platform.

Enrollment is rolling until each track fills: 225 farms for Food Hub Ready Verified, 65 for Regenerative Verified and 20 for Food Safe Verified. Apply or request information through the forms on Foodshed's Get verified page.

To get an FSA Farm ID, follow the steps on that page. Turnaround is about 4-6 weeks. Producers in Southern California outside San Diego County can fill out the Producer Interest Form; Foodshed is partnering with other regional food hubs to reach them.

Questions: resourcehub@foodshedcoop.com or (619) 717-7079.

• RSVP for an info session here.

• FAQ document