Iowa Tribe Center for Excellence in Regenerative Native Agriculture (CERNA) Innovation Pilot Program

The Center of Excellence for Regenerative Native Agriculture (CERNA) is a program of the Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska that helps farmers and ranchers transition from conventional to regenerative agriculture. CERNA was awarded a $5 million grant from the USDA over a five-year period to support this work, with a focus on Native American producers. Through education, training, and technical assistance, CERNA provides participants with the skills to apply regenerative practices and access to new premium markets.

Complimentary benefits for enrolled participants include: a multi-day intensive course on regenerative agriculture techniques, soil health, ecology, and on-farm practice implementation (offered for two cohorts per year); incentives for implementing regenerative practices; Haney soil testing and other soil health analytics; assistance reducing costly chemical inputs; a customized farm management plan; peer-to-peer networking opportunities; ongoing technical assistance; and access to premium markets and contracts for enrolled crop commodities, including corn, soybeans, sunflowers, wheat, barley, sorghum, oats, hemp, and livestock.

Individual farmers and ranchers enroll directly, through a live self-assessment intake form. CERNA publishes its producer tests verbatim: "In order to be eligible for an incentive payment, a producer must:

• Establish Farm Records with the Farm Service Agency (FSA) (have farm, tract, and field numbers in place);

• Complete an AD-2047 (Customer Data Worksheet) to facilitate the collection of customer data for Business Partner Record);

• Certify highly erodible land conservation (HEL) and wetland conservation (WC) compliance via Form AD-1026, Highly Erodible Land Conservation (HELC) and Wetland Conservation (WC) Certification; and

• Certify that they are not a foreign person or entity."

Those four are the binding gates, and the FSA-records one catches people out: "This will require that some producers who do not already have these numbers, like perennial crop growers or feedlots, establish these records with USDA's FSA." You can start the intake before you have them — the form lets you self-certify that you "may be eligible for this program but require additional assistance." One more administrative catch: "producers receiving financial assistance or incentives through this project [must] use the same name as is included in the relevant FSA Business File for that Farm ID."

You do NOT have to be a Native producer. CERNA is a program of the Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska and centers Native American producers, but the intake asks for "Tribal Affiliation (if applicable)" and the program describes itself as helping "farmers and ranchers transition from conventional to regenerative agriculture" without a tribal-enrollment requirement. Treat the Native focus as the program's priority audience, not a bar.

What you must produce: the program's market access covers "enrolled crop commodities (including corn, soybeans, sunflowers, wheat, barley, sorghum, oats, hemp, livestock, and more)." You must be willing to adopt regenerative practices — that is what the incentive pays for.

No acreage minimum, revenue test, years-of-experience floor, or land-ownership requirement is published. No county or state list is published either, although CERNA operates from White Cloud, Kansas and this record covers KS, NE, IA, MO, OK, IL and IN — confirm your area with the Enrollment Coordinator.

How to apply: fill in the CERNA Producer Eligibility Self-Assessment at https://cerna.org/apply/ — "our Enrollment Coordinator will review your information and reach out to guide you through the next steps of the enrollment process." Intake is rolling, with training delivered in two cohorts per year.

As part of the program, CERNA will provide financial support to farmers who adopt regenerative agriculture practices. This support may include:

• Direct payments for implementing climate-smart / regenerative agricultural practices

• Technical assistance and ongoing farm management support

• Educational workshops, and

• Regenerative certifications by Regenified for certified and eligible farms and commodities.

Use the form below to apply today.

CERNA Producer Eligibility Self-Assessment

Center of Excellence for Regenerative Native Agriculture (CERNA)

3345 B Thrasher Rd. White Cloud, KS 66094

Instructions: Please fill out the form below. When you are finished, press submit and our Enrollment Coordinator will review your information and reach out to guide you through the next steps of the enrollment process.

Apply at: https://cerna.org/apply/