Maine Healthy Soils Program (MHSP)

The Maine Healthy Soils Program offers technical and financial assistance to Maine farmers to improve on-farm soil health and the health of the agricultural economy and environment. Services range from one-on-one soil health coaching to administration of grant and incentive opportunities.

The program's Soil Health Implementation Grant makes grants available to farmers to address on-farm barriers to improving or maintaining soil health. Applicants may apply for up to $65,000 to improve their ability to trial, adopt, scale, or maintain healthy soils best practices; eligible expenses include, but are not limited to, equipment, labor, and materials. The program also partners with Woods End Laboratories to provide no-cost soil health testing (farms are eligible once every three years).

Farmers in Maine are eligible to apply. Eligible applicants must:

• Own and/or operate a farm operation located in Maine.

• Produce agricultural products with a gross annual value of at least $2,000 intended to be sold commercially in one of the last three years; ALTERNATIVELY, be a farm operation that produces agricultural products with a gross annual value of at least $2,000 to support community access to agricultural products.

• Have access to at least one (1) acre of farmable land (need not be contiguous or fully in production).

• Enroll in the Maine Healthy Soils Program by signing up for program email updates.

• Commit to working with MHSP staff to complete soil health testing and management planning if awarded (unless a current soil health management plan with a test three or fewer years old exists).

• Not have received a Soil Health Implementation Grant in any of the last three funding cycles.

Soil Health Implementation Grant of up to $65,000. Awardees commit to working with MHSP staff on soil health testing and management planning. Recent awards funded equipment such as no-till drills, flail mowers, power harrows, air seeders, and cover crops to support low-disturbance soil health management systems.

Applications open February 11, 2026; written questions due March 3, 2026; applications due March 17, 2026. Apply via the Request for Applications and Application Workbook posted on the program webpage. Contact the RFA coordinator, Matt Boucher, at matthew.boucher@maine.gov with eligibility questions.