Beef Producer Economic Resilience Initiative

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. _

This eight-state project will amplify production of climate-smart beef by expanding market drivers, grassroots support networks, and early adopter mentors and providing technical assistance for the adoption of climate-smart grazing practices to substantially reduce agricultural greenhouse gas emissions and increase carbon sequestration. The project plans 90 percent of participants will be small-scale producers.

Beef producers in eligible states are encouraged to apply.

Applications are not open yet — interest form only — and no per-producer award amount, rate, or cap has been published. What AFT does publish about the money:

• "The $42-million project, with $30 million provided by NRCS, uses a producer-led network approach to transition 700 beef cattle producers across the MidAtlantic, Southeast, and Texas to more economically and environmentally resilient operations..."

• "GRANTS: Producers will receive basic and advanced implementation grants through the Brighter Future Fund for practices, marketing, mentoring and network engagement – a total of $19.5M will be made available to 700 producers."

• "The Beef Grazing Network will provide participating beef cattle producers with financial assistance through competitively awarded basic and advanced grants that will be announced through the Brighter Future Fund to support investment in the infrastructure and operating capabilities required to adopt better grazing management practices and access premiums."

So the grants are competitive, come in two sizes (basic and advanced), and are administered through AFT's Brighter Future Fund rather than this page.

Estimated — not guaranteed — economic returns AFT publishes: improved soil health worth "potentially on the order of $60/acre (variable by production system, soils, weather patterns, management)"; standard industry premiums from aggregation and spec alignment of "$30-60/head"; and sustainability-linked premiums of "$20-$100/head." Treat these as projections, not payments.

Eligible states: Texas, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi. Sign the Producer and Partner Interest Form to be notified "when AFT's Beef Producer Economic Resilience Initiative opens grant applications for enrolling mentor and mentee producers." Mentor producers implement advanced practices and provide technical mentoring; mentees are new adopters.

Fill out the Interest form here.