Browse Ambrook’s collection of grants, loans, discounts, cost shares, easements, and insurance for silvopasture.

Cycle 2 applications for Alabama farmers are due by 5 p.m. Central on December 14, 2026.

1. Download the Cycle 2 application form. Open it in Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Reader, because a web browser can't attach files to it.
2. Prepare the files the form asks for: a plan for each practice (description, design, materials, labor, itemized costs, reasons and expected benefits, timeline, and precautions), site maps with the FSA number for the land tract, a description of the machinery on your farm, and a production and marketing plan.
3. Email the completed application to the Tuskegee project team, who will contact you about your status and next steps.

Weekly information sessions for Alabama farmers run on Wednesdays from noon to 1 p.m.: November 11, 18 and 25, and December 2 and 9, 2026. Pre-register to get a personalized link for each session.

Dr. Uma Karki

Recipient Program Contact (project director), Tuskegee University

University of Maryland Eastern Shore project team

This voluntary incentive program helps farmers and landowners in Alabama and Maryland adopt selected agroforestry and livestock practices. It is run by Tuskegee University and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, both members of the 1890 Agroforestry Consortium, and supports farmers who want to diversify production, improve productivity, reduce costs, expand marketable products and increase farm profits.


Cycle 2 is open to Alabama livestock farmers. It covers silvopasture, pasture improvement and prescribed or rotational grazing, with special priority for small-ruminant farmers.



This voluntary incentive program helps farmers and landowners in Alabama and Maryland adopt selected agroforestry and livestock practices. It is run by Tuskegee University and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, both members of the 1890 Agroforestry Consortium, and supports farmers who want to diversify production, improve productivity, reduce costs, expand marketable products and increase farm profits.

Cycle 2 is open to Alabama livestock farmers. It covers silvopasture, pasture improvement and prescribed or rotational grazing, with special priority for small-ruminant farmers.

- Cycle 2 is for livestock farmers and landowners in Alabama. In Maryland, contact the University of Maryland Eastern Shore project team.
- You must be raising livestock.
- You must own the land, or have rights to use it, for at least the next five years once the practices start.
- Use at least 5 acres for the selected practices.
- Selected farms should be registered with the USDA Farm Service Agency and comply with USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service regulations while implementing the practices.
- The application asks whether you will keep and share records of the practices, let the team collect samples (soil, forage, tree, animal, gas emission) and use your farm as a demonstration site if needed.

A lump sum of money for a specific purpose that does not need to be paid back.

Grant

Nuts

Vegetables

Apples

Persimmons

Berries

Herbs

Livestock

Beef Cattle

Goats

Sheep

Watercress

Winter Cress

Yuca

Alfalfa Sprouts

Aloe Vera

Artichokes

Arugula

Asparagus

Bamboo Shoots

Batatas

Bean Sprouts

Beans

Beets

Bok Choy

Broccoflower

Broccoli

Broccolini

Broccolo-Cavalo

Brussel Sprouts

Cabbage

Calaloo

Carrots

Cauliflower

Celeriac

Celery

Chives

Collard Greens

Coriander

Cucumbers

Daikon

Dandelion Greens

Dill

Eggplant

Endive

Escarole

Frisee

Gailon

Garlic

Gourds

Greens

Heart Of Palm

Horseradish

Kale

Kohlrabi

Leeks

Lettuce

Malanga

Melongene

Mesculin Mix

Microgreens

Mushrooms

Okra

Onions

Oyster Plant

Parsnip

Peppers

Potatoes

Pumpkins

Radicchio

Radishes

Rhubarb

Rutabaga

Scallions

Shallots

Spinach

Squash

Sunchoke

Sweet

Swiss Chard

Tannier

Taro

Tomatillos

Tomatoes

Truffles

Turnips

Vegetable Seeds

Pigs

Poultry

Beef Bottom Round

Beef Brisket

Beef Chuck Roast

Beef Eye Round

Beef Flank Steak

Beef Flat Iron Steak

Beef Heart

Beef Liver

Beef London Broil

Beef NY Strip Steak

Beef Oxtail

Beef Rib Steak

Beef Rump Roast

Beef Short Ribs

Beef Sirloin

Beef Sirloin Tip Roast

Beef Skirt Steak

Beef Soup Bones

Beef Stew Meat

Beef Tongue

Cilantro

Boston Lettuce

Green Leaf Lettuce

Iceberg Lettuce

Lolla Rossa Lettuce

Oak Leaf Lettuce

Red Leaf Lettuce

Romaine Lettuce

Dry Onions

Green Onions

Bell Peppers

Potato Seeds

Processing Potatoes

Russet Potatoes

Sweet Potatoes

Zucchini

Turnip Top

Dairy Cattle

Feeder Cattle

Slaughter Cattle

Calves

Heifers

Steers

Bulls

Barrows

Boars

Feeder Pigs

Hogs

Sows

Chickens

Cornish Hens

Ducks

Geese

Turkey

Alpacas

Beefalo

Bison

Buffalo

Caribou

Deer

Emus

Guinea Pigs

Llamas

Mink

Mohair

Ostrich

Pheasants

Quail

Rabbits

Reindeer

Water Buffalo

Ground Lamb

Lamb Chops

Lamb Heart

Lamb Leg

Lamb Liver

Lamb Shank

Lamb Shoulder

Lamb Stew Meat

Broilers

Chicks

Fryers

Layers

Pullets

Roasters

Ducklings

Goslings

Poults

Toms

Bison Calf

Bison Meat

Specialty Crops

Fruits

Tree Nuts

Horticulture

Cattle

Specialty Livestock

The application form describes the support as the required inputs, technical services and guidelines for the selected practices. The program page and form don't publish a dollar amount, so ask the project team what is covered.

Apply for the Conservation Buffer Initiative and MACS-funded tree-planting practices by contacting your local soil conservation district. The 2026-2027 Conservation Buffer Initiative enrollment window opens November 1, 2026 and runs through April 30, 2027; applications are accepted on a first come, first-served basis. For CREP, contact your local USDA Farm Service Agency office. Program information: Maryland Department of Agriculture, Office of Resource Conservation, 50 Harry S. Truman Parkway, Annapolis, MD 21401.

Jason D. Keppler

Program Manager

MDA's tree-planting incentives support a range of agroforestry practices that integrate farming and forestry to generate additional farm income, create healthier conditions for livestock and crops, and promote cleaner air and streams. The Conservation Buffer Initiative offers farmers up to $4,500 an acre to install a riparian forest buffer with pasture fencing, plus a one-time bonus payment of $1,000/acre for riparian forest buffers, during its annual open enrollment period (November 1, 2025 through April 30, 2026). Additional&#x2004;practices funded through the Maryland Agricultural Water Quality Cost-Share (MACS) Program include riparian forest buffers, hedgerow planting, tree & shrub establishment, and windbreak establishment (up to 100% cost-share plus $2 per planted tree) and silvopasture (up to 87.5% cost-share plus $2 per planted tree). Maryland's CREP pays land rental rates and a one-time $1,000/acre bonus for new streamside riparian forest buffers. The Healthy Soils Competitive Fund provides up to $50,000 to support 3 years of enhanced soil health and agroforestry practices, with an open enrollment period that typically begins in January and runs for approximately 8 weeks.



MDA's tree-planting incentives support a range of agroforestry practices that integrate farming and forestry to generate additional farm income, create healthier conditions for livestock and crops, and promote cleaner air and streams. The Conservation Buffer Initiative offers farmers up to $4,500 an acre to install a riparian forest buffer with pasture fencing, plus a one-time bonus payment of $1,000/acre for riparian forest buffers, during its annual open enrollment period (November 1, 2025 through April 30, 2026). Additional practices funded through the Maryland Agricultural Water Quality Cost-Share (MACS) Program include riparian forest buffers, hedgerow planting, tree & shrub establishment, and windbreak establishment (up to 100% cost-share plus $2 per planted tree) and silvopasture (up to 87.5% cost-share plus $2 per planted tree). Maryland's CREP pays land rental rates and a one-time $1,000/acre bonus for new streamside riparian forest buffers. The Healthy Soils Competitive Fund provides up to $50,000 to support 3 years of enhanced soil health and agroforestry practices, with an open enrollment period that typically begins in January and runs for approximately 8 weeks.

Maryland farmers and landowners installing eligible agroforestry/tree-planting practices. MACS-funded practices follow MACS eligibility and are applied for through the local soil conservation district. The Conservation Buffer Initiative is available during annual open enrollment (November 1, 2026 - April 30, 2027). CREP is applied for through USDA FSA. Tree & shrub establishment may be applied on any site capable of growing woody plants, including land in USDA and other federal, state, and private conservation programs.

These are per-acre and per-tree rates, not fixed awards — except the Healthy Soils Competitive Fund, noted last. This page bundles several separate incentives:

Conservation Buffer Initiative — "Farmers can receive up to $4,500 an acre to install a riparian forest buffer with pasture fencing." Riparian forest buffers "also qualify for a one-time BONUS PAYMENT of $1,000/acre." Apply through your soil conservation district during annual open enrollment (November 1, 2026 through April 30, 2027). Payment rates range from $500/acre for an existing grass buffer up to $4,500/acre; farmers receive 75% of the project cost up front and 25% after verification of planting, plus up to $330/acre/year for the first 5 years to help maintain the buffer. Contracts run 5 or 10 years.

CREP (Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program) — pays "attractive land rental rates to remove environmentally sensitive agricultural land out of production for 10-15 years and install conservation practices." Farmers who plant new streamside riparian forest buffers "qualify for a one-time BONUS PAYMENT of $1,000/acre." The rental rate itself is not published here. Apply through your local USDA Farm Service Agency office.

Practices funded through MACS (apply through your soil conservation district):
- Riparian forest buffer — up to 100% cost-share, including $2 for each tree planted.
- Hedgerow planting — "up to 100% cost-share to plant the hedgerow and an additional $2 per planted tree."
- Tree & shrub establishment — up to 100% cost-share plus $2 per planted tree. Can be applied on any site capable of growing woody plants, including land already in USDA, other federal, state and private conservation programs.
- Windbreak establishment — up to 100% cost-share and $2 per planted tree.
- Silvopasture — "MACS pays up to 87.5% cost-share to install this practice plus $2 per planted tree."

MACS-funded practices also carry MACS's own dollar caps and 5–15 year maintenance obligations — see the MACS program record.

Healthy Soils Competitive Fund — the one fixed-dollar award in the bundle: "This competitive grant program awards selected applicants with up to $50,000 to support 3 years of enhanced soil health practices." Open enrollment typically begins in January and runs about 8 weeks. Alley cropping and critical area plantings are cited as popular tree-planting fits.

List of Agricultural Funding for Silvopasture