Unlocking the Benefits of Regenerative Almonds

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.

Partnerships to Develop and Expand Global Climate-Smart Market Opportunities through Grower Incentives

This project will promote the adoption of climate-smart and regenerative practices on California almond farms, including those operated by underserved producers, and expand market opportunities for climate-smart almonds through development of verified claims, business-to-business reporting, and supply-chain greenhouse gas quantification. This will support the development of a market-based mechanism for almond buyers and incentivize almond growers to adopt climate-smart practices.

The project plans to provide incentives for almond grower adoption of cover crops, conservation cover, hedgerows, and whole orchard recycling. The project plans to develop a third-party verification and chain of custody system to support marketing efforts.

And explore how to best leverage products as propriety brands or ingredient products sold to other food companies, or both. The project plans to have all growers quantify greenhouse gas (GHG) benefits using the COMET Planner Tool as employed in California for the CDFA Healthy Soils Program.

The project also plans to develop a system of monitoring, reporting, and third-party verification of climate-smart practices. The project plans to engage third-party verification and chain of custody systems to support climate-smart claims that relate to product labeling needs and customer expectations.

Upon establishment of these systems, Blue Diamond Growers will convene meetings with key internal leaders, consumer insights analysts, and financial analysts to explore how to best leverage product claims resulting from this program with either proprietary brands or ingredient products sold to other food companies, or both.

About 85% of the requested funds are planned to go to specialty crop growers of almonds to implement Climate Smart practices.

To be eligible, producers must:

1. Participate in Blue Diamond's Orchard Stewardship Incentive Program

2. Register farm and orchards with the USDA Farm Service Agency

3. Complete an Application at Blue Diamond

4. Provide proof of implementation for program activities

For a complete checklist, see here.

Blue Diamond pays a per-practice implementation incentive plus free planting material. Rates on the co-op's 2026 AMP overview sheet:

• Cover crops — up to $35/orchard acre, plus no-cost seed provided by Project Apis m. Requires planting at least every other row, minimum 6 ft strip width. Example given: "Cover crops planted on at least every other row of a 100-acre orchard: ≤ $3,500."

• Conservation cover ("bee pasture") — up to $50/acre, plus no-cost seed from Project Apis m.

• Hedgerows — up to $8/linear foot, plus no-cost plants from Pollinator Partnership. Example: "Hedgerows planted around an orchard in a 300 foot row: ≤ $2,400."

• Whole Orchard Recycling — up to $900/acre; material costs are yours ("Consult local providers"). Example: "WOR implemented for a 100-acre orchard: ≤ $90,000."

No overall per-grower cap is published. Incentives stack with the co-op's own program: "Blue Diamond's growers are eligible to receive their standard Orchard Stewardship Incentive Program (OSIP) incentive in addition to the reimbursement for implementation of practices listed below."

Conditions. You must be a Blue Diamond member-grower or farm a Blue Diamond orchard; participate in OSIP for the 2025 crop year; register your farm and orchards with FSA; have an approved NRCS CPA-52; and only acreage under a Blue Diamond Crop Agency Agreement qualifies. Practices must follow the matching NRCS conservation practice standard (340 cover crops, 327 conservation cover, 422 hedgerow, 384/3336 WOR). Payment follows proof of implementation (self-attestation, with a possible in-orchard site visit). Seed must come from Project Apis m. — "Incentives or reimbursements are not available for seed purchased by growers from other outside services providers."

Timing. The 2026 sheet states "Applications due by July 17, 2026" — that date has passed; WOR applications were shown as open on the live page. Blue Diamond notes the grant "is subject to review and approval of the USDA and payment not guaranteed by Blue Diamond Growers."

Online applications for 2023 are closed. Find updates here.