Excelsior-Kings River Resource Conservation District (EKRCD) has been awarded $5 million in grant funding from the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) as part of the Healthy Soils Program (HSP). The program is designed to assist growers in implementing soil health practices on farms and ranches and is part of the California Health Soils Initiative, a collaboration of state agencies and departments that promotes the development of healthy soils on California’s farmland and ranch lands.

In 2023, CDFA created the Healthy Soils Block Grant Pilot Program, providing local non-profits and resource conservation districts with block funding to implement on local farms and ranches. EKRCD is one of 14 funded groups and will serve producers in portions of Fresno, Kings, and Tulare Counties. The program will run for three years, funding on-farm projects up to $200,000 per project over the grant’s lifetime. The program encourages growers to adopt and implement projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, sequester carbon, and improve soil health.

EKRCD anticipates funding approximately 33 on-farm projects. Growers who qualify as Socially Disadvantaged Farmer and Ranchers (SDFR) are encouraged to apply and may be eligible for additional consideration. EKRCD will conduct outreach in Fresno, Kings, and Tulare Counties, and growers from specific regions in each county are eligible. Acceptable practices may include but are not limited to compost application, cover cropping, mulching, and residue and tillage management.

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For more information on this program, please email [email protected] or call (559) 309-4030