FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Contact: Jenny Green
Public Affairs Specialist
jgreen@nmda.nmsu.edu | 575-202-4249

January 12, 2026

NMDA accepting Healthy Soil Program grant applications

Webinars for applicants set for Jan. 27; deadline is noon March 20

LAS CRUCES, N.M. – The New Mexico Department of Agriculture (NMDA) is accepting online grant applications for its Healthy Soil Program from Friday, Jan. 16, through noon Friday, March 20, Mountain Time.

NMDA will host two webinars on Jan. 27 – one for Eligible Entities and one for Individual Applicants – focused on completing the online Healthy Soil Program grant application. Registration is required. Visit the Healthy Soil Program website to register and learn the step-by-step process for your applicant type.

Eligible Entities include the state’s tribal governments; acequias; land grants; soil and water conservation districts; New Mexico State University—Cooperative Extension Service; and other local governmental entities with proven land management capacity to support healthy soil. Individual Applicants include individuals, businesses, and nonprofits that are actively engaged in farming, ranching, or managing land for other purposes.

Cattle grazing on open rangeland, with desert grasses and shrubs in the foreground and distant mountains under a partly cloudy sky. — The New Mexico Department of Agriculture is accepting grant applications for its Healthy Soil Program from Friday, Jan. 16, through Friday, March 20 at noon, Mountain Time. Pictured here are cattle grazing, representing the soil health principle of integrating animals into land management. Learn more about NMDA’s Healthy Soil Program grants and register for an upcoming webinar: https://nmdeptag.nmsu.edu/healthy-soil-program.html.

Healthy Soil Program grants support on-the-ground projects in New Mexico that use one or more of the five soil health principles to improve soil health: keeping the soil covered; minimizing soil disturbance and external inputs; maximizing biodiversity; maintaining a living root; and integrating animals into land management. Project activities often include cover cropping, compost application, bale grazing and more.

Projects funded during this cycle may begin as early as July 15, and may end as late as Sept. 30, 2027.

“Farmers, ranchers and other land managers who invest in their soil are investing in the long-term resilience of their operations,” said New Mexico Agriculture Secretary Jeff Witte. “NMDA’s Healthy Soil Program incentivizes the adoption of soil health practices on managed lands throughout the state.”

All Healthy Soil Program grant applications must be submitted online by noon Friday, March 20. Late, incomplete and paper applications will not be accepted or reviewed.

A hand touches a diverse stand of cover crops growing in a field as part of a soil health project. — The New Mexico Department of Agriculture is accepting grant applications for its Healthy Soil Program from Friday, Jan. 16, through Friday, March 20 at noon, Mountain Time. Pictured here is a multi-species cover crop planted with funding from NMDA’s Healthy Soil Program which helps reduce erosion, suppress weeds and improve soil health. Learn more about NMDA’s Healthy Soil Program grants and register for an upcoming webinar: https://nmdeptag.nmsu.edu/healthy-soil-program.html.

Visit the NMDA YouTube channel to watch several videos about how the NMDA Healthy Soil Program has helped various grantees improve their soil health. On the Healthy Soil Program webpage, you can explore the interactive map of past grant-funded projects, subscribe for program updates and check out resources to prepare to apply for a grant.

The Healthy Soil Program was created in the 2019 Healthy Soil Act. The act’s purpose is to promote and support farming and ranching systems and other forms of land management that increase soil organic matter, aggregate stability, microbiology and water retention to improve the state’s soil health, yield and profitability.

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NMDA accepting Healthy Soil Program grant applications