Advancing U.S. Pork Sustainability Grant - Pork Checkoff
soybean field

Advancing U.S. Pork Sustainability Grant

The Advancing U.S. Pork Sustainability grant is a new opportunity for farmers in Iowa, Minnesota and Missouri to receive technical support and incentives for adopting climate-smart agriculture practices.

Grant Supports Climate-Smart, On-Farm Practices

The five-year, $35 million grant program is administered by the National Pork Board (NPB) and six collaborating organizations through USDA’s Partnership for Climate-Smart Commodities program.

The grant program will provide technical assistance and financial incentives for the adoption of the following practices:

  • cover crops
  • livestock integration (in cover crops)
  • conservation tillage (no till)
  • manure management
  • edge-of-field and perennial grass buffers
  • in-barn LED lighting

How It Works In 5 Steps

1. Eligible producers in Iowa, Minnesota and Missouri sign up for a Pork Cares Farm Impact Report.

2. Producers work with NPB’s trusted partner, Sustainable Environmental Consultants (SEC) to complete their report. An SEC technician — such as an agronomist and livestock specialist will assist in collecting the on-farm data needed for the report.

3. Producers decide on an implementation plan for climate-smart agriculture (CSA) practices on their farm.

4. Producers will receive technical assistance in adopting CSA practices from SEC, Ducks Unlimited and Millborn Seeds. Financial training will be provided by Farm Credit Council.

5. SEC captures data regarding impact of CSA practices through the Pork Cares Farm Impact Reports (all data remains with the producer and is kept secure).

Request a Pork Cares Farm Impact Report for your farm to get started.