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Healthy Soils Grant Funding Available - Open from Nov 7-21

  • November 6, 2025
  • By Ben A Faber

The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) has allocated $5 million of the Healthy Soils Block Grant Program to the California Citrus Quality Council (CCQC) in collaboration with California Farm Bureau (CAFB) and Xerces Society. The California Farm Bureau through its 501(c)(3) science and research nonprofit, the California Bountiful Foundation, will oversee all administrative functions, and financial functions, of this project including reporting and on-farm project verifications. The Xerces Society will provide technical expertise in pollinating plants for hedgerows and other similar management practices.

This grant program supports citrus growers in adopting conservation management practices that improve soil health and sequester carbon. Citrus growers will receive on demand assistance at no cost through the implementation and verification process of their on-farm projects. The program will fund 20-45 on-farm projects over three years, focusing on practices like planting pollinator hedgerows, cover crops, compost application, mulching, whole orchard recycling, and windbreak establishment. Funding for each on-farm project may receive up to $200,000, depending on the project's size and the number of practices implemented.

change resilience, and meet sustainable demands by consumers for citrus production.

Eligibility Criteria:

  • Established citrus farm.
  • Applicants must be 18 years of age or older.
  • Citrus growers/agricultural operation who did not receive funding in the first round, other Healthy Soils Block Grant Programs, or the CDFA HSP in the previous year.
  • Citrus growers operating in the following 11 counties: Fresno, Imperial, Kern, Kings, Riverside, San Bernardino, Santa Barbara, Tulare, San Diego, Placer, and Ventura.
  • Priority consideration for Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers (SDFRs), and women.