Soil Health Funding Opportunities

Soil Health Funding Opportunities is sponsored by Colorado Department of Agriculture. The Colorado Department of Agriculture offers funding opportunities related to soil health. Application categories include Mini Grants, Capacity Building, and Impact Grants.

3. Colorado Soil Health Program ### Colorado Soil Health Program Vision The Colorado Soil Health Program (CSHP) envisions resilient, productive, and sustainable agricultural landscapes across the state.

By fostering local expertise, building collaborative partnerships, and providing guidance and support, CSHP helps farmers and ranchers adopt soil health practices that improve soil function, conserve water, and enhance long-term profitability.

Grounded in practical, science-based principles and tailored to local conditions, CSHP ensures Colorado’s lands, communities, and agricultural operations remain healthy and thriving for future generations.

**Learn more about the long-term vision of the CSHP in a new Roadmap, published in January 2026:** ### Colorado Soil Health Program Background CSHP partners with farmers and ranchers to strengthen soil health across diverse operations. The program is guided by six core principles of soil health: 1.

**Soil armor** – keep the soil covered (protecting the soil surface with plant residue, cover crops, or mulch reduces erosion, moderates soil temperature, retains moisture, and supports a healthy soil ecosystem). 2. **Minimizing disturbance** – do less, gain more (reducing tillage and other physical or chemical disruptions preserves soil structure, promotes microbial activity, and maintains soil carbon and nutrient levels).

3. **Plant diversity** – mix it up (incorporating a variety of crops and plant species enhances soil biodiversity, improves nutrient cycling, and reduces pest and disease pressures). 4.

**Continual live roots** – keep roots growing year-round (maintaining living roots in the soil supports soil microorganisms, stabilizes soil structure, and improves nutrient cycling). 5. **Livestock integration** – animals as partners in soil health (thoughtful integration of grazing animals recycles nutrients, stimulates plant growth, and contributes to soil fertility and ecosystem balance).

6. **Context**– fit the practice to the place (adapting practices to local climate, soil type, topography, and operational goals ensures that soil health strategies are effective, practical, and sustainable). Since its launch in 2021, the CSHP has supported over 400 producers across the state as they work to integrate these soil health principles into their ag operations.

Beyond working directly with farmers and ranchers, the program places a strong emphasis on partnerships with conservation districts, grower groups, and research institutions. These organizations possess an unparalleled understanding of regional conditions and the specific needs of local producers, allowing them to apply these soil health principles in context.

The CSHP also collaborates with research institutions to evaluate the effectiveness of soil health practices in the arid West and to examine the social factors influencing producers as they adopt new farming approaches. A central research focus is the relationship of soil health practices and water management across arid agricultural landscapes to conserve water, increase efficiency, and enhance the water holding capacity of the soil.

Reach out to learn more and explore how these opportunities can benefit your operation at cda_soil@state. co. us.

### Soil Health and Optimizing Water (SHOW) Grant The Colorado Department of Agriculture has launched a new grant opportunity for Soil Health and Water Resilience projects. **The Soil Health and Optimizing Water (SHOW) grant** provides funding to establish or expand projects that enhance soil function, focus on optimizing water resource management on working lands, and provide educational opportunities to the agricultural community.

## 2025 Soil Health Program Annual Report The Colorado Soil Health Program (CSHP) is a voluntary, producer-driven initiative. CDA partners with conservation districts, eligible entities, universities, and nonprofit organizations to deliver CSHP statewide. Read the full report here or on the right.