Quivira Coalition’s Soil to Supper Project helps Southwest livestock producers
adopt practices that improve land and livestock health
while strengthening their bottom line.

We know that sustainable practices can help your bottom line. But sometimes this takes an initial investment. We’re fronting that investment through our Soil to Supper project.

Soil to Supper is funded through an NRCS Advancing Markets for Producers grant, which helps pay livestock producers in the Southwest to do activities that improve access to markets and put conservation practices in place.

Components of the Program

Enrollment and Reporting

We provide incentive payments for participating in onboarding, establishing plans, and submitting semi-annual reporting.

Conservation Planning

In agriculture, failing to plan is planning to fail. A skilled technical assistance provider will work with you to develop or update a detailed grazing management plan. We also provide you the option to work with us in developing a comprehensive farm or ranch conservation plan based on your goals and constraints, and the attributes of your land and business, with specific focus on enhancing drought resilience, livestock performance, and business success.

Conservation Activities

Work with project staff to identify conservation practice(s), complete the required environmental evaluation, and implement conservation practices such as prescribed grazing, erosion control structures, grazing infrastructure improvements, soil carbon amendments, and more. See our FAQs to learn more.

Market Access, Business Development, and Education

Sustained resilience in an operation relies on both production methods that support land health and those that support economic sustainability. We will support you in attending activities intended to increase market access and financial viability. Examples of these activities are attending a regional Meat Summit, taking the Meat School online course, or participating in a Financial Readiness workshop offered by Quivira and NMSU Extension.

Soil to Supper will enroll 50 producers and provide $2.5 million in financial assistance to Southwest livestock producers.

Each Soil to Supper participant will be eligible to receive financial assistance of up to $100,000, with the amounts determined by their participation in specific project activities.

Minimum requirements for participation:

Must produce animal products (animals, meat, dairy, or fiber) from domestic ruminant livestock (cattle, sheep, goats, bison, yaks) in pasture-based operations in New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, or Texas.
Must sell a commodity (animals, meat, dairy, or fiber) produced from your livestock each year during the project.
Have or be able to obtain an FSA number.
Able to certify compliance with USDA conservation requirements for highly erodible lands and wetlands (FSA Form AD-1026).
Have legal control of ranching or farming property in New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, or Texas throughout the project, which runs through September 2028.
The producer or business cannot be a foreign entity.
Able to submit bi-annual data and reporting to Quivira as required by NRCS.
Must implement at least one conservation practice, either on your own accord or through Soil to Supper funds.
Must implement at least one market or business development activity or educational activity.
Must work with Soil to Supper staff to develop a grazing management plan.

Livestock operations in New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, and the Texas panhandle are encouraged to apply. Priority for enrollment will be given to farmers or ranchers in specific regions:

Portions of New Mexico’s San Miguel, Mora, and Colfax counties affected by Hermit’s Peak / Calf Canyon fires, where management activities contribute to post-fire watershed health, soil health, and drought resilience.
Portions of Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas that overlie the Ogallala Aquifer, where agricultural stewardship activities support groundwater conservation, soil health, drought resilience, and long-term water sustainability.
- In New Mexico, that will include parts of Union, Harding, Quay, Curry, Roosevelt, and Lea counties.
- In Colorado, parts of Logan, Sedgwick, Phillips, Washington, Yuma, Lincoln, Kit Carson, Cheyenne, Kiowa, Prowers, and Baca counties.
- In Texas, parts of Dallam, Sherman, Hansford, Hartley, Moore, Hutchinson, Oldham, Potter, Carson, Deaf Smith, Randall, Armstrong, Parmer, Castro, Swisher, Bailey, Lamb, Hale, Cochran, Hockley, Lubbock, Yoakum, Terry, Lynn, Gaines, and Dawson counties.
Four Corners region of San Juan and McKinley counties in New Mexico; Apache, Navajo, and Coconino counties in Arizona; and Montezuma, La Plata, and Archuleta counties in Colorado, where geographic isolation and limited access to technical and financial assistance have reduced implementation of conservation practices, and where targeted support can improve soil health, water conservation, drought resilience, and market access.

Are you interested in applying to participate in the Soil to Supper project? Fill out this brief informational form to determine eligibility, and then we’ll quickly email you the application.

I'm interested