Quivira Coalition’s Soil to Supper Project helps Southwest livestock producers adopt practices that improve soil and water health while strengthening their bottom line.
Program Update – 5/15/26
After a nearly year-long hiatus from enrolling new producers, the Soil to Supper program is coming back! Quivira recently signed an amendment allowing us to continue our Soil to Supper program under the NRCS Advancing Markets for Producers program. We have significantly modified our project and incentive structure, and will be making updates to this website with the new project structure by the end of June.
Our updated project will help 50 livestock producers in the Southwest build financial resilience and market access through practices that improve soil and water health. The project will run through September 2028, and will provide a total of $2.5M in incentive payments directly to producers. Stay tuned for more information!
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
Attend onboarding, establish plans, submit semi-annual reporting, and attend quarterly networking calls.
Market Access
Sustained resilience in an operation relies on both production methods that support soil and land health as well as economic sustainability. These activities intend to increase market access and financial viability for producers, so that they have the means to continue to implement practices that support soil and water health.
Conservation Education
These activities are intended to provide producers with education and resources that will help prepare them to implement conservation practices. Note that these activities do not require completion of an environmental evaluation/CPA52.
Conservation Practice Implementation (optional)
Livestock producers will receive business-focused planning support and other resources to help sell directly to consumers in regional markets (i.e. how to optimize carcass use).
Additional Incentive Opportunities
The REGENERATE conference provides an opportunity for producers to attend workshops that support economic viability and adoption of conservation practices, as well as to network with other Soil to Supper producers.
Soil to Supper livestock producers will receive financial assistance, up to $50k per producer is available for participation in the project.
Minimum requirements for participation:
- Farmer or rancher producing animal products (livestock, meat, dairy, eggs, and value-added products)
- 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)
- Able to submit bi-annual data and reporting to Quivira as required by NRCS
- Enrolled producers will choose at least one conservation activity and at least one marketing activity from a predetermined list
Location requirements
- Ruidoso fire recovery region (Lincoln county, Otero county, or the Mescalero Apache Reservation) and Hermits Peak/Calf Canyon Fire recovery region (Mora, San Miguel, or Colfax counties)
- Ogallala Aquifer region of eastern New Mexico (Curry, Roosevelt, and Quay counties)
- Four Corners region (including San Juan and McKinley counties, NM; Montezuma and La Plata counties, CO; and Apache County, AZ)
- Mentors and graduates of Quivira’s New Agrarian Program apprenticeship or fellowships, located in NM, CO, AZ or TX
- Other livestock producers located in NM, CO, AZ or TX who can demonstrate how program participation will help them adopt practices that support soil and water health and build the resiliency of their operation
Are you interested in learning more about Soil to Supper? We are in the process of building out staff and application processes for this project. If you would like to be at the top of the list to be contacted once we are fully operational, fill out this brief informational form and we’ll be in touch.
Soil to Supper
1413 Second Street, Suite 1
Santa Fe, New Mexico 87505
505-820-2544