Blue Diamond Growers was awarded up to $45 million by the USDA from the Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities Grant to implement climate-smart practices over five years. The Blue Diamond Climate-Smart Grant (CSG) program is a voluntary, cost-share incentive program that provides Blue Diamond member-growers, or growers that farm on a Blue Diamond orchard, seed and plant material and direct, financial reimbursement for implementing one or more of the following practices:
- Cover crops
- Conservation cover (“bee pasture”)
- Hedgerows
- Whole orchard recycling (WOR)
Please review the list of required items to ensure that you are fully prepared to complete the application.
This program builds off of Blue Diamond’s Orchard Stewardship Incentive Program (OSIP) by going one step further and delivering financial support to assist in the implementation of climate-smart stewardship practices. For Blue Diamond growers, this is an opportunity to receive their normal OSIP incentive and now also be reimbursed for implementing stewardship practices that may otherwise be cost-prohibitive.
Please click on the links below to learn more:
Blue Diamond Documents
Program Information
- Climate-Smart Grant Guidebook
- Checklist of Requirements for Program Application
- Rules and Regulations
Climate-Smart Farming Activities
Cover Crops, Conservation Cover and Hedgerows
Requests for Proposals
Requests for proposals are updated on an ongoing basis. Check back at a later date for more information.