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Check the basics
Review your farm-record status, control of the ground, operation type, prior program history, and timing.
Producer interest · Soil carbon amendment
See whether a soil carbon project may fit your ground.
Native Ground helps farmers and ranchers understand the process, prepare the paperwork, coordinate with the appropriate program office (including local NRCS staff for this USDA pathway), and carry approved work into the field.
Start the 2-minute producer formThe first check costs nothing, does not sign you up, and does not ask for sensitive financial information.
No cost to submit this interest form
You review everything before you sign
USDA decides eligibility and funding
How agreements work
Two steps, and the first binds you to nothing.
You sign one page saying you are interested and want us working for you, and you can end it any time in writing. When a program fits your ground and money is committed, that program has its own agreement with its own terms, and you decide then.
What actually goes on your ground
A blend built for your soil, not a product off a shelf.
The work is a soil carbon amendment: a stable carbon material, usually blended with compost and the biology that belongs in that soil, applied to the ground and worked in according to the plan.
What goes in the blend depends on a soil test and on the resource concern your plan identifies. Ground that is short of water holding capacity does not need the same thing as ground that is short of biology. We coordinate the sourcing and the hauling, and we document the application the way the program requires.
Producer interest form
Tell us about your operation.
This takes about two minutes. It is not a USDA application and does not commit you to Native Ground or any project. We will use the information to prepare for a useful first conversation.
Prefer to prepare first? Take the readiness checkWhat happens to what you send
Your answers come to the Native Ground team and are used to prepare for a first conversation. We do not submit anything to USDA on your behalf from this form, and we do not sell or share your information. If you later want us communicating with an agency for you, that is a separate written authorization that you give.
Keep sensitive information with USDA. Native Ground will not ask for Social Security numbers, bank details, tax returns, or income figures through this form.
How it works
One short form. Then a real conversation.
You do not need to understand every USDA form before reaching out. Start with the basic facts about your operation.
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Start a conversation
Share the basic facts about your operation. This does not determine eligibility or enroll you in a program.
03
Map the next step
If the project looks promising, we explain the records and local coordination that may be needed next.
A quick first check
This may be a fit if:
Practice availability, payment scenarios, and signup timing vary by location. The readiness check shows what is already in place and what may need attention before a conversation.
- You farm or ranch on agricultural ground you own or control
- You are interested in improving soil health with a carbon amendment
- You are willing to coordinate with your local NRCS field office
- You have an FSA farm number, or can establish one
Why we started here
An old principle inside a modern conservation practice.
The NRCS Soil Carbon Amendment conservation standard provides a formal conservation standard for applying approved carbon-based amendments to address identified soil resource concerns. Availability, scenarios, and financial assistance vary by location and require a site-specific plan.
Native Ground exists to help producers navigate that modern process without losing sight of the older lesson: soil is a living system, and lasting improvement comes from treating it like one.
A useful head start
Check whether you already have a farm number.
Before NRCS can enroll an operation in many conservation programs, the producer generally needs a USDA customer record and farm record through the local Farm Service Agency office. Form AD-2047 is often one early step; the local office will tell you which land-control and operation records are also required.
If your ground came through family and the title is not clear, ask FSA about heirs' property. USDA may accept alternative documents showing that you control the farming operation.
Trust and allotted ground
Tell us early if your ground is held in trust or allotted.
Records, title and consent work differently on trust and allotted land, and the usual paperwork path does not always apply. We are Native-led, we expect those questions instead of being surprised by them, and we will tell you honestly what the path looks like for your ground.
About the carbon in our name
The carbon in our name is the carbon in your soil.
Native Ground does not create, register, broker or sell carbon credits. If a program you enter has its own terms about carbon rights, those terms live in that program's agreement, and you read them before you sign.
One question worth answering.
Are you a beginning farmer or rancher, a limited resource producer, a socially disadvantaged producer, or a veteran? Any of these may qualify you for higher payment rates and for separate funding opportunities. It is worth telling us either way.
Important to know
Clear limits. No promises we cannot make.
Native Ground is a private company. We do not work for USDA and cannot commit USDA to anything.
Funding is not guaranteed. Applications are evaluated and funded through USDA processes.
You remain the applicant. Eligibility statements are based on your facts and certified by you.
Written terms come first. Before project work begins, responsibilities and payment arrangements are explained in writing.
The broader company story
This page is about the current USDA soil carbon path.
Native Ground also looks across other public and private funding routes, always starting with the ground and what that place needs.