Producer Portal: Enrollment Guide
Growing GRASS Producer Payment Options Currently Available
The Growing GRASS project has USDA funding to provide directly to eligible US beef and bison producers.
Producers who successfully enroll with the project can get payments for:
Enrolling & Sharing What You Know
NECESSARY 1st STEP
Eligible producers receive $3000 for completing an enrollment survey. Your answers help us understand your operation and what you see as the real obstacles and opportunities in regenerative grazing, markets, and byproduct valuation, so the project reflects what's actually happening on the ground.
On-Farm Audits & Value-Added Market Certifications
We are building supply chains and growing demand for beef and bison byproducts including hides, organs, and other materials that too often go to waste. The Growing GRASS project can provide funding for on-farm audits and certifications that demonstrate you are implementing prescribed / regenerative grazing on your operation.
Soil Sampling & On-Farm Research for Market Access
Apparel, pet food, and ingredients markets want to understand the full benefits of regeneratively raised livestock and are willing to pay more when the evidence is there. Growing GRASS can cover soil sampling, nutrient density testing, and other on-farm research that builds that case for your operation.
Regenerative Grazing Training & Peer Connection
Whether you're early in the transition or have been grazing regeneratively for years, staying connected to good information and other producers matters. Growing GRASS has funding available for training, educational events, and meetings where you can learn and share alongside others doing this work.
Storytelling: Ensuring Producers Define Their Own Value
The Growing GRASS Project is designed to ensure producers define their own value and not just receive recognition from outside systems. We aim to make space for ranchers and farmers to share their field knowledge on their own terms, with partners and markets that are ready to listen. Storytelling — the process of capturing, elevating, and circulating that knowledge in ways that inform markets, partners, and peers — is supported by Growing GRASS.
Before you start the enrollment survey
Eligible beef and bison producers can receive payment for finishing this survey and agreeing to be part of the Growing GRASS Project.
Eligibility requirements include:
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Raise beef cattle and/or buffalo using prescribed grazing practices as defined by USDA NRCS Conservation Practice 528
Be enrolled with the USDA Farm Service Administration (FSA), including:
◼︎ Having an active USDA Farm number.
◼︎ Having the farm “fields” enrolled where you agree that you are implementing Practice 528 (prescribed grazing) of beef and/or bison.
◼︎ Having a current Subsidiary Print from USDA
Confirmation you are not enrolled in another USDA AMP project for beef or bison.
Confirmation you do not operate a concentrated animal feeding operation (“CAFO”) on the farm/ranch (as defined by the Environmental Protection Agency) on your registered USDA farm.
Agreement to share information with Growing GRASS for research purposes. Growing GRASS will only release producer data in aggregate and without identifiable producer information unless you have given explicit permission otherwise.
Information to have available when applying
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USDA Farm number you want to register.
The following information for all the USDA “fields” of the farm where you are implementing Practice 528 practices grazing beef and/or bison.
◼︎ Field Name
◼︎ USDA Farm #
◼︎ FSA Tract #
◼︎ FSA Field #
◼︎ Acres
Your farm’s current subsidiary print (see an example print here)
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Before You Enroll: Required Information for Growing GRASS
Eligibility, expectations, and how the program works
How is this project funded?
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Growing GRASS is a USDA-funded “Advancing Markets for Producers” (AMP) project; all support for producers comes from this USDA grant. The American Sustainable Business Institute is the recipient of this grant and the entity administering payments for this program.
Can I enroll in the Growing GRASS program without enrolling with USDA?
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Unfortunately, no. As this is a USDA-funded project, for producers to be eligible for payments, USDA enrollment and an USDA Farm number is required.
Can I be reimbursed for eligible expenses paid before enrollment?
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The Growing GRASS project cannot pay for costs (such as audits, certifications or other eligible expenses) incurred before you have completed the enrollment process AND have been approved for additional payments.
What expenses are not eligible for payment through Growing GRASS?
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Growing GRASS cannot pay for land acquisition, livestock purchases, infrastructure, equipment, or related expenses.
Will participating exclude me from other USDA programs?
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Generally no, with the exception of enrollment in another USDA Advancing Markets for Producers grant program for the same farm/acres and associated conservation practices. This means you can still enroll in other federal programs that are paying for practice implementation.
Will the information I share with the Growing GRASS project be shared?
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By partnering with Growing GRASS on this research project, know that:
We will protect and secure any data you choose to share with us.
Limited farm/ranch information will be shared with the USDA (which they confirm will not be shared in any identifiable way with any external parties).
Identifiable information you provide will be used only for project purposes, and will be accessible only by the internal Growing GRASS team.
Unless you give us express permission to share your personal information with interested supply chain partners, only fully anonymized and aggregated findings will be shared with supply chain partners.
Your data will never be sold (even in aggregated form), and your participation in this program will never be published, unless you specifically tell us you want it to be.
What information from my enrollment survey will be shared with USDA?
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Only limited enrollment and operation-identifying information needed to verify participation in the Growing GRASS project will be shared with USDA.
This includes:
Your USDA Farm Number
Field enrollment information (Field Name, FSA Tract #, FSA Field #, Acres)
The type of livestock you graze (beef and/or bison)
Your name, county, and address
Your project enrollment date
Growing GRASS will not share your broader survey responses, operational details, or other personal information with USDA unless specifically authorized by you.
You can view our full data reporting and privacy policy here.
What is the Growing GRASS mission?
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The Growing GRASS project aims to get farmers, ranchers, and herders of regeneratively raised beef and bison more overall value out of their livestock. We’ll do this by establishing reliable, resilient, high-value supply chains for meat processing byproducts like hides and organs, providing more climate-friendly materials for leather, ingredient, and pet food markets — all of which helps more of the whole animal go to use instead of to waste.
For anyone raising cattle and bison, this project will make it easier to enter certified regenerative markets, creating a sustainable income stream.
What is the GRASS Standard?
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At the center of our project is the Generalized Regenerative Agriculture Sourcing Specification tool, or GRASS. GRASS is a verification and traceability system created to allow farmers, herders, and ranchers to use existing and diverse inspections (such as the American Grassfed Association, Audubon, and Regenerative Organic Certified) to minimize costs and be eligible for multiple value-added markets.
Using GRASS, our project team seeks to enable more livestock producers and processors to collect, process, and sell hides and byproducts with credible “regenerative” claims, increasing profits and market pathways.
Why regenerative?
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Farmers, herders, and ranchers are increasingly adopting regenerative livestock grazing systems in order to attain a wide array of benefits for their operations, including:
Improved soil health.
Improved water infiltration and holding capacity.
Increased grass and forage production.
Soil carbon sequestration.
Reduced off-farm inputs.
And when meat and other products from animals raised under these systems are verified, consumers have shown they are willing to pay more, which can contribute to even greater profitability for the producer.
What is a Subsidiary Print?
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A subsidiary print is an annual document created by USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) summarizing a producer’s eligibility for federal agricultural and conservation programs. See an example print here.
In particular, it verifies Farm Records are established, and that the producer is in compliance with Highly Erodible Land Conservation and Wetland Conservation requirements.
For a producer to enroll and get paid through Growing GRASS, they will need to submit a current Subsidiary Print. This document is available upon request from your local USDA NRCS office (where you enrolled your farm), or online through Farmers.gov (you will need to have an active USDA account). We recommend calling your local FSA office and asking them to email you this print.
Enroll in Growing GRASS
I’ve read this page, and I am ready to enroll!
Contact Us
First, please make sure you read the full FAQ section on this page.
Read it all and still need help? Email info@ggrass.org to get connected with a member of our team. It may take us up to 14 business days to respond.
Interested in Growing GRASS but don’t plan on meeting the project enrollment requirements? Enter your information below to receive general project updates.