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Background
The Washington State Legislature created SFF in 2020. It provided seed funding for the Conservation Commission to design the program framework in partnership with the Washington State Department of Agriculture, Washington State University, and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.
Download program fact sheets in English and Spanish.
SFF is part of the Washington Soil Health Initiative (WaSHI)
The Washington Soil Health Initiative (WaSHI) is a partnership between the Washington State Conservation Commission, the Washington State Department of Agriculture, and Washington State University.
WaSHI establishes a coordinated approach to promoting healthy soils in Washington through research, outreach and education, and funding opportunities throughout Washington’s diverse regions and cropping systems.
Learn more about WaSHI:
Examples of potential grant-eligible activities include:
- Providing personalized and on-site technical expertise, such as developing climate-smart farm plans.
- Sharing the cost of climate-smart practices/projects, such as planting trees/shrubs, implementing no-till/direct seed, managing manure storage and application, planting cover crops, composting/mulching, and purchasing precision agriculture equipment/technology.
- Purchasing seed, spores, animal feed, and soil amendments.
- Purchasing shared-use equipment (e.g., no-till planter) that will be made available through local entities, such as conservation districts or farm co-ops.
- Demonstration projects showcasing a practice eligible through SFF that is not commonly used in an area and must include a substantial outreach component OR demonstration projects used to gather more information about the feasibility and impact of a practice that is not yet eligible but shows promise as a climate-smart practice.
SFF in the News
- COMET Quarterly, COMET-Farm Newsletter, June 2023 | COMET-Tools in Action: Sustainable Farms and Fields (SFF)
- The Chronicle, June 2023 | No-Till Drill Seeding Machines Now Available to Rent at Farm Store Thanks to Lewis Conservation District Program
- Washington State University, Soil Health, March 2023 | We Have Liftoff! Sustainable Farms and Fields Program Has Launched
- SCC Media Release, Nov 2022 | Sustainable Farms and Fields Program Funding Open for Voluntary Climate-Smart Projects
- WaSHI blog by Karen Hills, Sept. 2023 | Where the Magic Happens: Climate-Smart Practices Funded through Sustainable Farms and Fields Program
Additional Resources & Information:
- Application FAQ (updated Feb 2024)
- SFF Application Questions
- Report form for current projects (due July 10)
- Prioritization metrics
- Sustainable Farms and Fields Technical Advisory and Review Committee (April 2024)
- List of funded projects in 2024
- Soil Carbon Science 101 | Oct. 6
Questions about the Sustainable Farms and Fields Program? Please contact the SFF Team at sff@scc.wa.gov.
