GRASS gives beef cattle and sheep producers in Virginia and West Virginia a chance to improve grazing systems with technical help, training and possible financial incentives. The Grazing for Appalachian Sustainability Project focuses on practical changes that can strengthen pastures, improve land management and support the long-term viability of livestock farms.
Beef cattle and sheep producers in Virginia and West Virginia have only a few days left to apply for a program that can help pay for changes in grazing and pasture management while providing technical assistance and access to additional training.
Beef cattle and sheep producers in Virginia and West Virginia have until September 15 to apply for the GRASS Project, a WVU Extension program built around better use of pasture and grazing land. Farmers accepted into the program can get help implementing new grazing practices as they work toward healthier pastures and a stronger livestock business.
What Is the GRASS Project?
WVU Extension leads GRASS with a group of agricultural, conservation, and marketing partners in the two states.
The program works with beef cattle and sheep producers who want to change or improve the way they manage grazing land. Farmers can receive technical and educational assistance as they implement approved conservation practices. Some participants also may qualify for annual cash incentives and marketing assistance, according to WVU Extension.
The program emphasizes reaching small and underserved farms in Central Appalachia. However, the eligibility requirements on WVU Extension’s current application page are not limited to producers in those categories.
For Appalachian livestock farms, the concept is fairly straightforward: improve the pasture, improve how animals use it, and help farmers make the transition without leaving them to figure out every step alone.
Farmers Have Several Options for Their Land
GRASS does not require every participating farm to follow the same plan.
Instead, the program draws from conservation practices established by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service.
WVU Extension lists prescribed grazing, pasture and hay planting, nutrient management, silvopasture, alley cropping, tree and shrub establishment, fencing and watering facilities among the approved practices. Fencing and watering facilities must accompany other approved practices, rather than stand alone as projects.
That gives farmers room to address different problems.
One operation may need better fencing to divide a large pasture and rotate cattle. Another might establish new forage or improve nutrient management. A farm with suitable land might consider silvopasture, which combines trees, forage, and livestock on the same acreage.
Virginia Tech has also identified GRASS as a source of support for improved grazing, nutrient management, pasture and hay establishment, silvopasture, and access to forage-finished beef markets.
Who Can Apply?
The current application period is open to beef cattle and sheep producers in Virginia and West Virginia.
Applicants must be U.S. citizens and must own or control the land they enroll through the end of the project. A lease can satisfy that requirement, according to WVU Extension.
Farmers also need established records with the USDA Farm Service Agency.
In addition, applicants must complete Form AD-2047, USDA’s Customer Data Worksheet, and Form AD-1026, which covers highly erodible land and wetland conservation compliance.
Those requirements mean farmers who have never established an FSA farm record may need to complete paperwork before they can fully participate.
Participation Comes With Responsibilities
GRASS is not simply a check for buying fencing or planting pasture.
Farmers who participate must be willing to keep accurate farm and sales records and provide project-related information. They also must allow project staff onto participating farms with advance notice so the program can follow the work being done.
WVU Extension also requires farmers to meet the NRCS standards associated with whichever conservation practices they adopt.
Another rule prevents farmers from using GRASS money to pay for a project that has already received funding elsewhere. In other words, the program cannot pay twice for the same work.
Farmers already receiving NRCS or other conservation cost-share funds should check with GRASS staff before applying for the same work. A project already paid for through another program cannot receive GRASS funding.
Financial Help Is Only Part of the Program
WVU Extension says participating producers may qualify for an annual cash incentive, but the current program page does not advertise one flat grant amount that every farmer receives.
The financial component comes with training, technical help, and marketing assistance. That makes GRASS different from a conventional farm grant, where the recipient receives a fixed award and completes a specific purchase or construction project.
The broader goal is to help livestock producers change management practices and develop markets that can make those changes economically worthwhile.
That market component has been part of GRASS from its beginning. When USDA funding for the project was announced, WVU Extension officials said the work would explore markets for locally produced, grass-based Appalachian meat while helping farms improve soil health and long-term profitability.
A Federal Program Changed Names
Farmers who have heard about GRASS in previous years may encounter different terminology in older material.
The federal initiative that originally funded GRASS was called Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities. USDA later renamed it Advancing Markets for Producers, or AMP. The revised program emphasizes helping farmers reach markets and strengthening the systems that move agricultural products from farms to buyers.
The USDA program behind GRASS now operates under a new name: Advancing Markets for Producers, or AMP. USDA says the change puts more emphasis on helping farmers reach buyers and improve their earning opportunities.
WVU Extension’s current GRASS information therefore identifies the project as part of the USDA Advancing Markets for Producers initiative.
The name change does not alter the immediate question for farmers considering this application period: GRASS is currently accepting applications.
Several Organizations Are Involved
WVU Extension is not working alone.
Project partners include the WVU Davis College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, WVU Extension Small Farm Center, Virginia Tech, West Virginia Conservation Agency, West Virginia Association of Conservation Districts, and Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation.
The project also works with private-sector partners Hickory Nut Gap and Farmers United Cattle Company, according to WVU Extension.
Those partnerships reflect the project’s two sides. Conservation agencies and universities can help farmers improve grazing systems, while market partners can help address what happens after livestock leave the pasture.
September 15 Deadline Is Approaching
The summer 2026 application period closes September 15, according to WVU Extension.
That gives interested farmers little time to determine whether their operations qualify and gather the information needed to apply.
Producers with questions can contact the GRASS Project at grass@wvu.edu. WVU Extension also identifies Kate Fotos as the project’s program coordinator.
Farmers can review eligibility requirements, approved practices, and the current application through the official GRASS Project page.
GRASS Project Information & ApplicationAHF Education at a Glance
The Grazing for Appalachian Sustainability Project works with beef cattle and sheep producers in Virginia and West Virginia who want to improve grazing and pasture management.
Farmers may receive technical help, training, marketing assistance, and financial incentives as they implement approved conservation practices on their farms.
Applicants must have Farm Service Agency records and control the land enrolled in the program. Other USDA paperwork and record-keeping requirements also apply.
The summer 2026 application deadline is September 15.
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