The Colorado Department of Agriculture (CDA) has announced a new grant opportunity designed to support projects that improve soil health and water management across the state’s agricultural sector. The Soil Health and Optimizing Water (SHOW) grant, funded by the Colorado Water Conservation Board, will provide up to $50,000 for selected projects.
Eligible applicants include producers, conservation districts, nonprofits, local governments, and research institutions. The aim is to encourage initiatives that advance soil health principles and enhance how water resources are managed on working lands.
“This grant will help us understand how soil health can improve water use. It will also help Colorado’s producers make their operations more resilient by improving how water is managed on working lands,” said Toby McPartland, Soil Health Specialist with CDA. “We encourage anyone interested in applying to join our upcoming webinar so they can better understand the opportunities and prepare a strong application.”
Funding from the SHOW grant will support projects that seek to improve soil function, promote efficient water resource management, and facilitate peer-to-peer learning within the agricultural community. An informational webinar is scheduled for December 17 at 10:00 a.m., where program staff will discuss eligible practices, monitoring requirements, funding guidelines, and answer questions from participants.
Applications are being accepted through CDA’s Soil Health website until January 20, 2026.
The Colorado Soil Health Program operates under guidance from the Soil Health Advisory Committee. Since its inception in 2021 during Governor Polis’s administration, it has provided support to over 400 producers who have adopted soil health strategies in their operations.
These efforts align with CDA’s Strategic Plan goals related to environmental stewardship and climate resilience. The SHOW grant initiative also supports Governor Polis’s Wildly Important Goal focused on advancing Colorado’s Water Plan.
