USDA Reinstates University of Idaho Grant

The largest grant in University of Idaho history is back on track after a yearlong pause.  USDA has reinstated the five-year, $59 million Innovative Agriculture and Marketing Partnership (IAMP) program.

The effort encourages Idaho farmers to test new marketing strategies and resilient farming practices.  More than 200 Idaho farmers representing 34 counties applied for incentives across seven commodities through the original IAMP program, which was approved in 2024 as part of USDA’s Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities program.

USDA's Program Put On Hold Early Into The Trump Administration

However, USDA terminated IAMP in April 2025 based on new criteria that retroactively placed greater emphasis on helping producers access new market opportunities and increased the minimum percentage of funding awarded to farmers from half to 65% of the total. The agency invited IAMP leaders to revise the program to meet the new standards and reapply, though the federal government shutdown further delayed the process. 

“We are going to get a technical support team to help us enroll these people, and we���re streamlining the process so it’s fairly straightforward and automated,” said Doug Finkelnburg, area Extension educator in cropping systems.  “Our hope is to get producers under contract in 2026 as quickly as we can.” 

The updated plan sets aside millions for direct farmer payments and expanded marketing projects, while scaling back some research requirements.  Organizers say the goal is to help farmers boost profits while improving soil health, water retention, and long-term resilience across Idaho agriculture.

IAMP A Benefit To Producers & Industry

“For a producer, this is an excellent opportunity to try things that you haven’t tried before, that are high risk but potentially high reward,” noted  IAMP team lead Erin Brooks, a professor in the Department of Soil and Water Systems.  "From the industry perspective, they’re looking at stewardship and they’re looking at producing healthier foods from healthy soils. The markets want to know more information about this, and the more we can provide tangible data and research that gives confident numbers on the impacts of these adopted practices, the better off we are.” 

IAMP partners include The Nature Conservancy, Desert Mountain Grass-Fed Beef and the Nimiipuu (Nez Perce) and Schitsu’umsh (Coeur d’Alene) tribes.

Making Farms More Resilient

The revised version of IAMP designates $3.5 million for direct payments of up to $7,500 per year for participating producers to try specified marketing activities intended to capture a premium for crops raised using regenerative practices. Another $450,000 is reserved for larger marketing projects, potentially involving groups of growers, or even businesses, to implement a marketing program.

“The practices we’re incentivizing will help make the farms more resilient to risk,” Finkelnburg said. “We’re incentivizing practices that build soil carbon, increase water storage in soils and make it less risky to do production agriculture.” 

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