If you’re growing anything in Nevada County—veggies, fruit, herbs, maybe even some accidental pumpkins from last fall’s compost pile—you’ll want to perk up for this one.

There’s a new program in town that basically pays you to buy compost. Yep, you read that right. It’s called the Compost Connector Program, and it’s giving farmers and ranchers up to $39 back per ton of bulk compost (minimum 5 tons). That’s a lot of dirt for your dollar.

And the best part? It’s not complicated. This is government help that’s actually helpful.

Who Can Benefit

If you’re a Nevada County farmer or rancher who grows any kind of food or beverage product for people to eat or drink—you qualify. Whether you’re a full-time operation or you’ve just got a serious backyard farm situation, you might be eligible.

Bonus: this works for folks farming in unincorporated areas, too. No huge paperwork stack required.

What You Get

Up to $39 per ton of compost rebated back to you

Maximum 1,000 tons per claim (so, yes, they’re serious about scale)

Up to $20,000 per year in rebates

Reimbursement comes in the form of direct deposit (in about 3 weeks)
or check (within 6–8 weeks)

Heads up:
You’ve got 30 days from reservation to submit your documents, so don’t delay once you sign up.

How to Get Your Rebate

Here’s your step-by-step cheat sheet:

Apply online
Use Zero Foodprint’s portal:
Compost Connector Application

Wait 2 weeks for approval

Sign a quick digital agreement
(via DocuSign)

Order compost
from an approved vendor

Snap a couple pics
(of delivery and/or spreading)

Upload your invoice and photos
(through the portal)

Get paid – easy as that!

Helping You, Help the Soil

Aside from the obvious win for your wallet, this program helps:

Rebuild healthy soils

Keep organic waste out of landfills

Sequester carbon (which is a fancy way of saying fight climate change)

Comply with California’s SB 1383 food waste laws

Basically, it helps our land, air, food, and future.

What’s not to love?