Enroll and Apply
Beginning in January, U.S. cotton growers can enroll in the Trust Protocol and those who have completed data entry and bale uploads for the 2023 crop are also eligible to apply for the Climate Smart Cotton Program until April 30 at midnight.
The deadline to enter data in the Fieldprint Platform and upload bales from the 2023 crop is March 1, 2024.
During Trust Protocol enrollment, growers will have the option to apply for the Climate Smart Cotton Program.
Applications will be approved on a first-come-first-served basis until the Climate Smart Cotton Program reaches 1,650 participants including 330 from historically underserved communities. Growers are encouraged to get started today to secure a spot in the program and maximize benefits.
How to Determine Eligibility
In order to be eligible for an incentive payment as a part of the Climate-Smart Commodities, a producer must:
- Establish Farm Records with the Farm Service Agency (have farm, tract, and field numbers in place)
- Complete an AD-2047 (Customer Data Worksheet to facilitate the collection of customer data for Business Partner Record)
- Certify HELC and WC compliance via Form AD-1026, Highly Erodible Land Conservation (HELC) and Wetland Conservation (WC) Certification;
- Certify that they are not a foreign person or entity
Growers are encouraged to work with their local USDA and FSA office to help determine eligible acres or acres that are already enrolled in other USDA programs. More information can be found at usda.gov
Steps to Apply
- To begin enrollment in the Trust Protocol and to apply for the Climate Smart Cotton Program, click the “Apply Today” button at the top of the page.
- You will then be brought to the enrollment dashboard.
- Follow the enrollment steps to become a Protocol grower, which includes entering field-level data and bale uploads. Growers will see this is complete by the green check marks.
- To apply for the Climate Smart Cotton Program, growers should select the “click here” link in the orange box at the top of the page.
- It will then take you to the Climate Smart Cotton Program application.
- Read through the entire document and scroll to the bottom of the page to the blue writing that says, “Click here to apply for the Climate Smart Cotton Program”.
- At the bottom left of the page click “New application”.
- The application will walk you through each of the steps, including entering entity names, and asking if you are a member of a historically underserved community or interested in further program levels.
Each farming entity that can obtain a subsidiary report from FSA is eligible to sign up 706 acres by providing FSA Farm, Tract, and Field ID. As a reminder, each entity requires a separate application and the name should be entered exactly as they appear on FSA documents.
Growers are encouraged to work with their local USDA and FSA office to help determine eligible acres or acres that are already enrolled in other USDA programs. More information can be found at usda.gov. Growers can also authorize program representatives to access required USDA FSA documents by requesting and completing a release form.
For additional assistance, growers can email info@trustuscotton.org.
