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WSDA Compost Reimbursement Program’s Second Year
Wrapping up its first year, the Compost Reimbursement Program reimbursed 84 farms for over $360,000 in eligible purchases.
September 4, 2024
Author: Amy Clow, Washington State Department of Agriculture
The Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) has launched its second year of the Compost Reimbursement Program to continue to encourage on-farm compost use.
All commercial Washington farmers – including those in agriculture, silviculture and aquaculture – are eligible for the program. Participating farms are eligible for 50 percent reimbursement on qualifying costs for compost purchases and associated transportation, equipment, and labor costs. Funding limits for participating farms vary based on farm size and proposed budgets. Participants must agree to conduct soil sampling before and for several years following the application of compost. Additionally, the compost must be purchased from an approved compost facility.
The Washington State Legislature established the Compost Reimbursement Program in 2023 when they passed and funded Revised Code of Washington 15.04.420. The Legislature instituted several changes to the program that take effect this year. These changes include prioritizing applications based on the presence of food-waste as a feedstock in the compost to be purchased, as well as distributing reimbursement funding based on farm size. Additionally, compost may now be purchased from Washington compost facilities that either have a solid waste handling permit or are permit-exempt, which increases accessibility of the program to more farmers statewide.
Watch to learn more about the WSDA Compost Reimbursement Program
Wrapping up its first year, the Compost Reimbursement Program reimbursed 84 farms for over $360,000 in eligible purchases. Reimbursements were made to farms in 25 counties across the state. The map below shows the distribution of farms that were reimbursed in 2024. The counties which received the highest total amount of grant funding included Okanogan, Grant, and Chelan. The counties which had the highest number of participating farms included Okanogan (10), King (7), Kitsap (6), and Skagit (6).
STATEWIDE USE | 84 funded farmers (red points) ranged across 25 counties (green regions) through the WSDA Compost Reimbursement Program in 2023-2024.
Learn more about the Compost Reimbursement Program on WSDA’s website or email [email protected].
Amy also wrote about this program last year. Check our her past article.
The WSDA Compost Reimbursement Program is supported with funding from Washington’s Climate Commitment Act. The CCA supports Washington’s climate action efforts by putting cap-and-invest dollars to work reducing climate pollution, creating jobs, and improving public health. Information about the CCA is available at www.climate.wa.gov.
Amy Clow
Amy is the Quarantine, Compost, & Rules Coordinator at the Washington State Department of Agriculture
This article was published by the Washington Soil Health Initiative. For more information, visit wasoilhealth.org. To have these posts delivered straight to your inbox, subscribe to the WaSHI newsletter. To find a soil science technical service provider, visit the Washington State University Extension website or the Washington State Conservation District website.