NRCS Practice 336: Cost-Share for Biochar on Your Ground
- Eric Burns
- 3 hours ago
- 6 min read
If you farm or manage pasture, rangeland, or private forest land, USDA has a conservation practice that pays you to put carbon back in your soil. It is called Practice 336, Soil Carbon Amendment, and biochar qualifies under it.
Here is what the practice covers, how to get a contract, and what the material itself has to meet.
What Practice 336 covers
NRCS defines 336 as the application of carbon-based amendments derived from plant materials or treated animal byproducts. In plain terms: it pays you to put biochar, compost, or a blend of the two into your soil as part of a conservation plan.
The standard is written to accomplish one or more of four purposes:
Improve or maintain soil organic matter
Sequester carbon and enhance soil carbon stocks
Improve soil aggregate stability
Improve habitat for soil organisms
Funding flows through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP). Payment scenarios are structured around the percentage of biochar in a biochar-compost blend, and both the available scenarios and the payment amounts are set at the state level and reevaluated periodically. The payment schedule link at the bottom of this article will show you what applies where you farm.
Who and what qualifies
Land: crop, pasture, range, forest, associated agricultural lands, developed land, and farmstead, where organic carbon amendment applications will improve soil conditions.
Producers: agricultural producers and private forest landowners, whether you are just starting out or have decades of conservation work behind you.
Timing: applications are taken on a continuing basis, but each state sets its own cutoff and ranking dates. Miss a ranking date and you wait for the next round.
A few site limits worth knowing before you plan: the standard does not allow application on slopes greater than 15 percent, and high-salt material above 8 mmhos/cm should not go on ground where salinity is a concern.
How to get a 336 contract
This is a reimbursement program, not a grant and not a discount. You sign a contract, do the work to specification, document it, and get paid afterward. Nothing comes up front.
Contact your local USDA Service Center. Tell them you are interested in Practice 336, Soil Carbon Amendment. Ask which scenarios your state offers and when the next ranking date falls.
Site visit and conservation planning. A planner walks your ground with you, reviews resource concerns, and builds a plan. 336 pairs naturally with cover crops, no-till, and nutrient management in a whole-farm bundle.
Soil testing. The standard requires testing before application, at minimum pH, soil texture, organic matter or organic carbon, extractable phosphorus, potassium, calcium, sulfur, magnesium, and cation exchange capacity.
Ranking and contract. Your application is ranked against others in your state. If selected, you sign a contract specifying rate, timing, and method.
Source your material and apply. Your amendment analysis has to come from whoever produced the material, and it has to be documented prior to application.
Document and get reimbursed. Keep records of rate, timing, source, and material characteristics. The standard also calls for follow-up soil testing one to three years out to measure whether the application worked.
How much biochar per acre
There is no single number in the standard. The adopted November 2022 version of CPS 336 does not set a national minimum application rate, and you should be skeptical of anyone who quotes you one as though it were federal law.
Your rate comes from three places: your soil test results, the resource concerns your conservation planner identifies, and the payment scenario your state offers. Rates are set at the state level, so two neighbors in different states can end up with very different plans on similar ground.
What we can tell you is the practical side. Terra Char ships in totes of 1.8 cubic yards and in bulk semi-load quantities. Once your planner gives you a rate, send it to us with your acreage and delivery point and we will convert it to tons, cubic yards, totes, and a landed cost. Freight is a real expense on a heavy, bulky material, so bring your delivery point into the conversation early.
What NRCS requires of the biochar itself
Not all biochar will satisfy a 336 plan. The standard sets production conditions and a parameter panel that has to be reported, and the analysis has to be supplied by whoever produced the material. That means your supplier needs to hand you real lab work, per lot, not a generic spec sheet.
For biochar specifically, the standard calls for material produced by heating biomass above 350 degrees Celsius under controlled, limited oxygen conditions, and it sets these parameters:
Organic carbon above 10 percent dry weight
Molar H/C ratio below 0.7
Total ash and liming equivalent reported
Chromium below 1,200 mg/kg dry weight
A full contaminant panel covering arsenic, cadmium, copper, lead, mercury, nickel, selenium, and zinc against EPA limits, plus pH, electrical conductivity, moisture, nutrients, and particle size
There is also a feedstock exclusion worth knowing about: the standard does not allow amendments made from crop residue that could otherwise protect your soil, or from woody residue needed to sustain forest health. Terra Char is produced from hardwood processing residual, which sits clear of that exclusion.
One more thing to ask your NRCS office: states can layer additional criteria on top of the national standard through their Field Office Technical Guide. Confirm your state's implementation requirements before you order material.
A word on “approved suppliers”
You may hear that a particular company is an approved, preferred, or priority biochar supplier for this program. No such status exists.
NRCS does not certify, approve, or endorse biochar suppliers, and there is no approved vendor list for Practice 336. You choose your own supplier. What NRCS requires is that the material meets the standard and that current analysis comes from the producer of the material. If a company tells you otherwise, ask them to show you where that designation is published.
The Terra Char 336 Producer Program
If you hold a 336 contract or have an application in with your NRCS office, we price and document accordingly:
Program pricing on bulk and tote quantities for producers with a 336 contract or a pending application
Certificate of Analysis at no charge with every lot, formatted for your conservation plan file
Rate and spreading guidance worked against your soil test and your planner's specified rate
Blend coordination at whatever biochar-to-compost ratio your payment scenario calls for
Documentation packet covering origin, production method, and the full parameter set
Terra Char has supplied bulk wood biochar since 2009 and ships nationally in totes and bulk semi-load quantities. Fixed carbon runs 76 to 94 percent by grade, and our certified water holding capacity is 233 percent, tested by Eurofins Umwelt Ost. Every lot ships with independent third-party laboratory analysis performed to IBI Standards version 2.1 methods.
Find your local NRCS office
USDA Service Centers are a one-stop shop where farmers and landowners can connect with the Farm Service Agency, Natural Resources Conservation Service, and Rural Development. Use the USDA Service Center Locator to find your local service center and speak with NRCS staff about Practice 336 availability, eligibility, application requirements, and current payment rates in your area.
Additional NRCS resources
Payment Schedules and Rates by State — current NRCS financial-assistance schedules and practice scenarios. Availability and payment amounts vary by state and are reevaluated periodically.
NRCS Web Soil Survey — official soil maps and soil information for your farm or proposed project area.
Conservation Practice Standard 336 (PDF) — the national NRCS Soil Carbon Amendment conservation practice standard.
NRCS programs, deadlines, payment rates, conservation-practice availability, and technical requirements vary by state and individual conservation plan. Contact your local USDA Service Center for current guidance before purchasing or applying biochar.
Ready to explore NRCS cost-share opportunities?
Contact Terra Char to discuss product specifications, estimated quantities, and documentation for a proposed Soil Carbon Amendment Practice 336 project. Final eligibility, application rates, and financial assistance are determined by NRCS.
Email info@terra-char.com · Call (573) 489-8929 · Phil Blom, CEO · www.terra-char.com · Columbia, Missouri
This article is a plain-language summary of USDA-NRCS Conservation Practice Standard 336, adopted November 2022, provided as a planning aid. It is not a statement of eligibility and not official USDA guidance. Practice eligibility, scenario selection, ranking, and payment determination rest with NRCS.
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