On April 14, 2025, USDA said it was ending the Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities (PCSC) in its previous form and reforming it as the Advancing Markets for Producers (AMP) initiative. Existing agreements would be reviewed against new producer-funding and enrollment requirements. Industry responses ranged from cautious optimism to concern about farm investments, contract commitments, and lost technical support.
What USDA changed
PCSC began in 2022 to expand markets for agricultural commodities produced using practices intended to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions or store carbon. USDA’s Farm Service Agency announced more than $3.1 billion for 141 tentatively selected projects in 2022. A later USDA Office of Inspector General (OIG) inspection counted 135 pilot projects and more than $3 billion in grants during fiscal years 2022–2024; the figures reflect different reporting scopes and should not be treated as the same project count. USDA FSA’s 2022 announcement; USDA OIG’s 2026 inspection.
In its April 14, 2025 announcement, USDA said the program had been reformed and overhauled as AMP. The department described high administrative fees in many projects and said some directed less than half of federal funding to farmers. That was USDA’s stated rationale, not an independent audit finding about every project. USDA’s April 14, 2025 release.
The new review thresholds and what they meant
USDA said it would review existing grant agreements against three Farmer First priorities. To meet the stated thresholds, a recipient had to satisfy all three:
#1 Best Overall
- IDEAL GIFTS FOR MEN, WOMEN - Our gardening tools set is the ultimate gift for any men women who loves to garden. Including rust-proof and durable tools, this set ensures she has everything she needs for a flourishing garden. The ergonomic design makes it comfortable to use, making it a thoughtful gift for wife, mom, daughter, or grandma.
- A COMPLETE GARDEN TOOL SET - A durable garden tools set is all you need for your gardening.
- PREMIUM GARDEN TOOLS - Our gardening tool set comes with a Spray Bottle, Shovel, Crack Weeder, Hand Rake, Weeder, Pruner, 15 Plant tags, a pair of Hand Gloves, and a Heavy Duty Garden Bag to keep all your tools packed away provides everything you need to maintain a beautiful and healthy garden.
- DURABLE & RUST PROOF - Our gardening tool set is made of high-quality aluminium alloy, ensuring that the tools are strong, durable, and resistant to rust and corrosion. The aluminium alloy material is lightweight, making it easy to handle and reducing hand fatigue during use. Additionally, the material is eco-friendly and non-toxic. With our toolset, you can be confident that you're using high-quality, reliable tools that will stand the test of time.
- COMFORTABLE ERGONOMIC HANDLE - Our gardening tool set is designed with your comfort in mind. The ergonomic handle design allows for a comfortable grip and reduces hand fatigue, even during long gardening sessions. The soft yet sturdy handle provides a secure grip and helps prevent slipping, so you can work with confidence. Whether you're planting delicate seedlings or digging up stubborn weeds, our tool set's comfortable design will help you get the job done with ease.
- At least 65% of federal funds must go to producers.
- The recipient must have enrolled at least one producer by December 31, 2024.
- The recipient must have paid at least one producer by December 31, 2024.
USDA said select projects could continue if they demonstrated that a significant amount of awarded federal funds would go to farmers. The department also said it would honor eligible expenses incurred before April 13, 2025, and would make no new funding available for these partnerships. Its announcement did not establish the final disposition of every agreement or explain project-by-project how the review would be applied. USDA’s April 14, 2025 release.
How agriculture organizations responded
The responses reported by Successful Farming shortly after the announcement were statements from selected organizations, not a poll of the agricultural sector. Some anticipated that their projects could meet the criteria or continue; others emphasized risks to farms, signed commitments, and technical assistance. Successful Farming’s April 16, 2025 report.
Rank #2
- 3 Piece Garden Tool Set: The gardening hand tools set includes a garden trowel, a garden rake and a transplanting spade with graduated scale. Great gardening supplies for weeding, digging, transplanting, planting, loosening soil, etc. The great lawn and garden tools to meet most of your daily gardening needs
- Sturdy and Long lasting: The main body of our garden tools set is made with high-quality thickened aluminum alloy material, which is rust-resistant, long lasting and extremely sturdy. Would not easily break even when dealing with thick roots or rocky soil
- Ergonomic Design: The handle is designed with contoured finger grips and palm rest to reduce hand fatigue and strain while planting. The high-quality TPR material of the handle makes the trowel garden tool easy to hold and comfortable to use. Saving your labor, time and energy. The hanging hole on the top makes the garden tools for gardening easy to carry and store
- Hand Trowel: With wide spade and 0.08 inch thickness, the hand shovels for gardening is suitable for digging, planting and transplanting plants without damaging the roots
- Transplant Trowel: The depth measurement on our transplanting shovel will help you to quick measure how depth you want to dig, makes it easier to transplant potted plants and flowers
Groups that saw a path to continuing
The National Pork Board’s lead project, Advancing U.S. Pork Sustainability and Market Value, had been approved to continue, according to the report. The board’s chief sustainability officer, Jamie Burr, said, “The NPB recognizes the AMP initiative as it prioritizes farmers and ranchers by directly supplying financial resources and focusing on the adoption of on-farm practices.” Burr added, “We are honored to be selected to continue with AMP.”
Iowa Soybean Association President Brent Swart said the group was discussing the program’s importance with officials. He claimed private-sector matching funds meant “nearly 120% of total funds go directly to farmers,” which he said exceeded the 65% threshold. That was the association’s calculation, not an independently verified share. Swart also said, “We look forward to updating the contract to reflect the new provisions as outlined by the administration.” He described the program as “one of the most effective and efficient public-private partnerships.”
Rank #3
- Versatile Gardening Tool Set: Our garden tools for gardening include a soil scoop, small trowel, cultivator, hand rake, weeder, pruning shears, a pair of protective gloves, and a sturdy storage tote for convenient storage. A great choice for gardening tools for women, gardening set for women, gardening tools for men, gardening gifts for women and men
- High-quality Material: The main body of our garden hand tools (soil scoop,small trowel, cultivator, hand rake, weeder) is made with thickened aluminum alloy material, which is rust-resistant, long lasting and extremely sturdy. Would not easily break even when dealing with thick roots or rocky soil
- Ergonomic Handle Design: The handle of these planting tools is designed with contoured finger grips and palm rest to reduce hand fatigue and strain while planting. The TPR material of the handle makes the garden hand tools easy to hold and comfortable to use, providing optimal leverage for planting, weeding, and digging. The precisely scaled small trowel allows you to transplant the correct depth, while the cultivator shovel ensures effortless soil penetration
- Garden Tool Bag and Gloves Included: The garden bag is made of tear-resistant Oxford cloth, with large in capacity with 8 external pockets, enough space to hold the hand gardening tools to ensure you won't lose them. The gloves have a breathable knitted base for a comfortable fit, and a soft but sturdy foamed latex coating to help reduce fatigue. These garden supplies are not only long lasting but also easy to clean, making our garden tool set a reliable companion for all your gardening tasks
- Sharp and Safe Garden Shears:The gardening shears are designed with carbon steel blades that are sharp for precise cutting without harm to plants. The pruning shears for gardening are lightweight and easy to hold, with a strong spring providing leverage for effortless pruning. In addition, the gardening scissors feature a safety lock design for secure storage when not in use
At the Illinois Corn Growers Association, Greg Goodwin, director of precision conservation management, said, “We’re approaching this change with cautious optimism.” He said the group believed its members were well placed to meet the criteria, while recognizing that it would need to reapply and align with updated priorities.
Concerns about farm-level costs and commitments
Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association executive director Sarah Alexander said the program had supported farm diversification and adoption of new techniques. She reported that more than $2 million in Maine farm investments were at risk, with 27 farms enrolled and 37 more having applied. Those figures and the assessment of harm were MOFGA’s account, not audited totals; Alexander called the cancellation devastating for affected farms.
Rank #4
- Sturdy and Stainless Steel Garden Set: Made of Stainless Steel, this stainless steel gardening tools is durable and rust-proof. Moreover, with stable material like this, these gardening tools are hardly deformed
- One for All Package: Grenebo garden tools set includes a total of 8 tools and 1 storage bag. Pruning Shears, Weedier, Transplanter, Cultivator, etc., nearly everything you need in daily garden maintenance
- Ergonomic Handle Design: In order to realize a more comfortable and effortless user experience, the gardening tools were non-slipped wooden handles, well-designed and suitable for different hand sizes. No matter kids or seniors, these gardening tools made things easy during digging, carrying, weeding, planting, and pruning
- Garden Tote Bag: The biggest concern of buying a big gardening tool set is storage, but for this consideration, Grenebo gardening tools for gardening come with a heavy-duty storage bag, is floral design with a vintage style, adds additional beauty to your garden. Moreover, there is a specialized hole on each tool handle for hanging them up in the off-season or after use
- Show your love with a premium Garden Tools Set: The tote bag durable and easy to carry, which is the choice for women, neighbors, and all enthusiastic gardening lovers
American Farm Bureau Federation vice president of public policy Sam Kieffer said the organization supported voluntary, market-driven programs and was still assessing the changes. He urged USDA to protect signed commitments: “We also urge USDA to honor contracts already signed where farmers and farmer-led organizations may have already made investments and paid for supplies or services based on the assumption they would be reimbursed by this grant program.”
Clarity welcomed, but technical assistance at risk
National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition policy director Mike Lavender called the announcement “a significant and welcome step toward the clarity that farmers, ranchers, and the organizations who support them have desperately needed,” while warning that changing requirements and cancelling projects midstream could create hardship. Policy specialist Richa Patel said direct producer payments mattered but raised concern about losing technical support to design, implement, and maintain conservation systems.
What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
Best Value
- CLEAN CUTS FOR LIVE GROWTH: Bypass blade design is ideal for pruning delicate flower stems and green growth, helping reduce crushing and plant damage while cutting stems and small branches up to 5/8” in diameter
- BLADES STAY SHARP: Precision-ground steel blades are engineered to stay sharp through heavy use, & all-steel construction provides lasting durability, delivering consistent cutting performance for regular garden maintenance & detailed pruning tasks
- SMART BLADE FEATURES: Blade coating helps reduce friction for smoother cuts, minimizes sap buildup & gumming, and enhances resistance to rust for longer-lasting performance in outdoor conditions; sap groove keeps the blades from sticking during use
- COMFORTABLE, CONTROLLED GRIP: Ergonomic, non‑slip handle enhances control and reduces hand fatigue during repetitive cuts; easy‑open safety lock secures the blade for safe transport and compact storage
- INCLUDES: (1) Fiskars Bypass Pruning Shears designed for everyday gardening and plant care and backed by a Lifetime Warranty. Product care tips: Wipe pruners clean after each use to prevent sap build-up and lightly oil blade for longer product life
What later oversight found—and what it did not establish
A 2026 USDA OIG inspection identified weaknesses in public financial reporting: nine projects totaling more than $71.9 million were absent from USAspending.gov, and reported award amounts for 38 projects did not match USDA financial-system data, with a net difference of more than $20.6 million. OIG also found that USDA had not developed clear organization-level performance measures sufficient to assess progress toward program goals, limiting its ability to evaluate results across projects. It recommended correcting missing and inconsistent public financial data. These are findings about reporting and measurement; they do not prove that individual projects failed to benefit producers. USDA OIG’s 2026 inspection.
An OMB/OIRA information-collection record updated in 2026 lists the PCSC collection as “Historical Inactive” and gives an OIRA conclusion action of “Withdrawn and continue,” dated June 9, 2026. The record describes the program’s voluntary incentives for producers and landowners, greenhouse-gas measurement and verification, and market-development purpose. It is an administrative collection record, not a grant-by-grant status update, so it does not establish what happened to every agreement. OMB/OIRA information-collection record.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
