USDA terminated a University of Idaho grant — the largest in the school’s history — focused on helping farmers develop sustainable practices.

USDA’s just-replaced Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities program included nearly $59 million for UI’s Innovative Agriculture and Marketing Partnership project. The grant, intended to provide payment directly to Idaho producers for developing sustainable agriculture practices, was terminated as a result of new USDA criteria, according to a UI news release.

USDA is relaunching the program as the Advancing Markets for Producers Initiative.

New criteria, called Farmers First policy priorities, include a requirement that at least 65% of grant funds must go directly to producers.

In UI’s original Innovative Agriculture proposal, more than 50% of funding was allocated for direct incentive payments to producers, according to the release. The rest, excluding direct administrative costs, was intended to provide technical and marketing services to enrolled producers so they could save the cost of contracting those services independently.

USDA in its grant termination notice encouraged the university to resubmit, Amy Calabretta, interim director of communications and strategic initiatives for the UI College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, said in an interview.

The university has not received further guidance from USDA, she said.

“We are awaiting further instructions,” Calabretta said.

UI will evaluate the new requirements and criteria and how the Innovative Agriculture project would fit, she said.

The university has the opportunity to resubmit a proposal, with adjustments to meet the new criteria, by June 20, according to the release.

“While we are disappointed by the USDA decision to terminate the IAMP grant, we are thankful for the opportunity to resubmit our proposal,” Innovative Agriculture and Marketing Partnership project co-director Sanford Eigenbrode said in the release. “The objectives of the IAMP project are in line with the expected guidelines from USDA/NRCS (Natural Resources Conservation Service) and their Farmer First priorities and we are in good position to reconfigure the project to meet those guidelines.”

As of March, UI’s Innovative Agriculture project received applications from 201 Idaho agricultural producers across a combined 34 counties and seven commodities, according to the university. Several producers had completed all paperwork and were enrolled. Others were in final enrollment stages.

The university is in contact with its implementing partners and producers to ensure eligible expenses are reimbursed.

USDA will honor all eligible expenses incurred prior to April 13, according to a department news release.

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said in the USDA release that Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities “was largely built to advance the green new scam at the benefit of NGOs, not American Farmers.”