U.S.D.A. is seeking proposals from eligible partners for projects to help owners and operators of agricultural and nonindustrial private forest lands improve their natural resources through the Cooperative Conservation Partnership Initiative, as Tyron Spearman has the details.
WASHINGTON – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture is seeking proposals from eligible partners for projects to help owners and operators of agricultural and nonindustrial private forest lands improve their natural resources through the Cooperative Conservation Partnership Initiative (CCPI) in fiscal year 2010. Producers can use CCPI to achieve conservation benefits such as clean air and water, productive soils and abundant wildlife.
“Partnerships with America’s producers are an effective way to address environmental concerns related to agriculture,” said Vilsack. “Through CCPI, we are employing a voluntary approach with landowners and operators to help reduce sediments and nutrients, increase carbon sequestration and build a healthier environment across the country.”
About $5 million will be made available through CCPI in fiscal year 2010. USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will use this initiative to enter into agreements for up to five years with eligible partners interested in enhancing conservation on agricultural and non-industrial private forest lands in specific areas.
CCPI helps agricultural producers and forestry landowners address conservation priorities at the local, state, multi-state, or regional levels; meet federal, state, and local regulatory requirements related to production; cooperate in installing and maintaining conservation practices; and develop and demonstrate innovative conservation practices and delivery methods, including practices associated with specialty crop and organic production as well as precision agriculture.
Potential partners include federally recognized tribes, state and local units of government, farmer cooperatives, producer associations, institutions of higher education, and nongovernmental organizations with a history of working cooperatively with agricultural producers. The Request for Proposals can be found at http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2010/pdf/2010-8244.pdf. Individual landowners and operators cannot submit a partner proposal. An agricultural producer or nonindustrial private forest landowner can receive financial and technical assistance for soil, water, plant, air and animal-related concerns if their land is located within an approved CCPI partnership project area.
CCPI will be funded through three existing NRCS programs this fiscal year—the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) and the Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program (WHIP). NRCS will provide financial and technical assistance directly to agricultural producers using the rules and procedures of these three programs. Potential partners are not required to contribute matching funding but it increases their prospects for selection if they provide financial, technical, or other resources.
To participate in CCPI, potential partners must submit their proposals by close of business (Eastern Time) on May 27, 2010 to Financial Assistance Division, NRCS’s National Headquarters in Washington, D.C. Proposals should identify the project area, conservation priorities in the area, the conservation objectives of the project, the number of producers likely to participate, the capabilities and resources offered by the applicant, and a monitoring and reporting plan, among other factors.
Detailed partnership proposal requirements are located at www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/ccpi. Once a partnership proposal is selected, interested eligible agricultural producers and nonindustrial private forest landowners within the project area should apply directly to NRCS for funding under the appropriate conservation program—EQIP, CSP, or WHIP. Applicants must meet the eligibility requirements of the program for which they are applying. Please visit www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs for more information on each program, including eligibility requirements.
NRCS is celebrating 75 years helping people help the land in 2010. Since 1935, the NRCS conservation delivery system has advanced a unique partnership with state and local governments and private landowners delivering conservation based on specific, local conservation needs, while accommodating state and national interests.