The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Alabama wants to remind eligible landowners and agricultural producers that signup for Fiscal Year 2023 Farm Bill easement and financial assistance programs ends Friday, November 18.
The programs included in this signup are:
- ACEP-WRE, the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program – Wetland Reserve Easements
- CSP, the Conservation Stewardship Program
- EQIP, the Environmental Quality Incentives Program
- EQIP Conservation Incentive Contracts (EQIP-CIC)
ACEP-WRE: easements provide habitat for fish and wildlife, including threatened and endangered species, improve water quality by filtering sediments and chemicals, reduce flooding, recharge groundwater, protect biological diversity and provide opportunities for educational, scientific and limited recreational activities. Land eligible for wetland reserve easements include farmed or converted wetland that can be successfully and cost-effectively restored. NRCS will prioritize applications based the easement’s potential for protecting and enhancing habitat for migratory birds and other wildlife.
CSP: helps agricultural producers maintain and improve their existing conservation systems and adopt additional conservation activities to address priority resources concerns. Participants earn CSP payments for conservation performance—the higher the performance, the higher the payment.
EQIP: provides financial and technical assistance to agricultural producers to address natural resource concerns and deliver environmental benefits such as improved water and air quality, conserved ground and surface water, increased soil health and reduced soil erosion and sedimentation, improved or created wildlife habitat, and mitigation against increasing weather volatility. Initiatives include: Bobwhite Quail, Feral Swine, High Tunnel, Irrigation, Longleaf Pine, Urban Ag, Animal Mortality, On Farm Energy, Organic, Shortleaf, Soil Quality, Strikeforce, Technical Service Provider, Water Quality, White Oak, and Working Lands For Wildlife – Gopher Tortoise.
Applications are accepted on a continuous basis; but selecting applications for funding is completed periodically through batching periods with specific cutoff dates. The signup deadline for these programs is November 18th, 2022. Applications received after this date will be held and considered for subsequent funding opportunities.
For more information stop by NRCS at your local USDA Service Center.