The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Alabama encourages agricultural producers and forest landowners in the state to participate in voluntary conservation programs and adopt climate-smart practices. The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) provided additional funding over five years for climate smart agriculture through several of the conservation programs that NRCS implements. This includes the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP).
In Alabama, applications will be accepted state-wide for both IRA-EQIP and IRA-CSP that include Climate Smart Agricultural and Forestry (CSAF) activities. Within IRA-EQIP, supporting practices may be requested, but will only be included in a conservation plan if they facilitate a CSAF practice. Within CSP, only those enhancements listed as a CSAF enhancement may be included in an IRA-CSP conservation plan.
While applications are accepted on a continuous basis, selecting applications for funding is completed periodically through batching periods with specific cutoff dates. The first cutoff date is March 24th, 2023. Applications received after that date will be held and considered for subsequent funding opportunities as available funds permit.
For more information, visit NRCS at your local USDA Service Center.