The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service in Alabama (NRCS-AL) wants to remind landowners the Fiscal Year 2024 Farm Bill Easement and Financial Assistance Programs signup batching date is Friday, November 3rd, 2023.
This signup includes these programs:
- Agricultural Conservation Easement Program – Wetland Reserve Easements (ACEP-WRE)
- Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP)
- Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP)
- (EQIP) Conservation Incentive Contracts (EQIP-CIC)
- Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP-EQIP)
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.
CSP assists 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. That includes 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 Animal Mortality, Bobwhite Quail, Climate Smart Ag, Feral Swine, Hellbender, High Tunnel, Irrigation, Longleaf Pine, New and Beginning Farmers, On Farm Energy, Organic, Shortleaf, Small-Scale, Socially Disadvantaged Farmers, Strikeforce, Technical Service Provider, Water Quality, White Oak, and Working Lands For Wildlife – Gopher Tortoise.
EQIP–CIC provides financial assistance to address priority resource concerns, including sequestering carbon and improving soil health in high-priority areas. Through these contracts, NRCS works with producers to strengthen the quality and condition of natural resources on their operations using management practices that target resource concerns including degraded soil condition and soil erosion. The focus within Alabama for CIC is to increase the adoption of Cover Crops, Native Warm Season Grasses, Prescribed Grazing, and Residue and Tillage Management on Cropland and Pasture. Conservation Incentive Contracts last five years.
RCPP–EQIP promotes coordination of NRCS conservation activities with partners that offer value-added contributions to expand our collective ability to address on-farm, watershed, and regional natural resource concerns. Through RCPP, NRCS seeks to co-invest with partners to implement projects that demonstrate innovative solutions to conservation challenges and provide measurable improvements and outcomes tied to the resource concerns they seek to address. The Alabama Riparian Habitat Initiative lead partner is the Alabama Soil and Water Conservation Committee (SWCC) and is available statewide. Practices include Riparian Buffer establishment, Exclusion Fencing, Livestock Watering Systems, and other supporting practices. This is the final year of this project.
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 November 3rd, 2023. Applications received after this date will be held and considered for subsequent funding announcements as available funds permit.
For more information, contact NRCS at your local USDA Service Center.