The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced $65 Million in funding for new tools, approaches, practices and technologies to incentivize natural resource conservation for private lands through the Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) program.
Conservation Innovation Grants is supported through the Working Families Tax Cuts Act, which increased funding for farm bill conservation programs. The Working Families Tax Cuts Act increases the ability of the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service to support farmers and ranchers in approaching conservation challenges.
NRCS Chief Colton L. Buckley said “America’s strength is rooted in the hands that work the land. With the announcement of new NRCS Conservation Innovation Grants, we’re investing in the farmers, ranchers, and private landowners who keep our soil healthy, our water clean, and our nation strong. Strong farms build a strong America. NRCS Conservation Innovation Grants are helping producers pioneer the next generation of conservation while protecting the working lands that define our nation.”
Priorities for the Conservation Innovation Grants program’s on-farm Trials include irrigation water management technologies, nutrient management, grazing lands, and soil health demonstration trials. Other off-farm goals include water management, conserving ecosystems by managing pest pressure, soil habitat improvement, farmer-focused conservation outcomes.
Audio Reporting by Dale Sandlin and Elizabeth Sanders for Southeast AgNet.