The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) has announced that applications are now being accepted from landowners for the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program (RFLPP). The program partners with farmers and ranchers through rural lands protection easements to preserve working agricultural operations that contribute to Florida’s economy and produce our food and fiber. “Florida’s working agricultural lands are not just fields …
Deadline Nearing for Input on Climate Benefits of Conservation Practice Standards
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has been accepting public input on how to improve conservation practice standards to maximize climate change mitigation and adaptation benefits, as supported by peer-reviewed scientific literature. But if you have yet to provide input, it is due by December 23, 2024. Conservation practices providing climate benefits are delivered through existing NRCS conservation programs popular with producers, …
Alabama NRCS Easement Program Signup Deadline is December 20
The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service in Alabama (NRCS-AL) wants to remind landowners the deadline for the Fiscal Year 2025 Farm Bill Easement signup through the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP) is December 20, 2024. The programs available through ACEP-are the Wetland Reserve Easements (ACEP-WRE) and the Agricultural Land Easements (ACEP-ALE). ACEP-WRE easements provide habitat for fish and wildlife, including threatened and endangered species, improve water quality by filtering …
Governor, Cabinet Approve Protection of Over 62,000 Acres of Working Florida Farms, Ranches
Historic Vote Boosts Preservation Inventory by 50%, Protecting Florida’s Agricultural Future (FDACS/TALLAHASSEE, FL/Dec. 17, 2024) — The Governor and Cabinet, sitting as the Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund, approved the preservation of over 62,000 acres of working Florida farms and ranches through the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Rural and Family Lands Protection Program. The …
Record Year for NRCS Program Acreage Enrollment
Fiscal Year 2024 proved to be a banner year regarding acres enrolled in the various USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) programs. Over eleven million acres were enrolled this past fiscal year. That’s NRCS Chief Terry Cosby. He talks about the investments in various programs in FY 2024 and their role in increasing acreage enrollment in the suite of NRCS offerings. While …
EQIP Signup Ends December 13 in Georgia
The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service in Georgia (NRCS-GA) wants to remind producers and landowners the statewide general sign-up for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) concludes Friday, December 13, 2024. EQIP provides financial and technical assistance to agricultural producers and non-industrial forest managers to address natural resource concerns and deliver environmental benefits. Those include improved water and air quality, conserved ground and surface water, …
Highlands County Ranch Preserved through Florida’s Rural and Family Lands Protection Program
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) has announced the preservation of more Florida farmland through their Rural and Family Lands Protection Program (RFLPP). The Bar Rocking C Ranch, a 1,070-acre cattle operation in Highlands County, is being preserved through a rural lands protection easement for $4,300,000. Bar Rocking C Ranch is a cattle ranch in western Highlands County, approximately 8.3 miles …
USDA-NRCS Florida EQIP Disaster Assistance Sign-up Ends December 20
The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service NRCS in Florida (NRCS-FL) continues to accept applications for disaster assistance funding through Emergency Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). This is to provide technical and financial assistance to agricultural landowners and producers in recovering from damages caused by Hurricanes Debby, Helene, and Milton. But the sign-up period for this disaster assistance ends December 20, 2024. NRCS-FL will evaluate …
USDA-NRCS in Georgia EQIP Sign-Up Reminder
The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service in Georgia (NRCS-GA) wants to remind landowners and producers in the state that sign-up for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) ends December 13, 2024. This signup is an extension of the Fiscal Year 2025 EQIP statewide sign-up that was announced on October 1, 2024. EQIP provides financial and technical assistance to agricultural producers and non-industrial forest managers to address …
American Agriculture History Minute: Becoming Stewards of the Soil
I’m Mark Oppold with an American Agriculture History Minute. We like to think that early American farmers and ranchers were good stewards of the soil, like farmers and ranchers are today, but history shows they were not. From the 1770s to the 1830s, pioneers moved into new lands that stretched from Kentucky to Alabama to Texas. Most were farmers who …