Conservation Easement Program Sign Up for Florida Landowners Extended through June 30

Dan Conservation, Environment, Florida, Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP), USDA-NRCS

The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the North Florida Land Trust (NFLT) wants Florida landowners interested in aligning their land uses with conservation values, to know they have additional time to apply for a conservation easement program. The application deadline for fiscal year 2023 funding through this Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) has been extended from its original June 16th deadline to June 30th to allow …

USDA Accepts Over One Million Acres in CRP General Signup

Dan Conservation, Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), Environment, USDA-FSA, USDA-NRCS

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced this week it is accepting more than 1 million acres in this year’s Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) General sign-up. This is one of several signups that USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) is holding for the program. “This year’s General CRP signup demonstrates the value and continued strength of this voluntary conservation program, which plays an …

DeSantis, Florida Cabinet Sign Off on Land Deals

Dan Beef, Cattle, Conservation, Dairy, Environment, Field Crops, Florida, Nursery Crops, Organic, Specialty Crops

(NSF/TALLAHASSEE, FL/May 23, 2023) — Gov. Ron DeSantis and the state Cabinet on Tuesday approved spending nearly $100 million on land deals that will secure about 36,000 acres as part of a growing wildlife corridor. The 12 land deals are part of the Florida Forever program and the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program. They involve purchasing conservation easements, which …

Regional Conservation Partnership Program Applications Open

Dan Conservation, Environment, Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP), USDA-NRCS

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) has $500 million in funding available to advance partner-driven solutions to conservation on agricultural land. RCPP leverages a voluntary approach to conservation that expands the reach of conservation efforts and climate-smart agriculture through public-private partnerships. Increased funding for fiscal year 2023 is made possible by the Inflation Reduction Act, and …

Bonnie: Conservation Efforts Will Remain Voluntary

Dan Conservation, Environment

With the Biden Administration’s deep focus on conservation and the environment, some agriculture groups and individual farmers are worried about mandatory conservation efforts. However, Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation Robert Bonnie said conservation efforts by farmers will remain voluntary. “You’re not going to adopt soil health practices at the end of a gun barrel,” Bonnie said while speaking …

USDA Looking to Fill Soil Conservation Positions

Dan Conservation, Environment, USDA-NRCS

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is ramping up hiring of new team members to help implement $19.5 billion from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) for conservation programs. A part of this initiative, USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) recently opened job announcements for soil conservationists. This batch of job openings is part of a broader effort by NRCS to help producers develop conservation …

Legislation Seeks to Increase USDA Technical Service Providers

Dan Agri-Business, Conservation, USDA-NRCS

Legislation introduced in the U.S. House and Senate last week seeks to help address America’s shortage of Technical Service Providers at the Department of Agriculture. Technical Service Providers help producers deploy and manage conservation programs through one-on-one assistance. USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Chief Terry Cosby recently projected his agency would need to hire between 3,000 and 4,000 employees …

Forest Management and Water Yield Tool Development and Synthesis of Outcomes for Embedded Wetlands

Dan Conservation, Environment, Forestry, USDA-NRCS

The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) continues to promote wetlands and the importance they provide, including a suite of ecosystem services. This involves everything from fish and wildlife habitat, microclimate regulation, nutrient and sediment capture and storage, water storage to reduce flooding, and carbon storage with resulting benefits for climate change mitigation. The scope of these services may be significantly affected …