Thursday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released the final rule for its Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP). The program enables agricultural producers and private landowners to protect farmlands, grasslands, and wetlands with conservation easements. The rule updates ACEP as directed by the 2018 Farm Bill and incorporates public comments made on an interim rule. NRCS received more than 570 comments on the ACEP interim rule, which …
Updates to Conservation Easements Strengthens Protection for Farmlands, Grasslands, and Wetlands
(USDA/NRCS) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released the final rule for its Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP), which enables agricultural producers and private landowners to protect farmlands, grasslands, and wetlands with conservation easements. The rule updates ACEP as directed by the 2018 Farm Bill and incorporates public comments made on an interim rule. “Conservation easements are a critical conservation tool helping landowners …
DeSantis, Cabinet Back North Florida Land Deals
(NSF) — Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Cabinet on Tuesday approved proposals to spend about $5.3 million to conserve more than 2,500 acres of land in Santa Rosa and Jefferson counties. The deals include paying $4.3 million to conserve 1,786 acres in Santa Rosa County that is used for hunting and to grow timber. The land, owned by Kingfisher Timber, …
DeSantis, Cabinet to Take Up Land Deals
(NSF) — Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Cabinet next week will consider paying $4.3 million to conserve 1,786 acres in Santa Rosa County and $1 million for about 729 acres in Jefferson County. Both projects are on acquisition lists for the Florida Forever program. The Santa Rosa County land, owned by Kingfisher Timber, LLC, is used for hunting and …
USDA Investing to Protect Communities in Florida
The U.S Department of Agriculture (USDA) will be investing more than $46 million this year through the Joint Chiefs’ Landscape Restoration Partnership for projects that mitigate wildfire risk, improve water quality, and restore healthy forest ecosystems on public and private lands. Through the projects, USDA’s Forest Service and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) are working hand-in-hand with agricultural producers, forest landowners, and …
USDA Offers New Forest Management Incentive for CRP
(USDA/FSA) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is making available $12 million for use in making payments to forest landowners with land enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) in exchange for their implementing healthy forest management practices. Existing CRP participants can now sign up for the Forest Management Incentive (FMI), which provides financial incentives to landowners with land …
Environmental Groups Challenge Permitting Change
(NSF) — A coalition of environmental groups Thursday filed a federal lawsuit challenging a potentially far-reaching move by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to shift permitting authority to Florida for projects that affect wetlands. The coalition, represented by attorneys from the Earthjustice legal group, contends that the EPA and other federal agencies did not comply with a series of laws …
New Rule Improves Partner Flexibility in RCPP
(USDA/NRCS) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released the final rule for its Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP). The rule updates USDA’s partner-driven program as directed by the 2018 Farm Bill and integrates feedback from agricultural producers and others. “The Regional Conservation Partnership Program is a powerful program that enables us to co-invest with partners on win-win solutions that benefit agriculture and natural …
Florida NRCS Announces 2021 Agricultural Conservation Easement Signup
USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Florida has announced that applications to fund agricultural easements in Florida are being accepted until Feb. 12. NRCS will provide financial and technical assistance to conserve working lands and wetlands through two programs: Agricultural Land Easements and Wetland Reserve Easements. Agricultural landowners and Indian tribes can apply for a Wetland Reserve Easement to restore wetlands, protect wildlife habitat and …
Development of the Agricultural Conservation Planning Framework
NRCS Conservation Outcomes Webinar Series (USDA/NRCS) —This monthly webinar series highlights recent outcomes, emerging opportunities, and conservation tools and data developed to assist with conservation planning and impact and efficiency assessment. The series illustrates the scope of Farm Bill conservation efforts on privately owned croplands, forests, and rangelands; documents the conservation achievements and outcomes of those efforts; and shows the …