The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Georgia (NRCS-GA) has announced a sign-up for the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP) for fiscal year 2024. The ACEP is a program that has two components, known as Agricultural Land Easements (ALE) and Wetlands Reserve Easements (WRE). Georgia State Conservationist Terrance O. Rudolph said, “ACEP is a great way for landowners and eligible entities to conserve, …
Conservation Funding Opportunities Available through CSP
The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) reminds producers and private landowners there are several assistance opportunities through some of their key programs. That includes the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), which helps you build on existing conservation efforts while strengthening your operation. Whether you are looking to improve grazing conditions, increase crop resiliency, or develop wildlife habitat, NRCS can custom design a CSP plan to …
EPA Amends WOTUS Rule; NCBA Responds
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says in order to conform to the Supreme Court’s ruling in the Sackett v. EPA case, it and the U.S. Department of the Army are amending the 2023 definition of “Waters of the United States”(WOTUS) rule (.pdf). EPA Administrator Michael Regan says while he’s “disappointed by the Supreme Court’s decision in the Sackett case, EPA and Army have an obligation to …
USDA Accepts EQIP Applications on a Continuous Basis
USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) wants to remind landowners about the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). By providing financial and technical assistance to agricultural producers, EQIP addresses natural resource concerns and delivers environmental benefits. Those benefits include improved water and air quality, conserved ground and surface water, reduced soil erosion and sedimentation or improved or created wildlife habitat. NRCS Chief Terry Cosby, notes EQIP and …
Senator Boozman Says No Mandatory Conservation Programs
Ranking Member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, Senator John Boozman (R-AR) doesn’t mince words when it comes to conservation programs in the farm bill. “We talk about what needs to be included or excluded in the farm bill and that is a red line for me. We’re simply not going to get ourselves in a situation where we have a …
Report Reflects Continued Stress on U.S. Honeybee Colonies
Honeybee losses continue in the U.S. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. A new USDA report on U.S. honeybee colonies shows continued high losses of those colonies. USDA’s Gary Crawford reports. It seems the nation’s honeybee colonies continue to be under siege. The latest USDA report shows the number of colonies is down from a year ago and the …
Record Enrollment for Grasslands CRP
The USDA’s Grasslands Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) saw a large amount of enrollment this year. In fact, John Berge, Acting Deputy Administrator for Farm Programs at the Farm Service Agency says more acres were enrolled in the Grasslands Conservation Reserve Program this year than ever before. “There were 4.6 million acres that walked into our doors and offered to our …
Manure Recycling on the Farm
It’s another type of recycling on the farm. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Farmers who utilize manure as a fertilizer mostly get the aromatic livestock byproduct from their own operations. New data from USDA’s Economic Research Service shows most manure applied to U.S. cropland, 78 percent, comes from animals raised on the same operation. Meanwhile, 14 percent …
USDA Unveils Efforts to Streamline Agricultural Conservation Easement Program
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is streamlining its Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP) to ultimately better help agricultural producers and private landowners conserve wetlands, productive farmlands and at-risk grasslands. USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is rolling out several improvements to the program, which has more than 5 million acres of land enrolled, in response to feedback from producers, landowners and conservation partners. …
SWAT Act Would Fund Research on Drosophila
U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI) is taking another swing at the SWAT act. He, along with Senators Susan Collins (R-ME), Mike Braun (R-IN), and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) reintroduced the bipartisan Spotted Wing Abatement Trust (SWAT) Act that would reduce the spread of spotted wing drosophila (SWD). It would also advance research on the invasive insect that is hurting fruit growers …