(NRCS/FL) — Florida forest landowners in parts of Okaloosa and Santa Rosa counties can apply for financial assistance to manage invasive Cogongrass until March 26 from USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). The U.S. Department of Agriculture is investing $60,000 this fiscal year to remove the highly invasive Cogongrass in Florida. One of the world’s top-ten worst weeds, Cogongrass is threatening longleaf …
Florida Couple Pleased with NRCS CSP Contract
USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Florida wants to remind landowners they are accepting Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) applications for the fiscal year 2021 through March 26. A couple with a livestock operation in Frostproof, Florida has been pleased with their CSP contract. Arshad and Uma Malik raise sheep and goats on their Polk County farm, and have a CSP contract with prescribed grazing …
USDA in Georgia Announces April 2 Application Cutoff for CSP
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Georgia has announced the statewide cutoff for the fiscal year 2021 Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) funding is April 2, 2021. Georgia State Conservationist, Terrance O. Rudolph, urges all Georgia agricultural producers and landowners who wish to be considered for this year’s funding to apply. “CSP is the nation’s largest conservation …
Florida NRCS Announces CRP Signup
USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Florida has announced they are now accepting Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) applications for the fiscal year 2021. Through CSP, NRCS helps agricultural producers and forest landowners earn payments for expanding conservation activities while maintaining agricultural production on their land. CSP also encourages the adoption of new technologies and management techniques. Changes in the 2018 Farm Bill authorized NRCS to …
AFBF President Testifies Before House Agriculture Committee
American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) President Zippy Duvall provided testimony before the U.S. House Committee on Agriculture Climate Change and the U.S. Agriculture and Forestry Sectors. Here is his written testimony: Mr. Chairman and members of the Committee, my name is Zippy Duvall. I am a third-generation farmer and president of the American Farm Bureau Federation, and I am pleased to offer this …
Food and Agriculture Climate Alliance Expands Membership
Drills Down on Policy Recommendations (FACA) — The Food and Agriculture Climate Alliance (FACA) announced expanding membership and new policy working groups focused on developing a set of more specific policy proposals that drill down on the 40+ recommendations released by FACA in November 2020. FACA’s eight founding members — American Farm Bureau Federation (co-chair), Environmental Defense Fund (co-chair), FMI …
New Form Required for Some NRCS Customers
If you are a producer or landowner who participates in USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) conservation programs, you may receive information in the mail from the Farm Service Agency (FSA) about a form you’ll need to fill out. Starting this year, all producers and landowners participating or applying to participate in certain NRCS conservation programs must complete form CCC-902, Farm Operating Plan. …
ACEP and Public-Private Partnership
Earlier this month, 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. Jimmy Bramblett, with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), discusses the relationship between landowners and the federal government under ACEP. ACEP’s agricultural land easements (ALE) component assists state and local …
Wildflowers to Consider Planting in Your Garden for Pollinators
What you need to know about planting wildflowers in your garden. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. The standard definition for “wildflower” is a type of flowering plant that grows without human intervention. Wildflowers such as daisies, poppies, marigolds, and cornflowers (aka bachelor’s buttons) are considered “common.” These flowers have been around for about 49 million years. As …
ESAP Applications are Due March 12
It was just a little over a year ago, at the 2020 Cattle Industry Convention, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) announced that Blackbeard’s Ranch in Myakka, Florida was the winner of the 2019 Environmental Stewardship Award Program (ESAP). They were the Southeast, NCBA Region 2, representative in the award recognition program that year. For those interested in being a part of this …