The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) recently completed and published updates to its set of National Conservation Practice Standards, which include 58 standards that have been updated or revised since August. According to Acting NRCS Chief, Kevin Norton, those standards cover a wide range of practices including irrigation water management. He notes that USDA’s conservation efforts include a …
What’s Happening on America’s Lands, Soils, and Waters?
(USDA/NRCS) — NRCS You may be curious about what’s happening on the lands across the United States over time. If we didn’t have the data collection of the National Resources Inventory (NRI), we could only guess. NRI collects data on natural resources, soil and water conservation practices, irrigation, and many other farming practices so we can not only know what …
New Conservation Concerns Tool Key for Farmers, Ranchers
The new Conservation Concerns Tool on the farmers.gov website provides farmers and ranchers a central online location to learn about the different types of conservation concerns that might impact their land. These concerns are divided into six different topic areas: Soil: Erosion or quality degradation Animals: Inability to meet livestock or wildlife habitat needs Air: Quality issues like greenhouse gases …
Florida NRCS EQIP Signup Ends Friday, Nov. 20
Florida farmers, ranchers and forest land owners are being reminded Friday, Nov. 20 is the deadline to apply for financial and technical assistance from USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). EQIP applications are accepted on a continuous basis for all programs, but funding selections are typically made once a year. This is for fiscal year 2021 funding. Here is Florida …
Determining How Effective NRCS Conservation Practices are at Protecting Wetlands
(NRCS) — If you were to travel back in time to colonial America, you would see a much different landscape. Wetlands, those areas where water covers or is close to the soil surface all or most of the year, were much more prevalent on the landscape than they are today. Back then, wetlands were viewed as a barrier to agriculture …
Florida NRCS Offers Help for Severe Erosion
USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Florida is providing Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP) funds to help agricultural producers address severe erosion and irrigation retrofit. Applications for financial assistance are being accepted through Dec. 4. Florida State Conservationist Juan Hernandez told Southeast AgNet’s Randall Weiseman, that this is a two-state effort. Agricultural producers are eligible to apply in Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton, …
USDA Announces Updated Conservation Practice Standards
(USDA/NRCS) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has completed and published updates to its set of National Conservation Practice Standards, which include 58 standards that have been updated or revised since August. The 2018 Farm Bill required USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to review all 169 of its national conservation practices to seek opportunities …
Enhancements Made to New EQIP Rule
Last month, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) released the final rule for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). The rule updates USDA’s flagship program as directed by the 2018 Farm Bill and integrates feedback from agricultural producers and others. NRCS received nearly 600 comments on the interim final rule, which was published December 17, 2019. NRCS …
EQIP Application Deadline in Florida is November 20
USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Florida wants farmers, ranchers and forest land owners to know they have until November 20 to apply for financial and technical assistance through the Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP) for fiscal year 2021 funding. Florida State Conservationist, Juan Hernandez, says EQIP has something for everybody. Through EQIP, agricultural landowners may receive financial and technical assistance to improve soil, water, …
USDA-NRCS in Georgia Holding State Technical Committee Meetings
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Georgia will be hosting two meetings of the State Technical Committee via teleconference on November 12 and 19, both from 9:00 a.m.–11:30 a.m. Eastern Standard Time. Coordinates for the teleconferences will be provided to non-Committee members who pre-register by emailing: tyler.wilhite@usda.gov by close of business two days before each meeting date. …