DENVER — Clint Evans, State Conservationist for the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Colorado announced that Colorado producers impacted by drought will now have until Wednesday, July 21, 2021 to apply for conservation assistance. The NRCS in CO received $9M in Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) Conservation Incentive Contracts (CIC) funding to help farmers, ranchers and forest owners address drought related natural resource concerns.
Through EQIP, the Agencyās flagship program, NRCS offers conservation practices that help producers recover from the impacts of drought as well as build resiliency. These practices provide other key benefits, including mitigating impacts from climate change as well as preventing and recovering from wildfire.
The 2018 Farm Bill created the new Conservation Incentive Contracts option to address high-priority conservation and natural resources concerns, including drought. Through 5-year contracts, producers manage, maintain and address important natural resource concerns and build on existing conservation efforts.
In CO, EQIP CIC Priorities include:
- Cropland/Pastureland – Soil Health, Resilience and Water Conservation,
- Grazing land ā Resiliency and Resistance to Drought,
- Forest land- Resiliency and Resistance to Drought,
- Ogallala Ground Water Conservation Project ā Drought and Water Conservation, and
- Tribal land ā Resiliency and Resistance to Drought – all land uses (Crop, pasture, range and forest).
How to Apply
Colorado producer interested in this targeted funding should apply by Wednesday, July 21, 2021 by contacting theirĀ local USDA Service CenterĀ 
Ā Ā Ā Ā .Ā While USDA offices may be closed to visitors because of the pandemic, Service Center staff continue to work with agricultural producers via phone, email, and other digital tools.
–USDA NRCS Colorado
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