CRAWFORDSVILLE, Ind. — Farm bill program deadlines have been set for Indiana’s agricultural producers who want to improve natural resources and address concerns on their land. The USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) announced that Dec. 18 will be the application deadline for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and Jan. 8 will be the application deadline for the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) in Indiana.
EQIP and CSP are voluntary conservation programs available for agricultural producers. Through EQIP, NRCS provides financial and technical assistance to install conservation practices that reduce soil erosion and sedimentation, improve soil health, improve water and air quality and create wildlife habitat.
Through CSP, NRCS provides assistance to producers who are already practicing good stewardship to take their natural resource management to the next level. The program helps to improve both their agricultural production and provide valuable conservation benefits such as cleaner and more abundant water, as well as healthier soils and better wildlife habitat.
“As the original stewards of our local land and resources, agricultural producers are doing great work. We encourage them to complete the applications by the announced deadlines to see if they can receive assistance to implement structural and management conservation practices that optimize environmental benefits on their working agricultural land while helping to increase their yields,” said Ceres Solutions Agronomist Betsy Bower.
For more information, farmers can consult their Ceres team or their local NRCS office.
— Ceres Solutions
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