Morning Ag Clips logo
  • Subscribe ❯
  • PORTAL ❯
  • LOGIN ❯
  • By Keyword
  • By topic
  • By state
  • Home
  • Events
  • Jobs
  • Store
  • Advertise
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Subscribe to our
    daily email
    ❯
  • Portal Registration❯
  • Login❯
  • policy
  • tractors & machinery
  • education
  • conservation
  • webinars
  • business
  • dairy
  • cattle
  • poultry
  • swine
  • corn
  • soybeans
  • organic
  • specialty crops
  • Alabama
  • Alaska
  • Arizona
  • Arkansas
  • California
  • Colorado
  • Connecticut
  • Delaware
  • Florida
  • Georgia
  • Hawaii
  • Idaho
  • Illinois
  • Indiana
  • Iowa
  • Kansas
  • Kentucky
  • Louisiana
  • Maine
  • Maryland
  • Massachusetts
  • Michigan
  • Minnesota
  • Mississippi
  • Missouri
  • Montana
  • Nebraska
  • Nevada
  • New Hampshire
  • New Jersey
  • New Mexico
  • New York
  • North Carolina
  • North Dakota
  • Ohio
  • Oklahoma
  • Oregon
  • Pennsylvania
  • Rhode Island
  • South Carolina
  • South Dakota
  • Tennessee
  • Texas
  • Utah
  • Vermont
  • Virginia
  • Washington
  • West Virginia
  • Wisconsin
  • Wyoming

Morning Ag Clips

  • By Keyword
  • By topic
  • By state
  • policy
  • tractors & machinery
  • education
  • conservation
  • webinars
  • business
  • dairy
  • cattle
  • poultry
  • swine
  • corn
  • soybeans
  • organic
  • specialty crops
  • Home
  • Events
  • Jobs
  • Store
  • Advertise
Home » USDA to invest up to $300M in conservation
CONSERVATION IN TEXAS ... Comments

USDA to invest up to $300M in conservation

Partners may request between $250,000 and $10 million in RCPP funding

PUBLISHED ON September 19, 2019

Potential partners are encouraged to submit proposals that will improve the nation's water quality, combat drought, enhance soil health, support wildlife habitat and protect agricultural viability. (Natural Resources Conservation Service Soil Health Campaign, Flickr/Creative Commons)

TEMPLE, Texas — USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) announced the launch of the updated Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP). Potential partners are encouraged to submit proposals that will improve the nation’s water quality, combat drought, enhance soil health, support wildlife habitat and protect agricultural viability.

RCPP eligible partners include private industry, non-government organizations, Indian tribes, state and local governments, water districts and universities. Partners may request between $250,000 and $10 million in RCPP funding through this funding announcement. Leveraging of this NRCS funding is a key principle of RCPP; partners are expected to make value-added contributions to amplify the impact of RCPP funding.

“The new RCPP offers opportunities for partners and NRCS to develop and implement unique conservation solutions that engage farmers, ranchers and forest landowners,” NRCS Chief Matthew Lohr said. “A single RCPP project can include just about any Farm Bill conservation activity that NRCS is authorized to carry out. We’re really looking forward to what our partners across the Nation propose to do with these new flexibilities.”

The first iteration of RCPP, which was created originally by the 2014 Farm Bill, combined nearly $1 billion in NRCS investments with close to $2 billion in non-NRCS dollars to implement conservation practices across the Nation. There are currently 375 active RCPP projects that have engaged close to 2,000 partners. The 2018 Farm Bill made substantive changes to the program to make it more straightforward for partners and producers.

Previously, in the 2014 Farm Bill, RCPP derived much of its funding from other NRCS conservation programs, such as the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). RCPP is now a stand-alone program with its own dedicated funding, simplifying rules for partners and producers. Additionally, the 2018 Farm Bill reduces the number of funding pools to make the submission and approval process easier.

The announcement soliciting applications marks the first step in the implementation of the new RCPP. Later this fall, NRCS will publish a rule in the Federal Register that will establish the policies for the program and further outline the funding process. In addition, the RCPP Alternative Funding Arrangement provision will be implemented through a separate funding announcement following publication of the RCPP rule. Up to $300 million is available for RCPP projects for fiscal 2019.

Successful RCPP projects provide innovative conservation solutions, leverage partner contributions, offer impactful and measurable outcomes, and are implemented by capable partners. For example, in 2018, an RCPP project led by Audubon California and Western United Dairymen saved all of California’s known tricolored blackbird colonies by using RCPP funding to compensate landowners for postponing harvests in fields taken over by blackbird colonies. In Wisconsin, the Milwaukee River Watershed Conservation Partnership is using RCPP to build the capacity of watershed stakeholders within the Milwaukee River watershed. This will help to conserve farmland, improve water and soil quality and deliver good food, all while giving local farmers a helping hand.

USDA is now accepting proposals for RCPP. Proposals are due December 3, 2019. For more information on applying, visit the RCPP webpage or view the Application for Program funding on grants.gov offsite link image    .

–USDA NRCS Texas

For more articles out of Texas, click here.

Click Here to find out more about your favorite topics

conservation funding and grants USDA soil science water issues

Spread the word

Browse More Clips

cotton bale (Peter Burka, Flickr/Creative Commons)

PCCA announces year-end distributions of $21.59M

horses equine (Eliza Adam, Flickr/Creative Commons)

Vet requirements tightened for horses

Primary Sidebar

MORE

TEXAS CLIPS

Next Gen Ag & Conservation Professional Mentorship
June 28, 2022
Workshops connect Texas landowners to conservation tools and resources
June 28, 2022
Nominations open for 2023 Potatoes USA Board Members
June 28, 2022
Texas 4-H program helps at-risk horses find homes
June 28, 2022
Area meat processors sharpen their skills at FAPC
June 28, 2022
  • Trending
  • Latest

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE...

Minnesota Chickens and Eggs report
June 29, 2022
4R Plus
Farmer perspectives on 4R Plus nutrient loss reduction
June 29, 2022
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack
New pilot program will spur development of biobased products
June 28, 2022
Almond Alliance supports growers whipsawed by supply chains, water
June 28, 2022
Northwest Region Crop Progress and Condition for the week ending June 26, 2022
June 28, 2022

Footer

MORNING AG CLIPS

  • Sponsors
  • About Us
  • Advertise with Us
  • Privacy Statement
  • Terms of Service
  • Customer & Technical Support

CONNECT WITH US

  • Like Us on Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

TRACK YOUR TRADE

  • Markets & Economy
  • Cattle Updates
  • Dairy News
  • Policy & Politics
  • Corn Alerts

QUICK LINKS

  • Account
  • Portal Membership
  • Invite Your Friends
  • Subscribe to RSS
  • WeatherTrends
  • Just Me, Kate

© 2022 Morning Ag Clips, LLC. All Rights Reserved.