In This Issue:
Farmers in Arkansas can now access county specific farming data and USDA resources all in one place via the new farmers.gov local dashboard. Your farmers.gov local dashboard includes farming data and USDA resources including USDA news, commodity pricing, weather forecasts, historical climate data, past storm events, USDA service center locator and additional state resources for Arkansas and your county The dashboard transforms complex data sets into easy-to-read charts and graphs to help you quickly find information that matters to you. <link to farmers.gov>
Farm Service Agency (FSA) awarded cooperative agreements to organizations that plan to assist our agency with conducting outreach and technical assistance to producers on FSA Heirs resources. As a part of these agreements, FSA seeks to strengthen our efforts to build capacity within the heirs’ property space. This includes working with organizations to help support, enhance and ensure needed resources are available. This includes resources for legal issues, tax work, succession planning and other items that support land retention and access. Currently, FSA has cooperative agreements with:
1. The Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers Policy Research Center - Alcorn State University at Alcorn State University - is leading the development and implementation of an heir’s property and fractionation issues training curriculum targeted to Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers (SDFR), who are disproportionately impacted by heirs’ property and fractionation issues. The goals of this agreement are to: 1) empower and provide support to producers, 2) invest in the support systems provided for producers when seeking to resolve their heirs' property issues, and 3) equip and prepare professionals to collaborate with heirs as those heirs seek counsel and make financial and farm decisions. Through this agreement, training will be provided to service providers such as agricultural educators to better reach individual farmers. The service providers include university and extension faculty, community-based organizations, and USDA representatives. Leveraging this partnership to put resources both online and delivered in person will help us reach underserved producers with different learning needs and styles across the country. For more information on these services or to refer heirs, please contact: SDFR - Alcorn State University
2. The Federation of Southern Cooperatives Land Assistance Fund - will conduct outreach and technical assistance on the Heirs Property Relending Program (“HPRP”) to ensure eligible heirs learn about the program, receive programmatic and general support when applying to the HPRP, and provide assistance to individuals working to resolve title issues to their heir's property to support their access and participation in the HPRP program. FSC/LAF will also conduct critical capacity-building work to educate and support HPRP’s intermediary lenders on heirs’ property issues and engage prospective intermediary lenders to apply to the program. For more information on these services or to refer heirs, please email: info@federation.coop and/or call
(404) 765-0991 and ask about “USDA FSA Heirs Property Relending Program Services”.
To access tools that will assist producers and landowners in determining disaster protection and recovery program or loan options, visit farmers.gov. Take advantage of the Disaster Assistance Discovery Tool, Disaster-at-a-Glance fact sheet and Loan Assistance Tool.
For more information on Farm Service Agency (FSA), contact your local USDA service center or visit www.farmers.gov.
Our goal is to serve all farmers, ranchers, and agricultural partners; equitably; through the delivery of effective and efficient agricultural programs.
Greetings!
USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) assists farmers, ranchers and foresters with conservation practices on their operations. Now that the new year has begun, this could be a good time to review your farm’s conservation plan. A conservation plan identifies your conservation objectives and assesses and analyzes the natural resources issues on your land.
The conservation plan includes tools and resources customized specifically for you, like a land use map, soils information, photos, inventory of resources, economic costs and benefits, schedule of recommended practices, maintenance schedules, and engineering notes — all based on your goals and the resource needs.
This technical assistance from NRCS is free, and it can help you reduce soil loss from erosion, solve issues with soil, air and water quality, reduce potential damage from excess water and drought, enhance the quality of wildlife habitat, address waste management concerns, and improve the long-term sustainability.
How does conservation planning work? NRCS is here to provide one-on-one support to our customers at our 61 USDA Service Centers statewide. NRCS staff can help guide farmers to the best USDA assistance based on their conservation goals. You will meet with your local NRCS district conservationist, or conservation planning technician, for a science-based evaluation of the problems and opportunities on your land. NRCS staff members then analyze the findings and recommend the best strategies to address your issues and achieve valuable conservation opportunities and objectives.
Farmers who work with us at their local USDA Service Center can:
- Verify eligibility for USDA programs
- Discuss their business and conservation goals
- Create a conservation plan
- Learn how to meet conservation compliance provisions
A conservation plan is critical to maintain and improve your operation’s productivity. Plans of any kind are important as they set goals and outline how to reach them. Conservation plans are roadmaps for improving your operation while conserving natural resources. They provide proven strategies that landowners can use to solve identified natural resource concerns and take advantage of conservation opportunities.
If you’re interested in finding out more about conservation planning, I encourage you to contact your local USDA Service Center to discuss your operation’s needs.
See what other landowners are doing –
Learn more about the benefits of conservation practices directly from the farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners applying them with our Conservation at Work series. Explore the different types of conservation practices by watching these 90-second videos.
Important Dates to Remember:
- May 3, 2024: Application deadline for the KKAC Organization - AR-MS Conservation & Social Consortium Easement Project
- May 17, 2024: Application deadline for CSP-Urban, EQIP-Urban, and EQIP-Migratory Bird Resurgence Initiative (MRBI)
- July 2, 2024: Proposal deadline for Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP)
The USDA Arkansas Farm Service Agency (FSA) is committed to educating producers on available programs and loans. FSA representatives will be available at the following workshops and conferences. Producers interested in attending these conferences/workshops should follow the registration or RSVP instructions listed below.
Apr 17th – 2024 Southwest Arkansas Small Farms Conference
2024 Southwest Arkansas Small Farms Conference is being hosted at the University of Arkansas Hope-Texarkana and will be held Wednesday, April 17, from 8:30 am until 3:30 pm at Hempstead Hall, 2500 S. Main Street, Hope, Arkansas. Dylan Bowman, CED, and Candace Russell, FLM, will be presenting on Obtaining a Farm Number, Heirs’ Property, and Farm Loans. On-site registration starts at 8:00 a.m.
Apr 26th – USDA Workshop with the Chickamauga Nation
The Chickamauga Nation is hosting a USDA Workshop at the University of Arkansas at Cossatot in De Queen, Arkansas. The event is scheduled for April 26th from 9:00am – 3:20pm. David Miller, CED, will present on FSA Farm Programs and Patti Childress, FLO, will present on FSA Farm Loan Programs. For additional information, please contact Chief Jimmie W. Kersh, National Executive Chief of the West Region,
at 479-522-7985.
Farm Service Agency (FSA) program payments are issued electronically into your bank account. In order to receive timely payments, you need to notify your FSA servicing office if you close your account or if your bank information is changed for any reason (such as your financial institution merging or being purchased). Payments can be delayed if FSA is not notified of changes to account and bank routing numbers.
For some programs, payments are not made until the following year. For example, payments for crop year 2019 through the Agriculture Risk Coverage and Price Loss Coverage program aren’t paid until 2020. If the bank account was closed due to the death of an individual or dissolution of an entity or partnership before the payment was issued, please notify your local FSA office as soon as possible to claim your payment.
Many Farm Service Agency (FSA) programs require all program participants, either individuals or legal entities, to be “actively engaged in farming.” This means participants provide a significant contribution to the farming operation, whether it is capital, land, equipment, active personal labor and/or management. For entities, each partner, stockholder or member with an ownership interest, must contribute active personal labor and/or management to the operation on a regular basis that is identifiable and documentable as well as separate and distinct from contributions of any other member. Members of joint operations must have a share of the profits or losses from the farming operation commensurate with the member’s contributions to the operation and must make contributions to the farming operation that are at risk for a loss, with the level of risk being commensurate with the member’s claimed share on the farming operation.
Joint operations comprised of non-family members or partners, stockholders or persons with an ownership in the farming operation must meet additional payment eligibility provisions. Joint operations comprised of family members are exempt from these additional requirements. For 2016 and subsequent crop years, non-family joint operations can have one member that may use a significant contribution of active personal management exclusively to meet the requirements to be determined “actively engaged in farming.” The person or member will be defined as the farm manager for the purposes of administering these management provisions.
Non-family joint operations may request to add up to two additional managers for their farming operation based on the size and/or complexity of the operation. If additional farm managers are requested and approved, all members who contribute management are required to complete form CCC-902MR, Management Activity Record. The farm manager should use the form to record management activities including capital, labor and agronomics, which includes crop selection, planting decisions, acquisition of inputs, crop management and marketing decisions. One form should be used for each month and the farm manager should enter the number of hours of time spent for each activity under the date of the month the actions were completed. The farm manager must also document if each management activity was completed on the farm or remotely.
The records and supporting business documentation must be maintained and timely made available for review by the appropriate FSA reviewing authority, if requested.
If the farm manager fails to meet these requirements, their contribution of active personal management to the farming operation for payment eligibility purposes will be disregarded and their payment eligibility status will be re-determined for the applicable program year.
In some instances, additional persons or members of a non-family member joint operation who meet the definition of farm manager may also be allowed to use such a contribution of active personal management to meet the eligibility requirements. However, under no circumstances may the number of farm managers in a non-family joint operation exceed a total of three in any given crop and program year.
The Farm Service Agency’s (FSA) Farm Storage Facility Loan (FSFL) program provides low-interest financing to help you build or upgrade storage facilities and to purchase portable (new or used) structures, equipment and storage and handling trucks.
Eligible commodities include corn, grain sorghum, rice, soybeans, oats, peanuts, wheat, barley, minor oilseeds harvested as whole grain, pulse crops (lentils, chickpeas and dry peas), hay, honey, renewable biomass, fruits, nuts and vegetables for cold storage facilities, floriculture, hops, maple sap, rye, milk, cheese, butter, yogurt, meat and poultry (unprocessed), eggs, and aquaculture (excluding systems that maintain live animals through uptake and discharge of water). Qualified facilities include grain bins, hay barns and cold storage facilities for eligible commodities.
Loans up to $50,000 can be secured by a promissory note/security agreement, loans between $50,000 and $100,000 may require additional security, and loans exceeding $100,000 require additional security.
You do not need to demonstrate the lack of commercial credit availability to apply. The loans are designed to assist a diverse range of farming operations, including small and mid-sized businesses, new farmers, operations supplying local food and farmers markets, non-traditional farm products, and underserved producers.
For more information, contact your local County USDA Service Center or visit fsa.usda.gov/pricesupport.
USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) reminds you to report prevented planted and failed acres in order to establish or retain FSA program eligibility for some programs.
You should report crop acreage you intended to plant, but due to natural disaster, were prevented from planting. Prevented planting acreage must be reported on form CCC-576, Notice of Loss, no later than 15 calendar days after the final planting date as established by FSA and the Risk Management Agency (RMA).
Check with your local FSA Office for crop specific final planting dates.
If you’re unable to report the prevented planting acreage within the 15 calendar days following the final planting date, a late-filed report can be submitted. Late-filed reports will only be accepted if FSA conducts a farm visit to assess the eligible disaster condition that prevented the crop from being planted. A measurement service fee will be charged.
Additionally, if you have failed acres, you should also use form CCC-576, Notice of Loss, to report failed acres.
For hand-harvested crops and certain perishables, you must notify FSA of damage or loss through the administrative county office within 72 hours of the date of damage or loss first becomes apparent. This notification can be provided by filing a CCC-576, email, fax or phone. If you notify the County Office by any method other than by filing the CCC-576, you are still required to file a CCC-576, Notice of Loss, within the required 15 calendar days.
For losses on crops covered by the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP), you must file a Notice of Loss within 15 days of the occurrence of the disaster or when losses become apparent. You must timely file a Notice of Loss for failed acres on all crops including grasses.
To file a Notice of Loss, contact your local County USDA Service Center or visit www.fsa.usda.gov.
Borrower training is available for all Farm Service Agency (FSA) customers. This training is required for all direct loan applicants, unless the applicant has a waiver issued by the agency.
Borrower training includes instruction in production and financial management. The purpose is to help the applicants develop and improve skills that are necessary to successfully operate a farm and build equity in the operation. It aims to help the producer become financially successful. Borrower training is provided, for a fee, by agency approved vendors. Contact your local FSA Farm Loan Manager for a list of approved vendors.
There are options for Farm Service Agency (FSA) loan customers during financial stress. If you are a borrower who is unable to make payments on a loan, contact your local FSA Farm Loan Manager to learn about your options.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Arkansas announced two additional sign-ups through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program’s (EQIP) Small Farm and Urban Agriculture Initiative and the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP).
“These additional opportunities will help agricultural producers throughout Arkansas make best use of their natural resources where agricultural production is often limited by competing land uses and higher costs of utilization,” said Arkansas NRCS State Conservationist Mike Sullivan. “Urban and small farmers provide critical access to healthy food for local communities, as well as jobs, increased green spaces, and community engagement.”
In Arkansas, healthy food access can be limited in urban, suburban and rural areas, and small-scale, sustainable, diversified operations are vital to support local and regional food systems.
How to Apply
NRCS accepts applications for conservation programs year-round, but to be included in this funding opportunity, interested producers should contact their local USDA Service Center and apply by May 17, 2024. Applicants are encouraged to work with NRCS and the USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) to complete eligibility requirements at their earliest convenience during the application process.
EQIP - Urban Agriculture
For urban operations in this particular sign-up, NRCS offers technical and financial assistance with conservation practices, such as conservation cover; conservation crop rotation; cover crops; high tunnel systems; irrigation system, micro irrigation; Irrigation Water Management; low tunnel systems; Mulching; Nutrient management; Pest management conservation system; Prescribed grazing; Raised beds; Residue and tillage management – no-till; Residue and tillage management – reduced till; Roof Runoff Structure; Soil carbon amendment; and Wildlife habitat planting. The full list of practices is available at the NRCS office in your local USDA Service Center.
CSP - Urban Agriculture (ACT-NOW)
CSP offers additional opportunities to expand on existing conservation efforts through enhancements. Interested producers should submit applications including the NRCS-CPA-1200 and maps that identify and delineate the boundaries of all eligible land uses and acres included in the operation to their local NRCS office. The CSP-Urban Agriculture sign-up will be offered via ACT NOW. ACT NOW allows NRCS to expedite application approval and contract obligation in a designated ranking pool when an eligible application meets or exceeds a state-determined minimum ranking score, which is 60 for the CSP-Urban Agriculture ranking pool. Eligible applications will be batched and processed in the order they’re received, with selections made weekly. CSP-Urban Act Now applications will be accepted on a continuous sign-up basis until May 17, 2024, or until funds have been expended. The full list of enhancements is available at your local NRCS office.
More Information
Through conservation programs, NRCS provides technical and financial assistance to help producers and landowners make conservation improvements on their land that benefit natural resources, build resiliency, and contribute to the nation’s broader effort to combat the impacts of climate change. More broadly, these efforts build on others across USDA to encourage use of conservation practices.
USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. In the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to safe, healthy and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit www.usda.gov.
Funding from the Inflation Reduction Act will help farmers save money, create new revenue streams, enhance natural resources, and tackle the climate crisis
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced the availability of an historic $1.5 billion in fiscal year 2024 to invest in partner-driven conservation and climate solutions through the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) as part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is accepting project proposals now through July 2, 2024, that will help farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners adopt and expand conservation strategies to enhance natural resources while tackling the climate crisis. These projects in turn can save farmers money, create new revenue streams, and increase productivity.
The investments in climate-smart agriculture that USDA has made since the beginning of the Biden-Harris Administration, and will continue to make through the Inflation Reduction Act and Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities, are estimated to support over 180,000 farms and over 225 million acres in the next 5 years.
Today’s investment is made available through the Farm Bill and the Inflation Reduction Act, the largest climate investment in history, which has enabled USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to boost funding for RCPP. Additionally, NRCS is announcing progress on its effort to streamline and simplify RCPP and improve processes and implementation.
“We had unprecedented demand for the Regional Conservation Partnership Program last year, showing the robust interest in conservation from farmers and ranchers,” Secretary Vilsack said. “Through the increase in funding from President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, we’re able to invest even more this year in this important program, increasing our impact across the landscape. We’re looking forward to seeing what the more streamlined and customer-oriented Regional Conservation Partnership Program can do to get more conservation on the ground in the coming months and years.”
There are two separate funding opportunities being announced today: RCPP Classic and RCPP Alternative Funding Arrangements (AFA). RCPP Classic projects are implemented using NRCS contracts and easements with producers, landowners and communities in collaboration with project partners. Through RCPP AFA, the lead partner works directly with agricultural producers to support the development of innovative conservation approaches that would not otherwise be available under RCPP Classic. NRCS will set aside $100 million for Tribal-led projects to be used between both funding opportunities.
The 2024 RCPP funding priorities are climate-smart agriculture, urban agriculture, conservation, and environmental justice. This funding advances President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative, which aims to ensure that 40 percent of the overall benefits of certain climate, clean energy, and other federal investments flow to disadvantaged communities marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution. Today’s action also advances President Biden’s America the Beautiful initiative, a 10-year, locally led and nationally scaled conservation initiative that includes the voluntary efforts of farmers, ranchers and private landowners.
NRCS encourages proposals led by historically underserved entities or Indian tribes.
Project proposals for RCPP are being accepted through the RCPP portal. Details on the RCPP Classic and RCPP AFA funding opportunities are available on Grants.gov.
NRCS will be hosting webinars to provide additional information. Learn how to participate at the RCPP website.
More about RCPP
RCPP is a partner-driven approach to conservation that funds solutions to natural resource challenges on agricultural land. By leveraging collective resources and collaborating on common goals, RCPP demonstrates the power of public-private partnerships in delivering results for agriculture and conservation.
In November 2023, NRCS announced more than $1 billion for 81 RCPP projects across the country. View the interactive map of awarded projects here.
Since the beginning of the Biden-Harris Administration, NRCS has invested a total of $1.8 billion in 256 RCPP projects covering 49 states and territories.
More about the RCPP Improvement Effort
Through a concerted effort in 2023 using feedback and expertise from partners, employees, leadership and stakeholders, NRCS identified several improvements to RCPP that the agency has implemented and will continue to implement in the months and years ahead. In fiscal year 2024, NRCS is:
- Streamlining RCPP agreement negotiation to allow simultaneous execution of program partnership and supplemental agreements;
- Updating policy and business tools to streamline the development of RCPP agreement deliverables and reducing the need for nationally approved waivers;
- Conducting annual comprehensive training for state program managers and support staff; and
- Delegating additional authority to State Conservationists to support locally led projects.
NRCS will continue to invest in creating a new business tool to support greater automation of RCPP agreement development, obligating funding to partners, and quicker processing of payments.
NRCS is working on model easement deeds to streamline implementation of RCPP easements that use common deed terms for specific land uses.
This year, NRCS aims to reduce negotiation time from 15 months to 6 months, with the goal to reduce the time even further in future years.
For the full list of RCPP improvements NRCS has identified, please visit our website.
In addition to improving RCPP, NRCS is also working to make improvements to its Agricultural Conservation Easement Program and Conservation Stewardship Program to make them function better for producers, partners and staff.
More about the Inflation Reduction Act
These two RCPP funding opportunities include Farm Bill and Inflation Reduction Act funds.
In total, the Inflation Reduction Act provides $19.5 billion over five years to support USDA’s oversubscribed conservation programs, including $4.95 billion for RCPP over five years. The Inflation Reduction Act, part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, represents the single largest investment in climate and clean energy solutions in American history. Learn more about NRCS’ Inflation Reduction Act investments in fiscal year 2023.
USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. In the Biden-Harris administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to safe, healthy and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit usda.gov.
sufficiency and entrepreneurship through urban agriculture including a new hydroponic greenhouse, a grocery space in a low food-access location and expanded outreach and educational opportunities. Grow It Forward in Manitowoc, Wis. will increase food production and improve access to local healthy food, establish an urban agriculture training program, and expand the capacity of the existing hydroponic farm, community garden, and greenhouse.
More Information
OUAIP was established through the 2018 Farm Bill. It is led by NRCS and works in partnership with numerous USDA agencies that support urban agriculture and innovative production. Other efforts include:
- Administering the People’s Garden Initiative,which celebrates collaborative gardens across the country and worldwide that benefit their communities by growing fresh, healthy food and supporting resilient, local food systems using sustainable practices and providing greenspace.
- Creating and managing a Federal Advisory Committee for Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production to advise the Secretary on the development of policies and outreach relating to urban agriculture.
- Providing cooperative agreementsthat develop and test strategies for planning and implementing municipal compost plans and food waste reduction plans.
- Investing in risk management educationto broaden reach of crop insurance among urban and innovative producers.
- Organizing 27 FSA urban county committees to make important decisions about how FSA farm programs are administered locally. Urban farmers who participate in USDA programs in the areas selected are encouraged to participate by nominating and voting for county committee members.
- Establishing 17 new Urban Service Centers staffed by FSA and NRCS employees where urban producers can access farm loan, conservation, disaster assistance and risk management programs.
- Partnering with the Vermont Law and Graduate School Center for Agriculture and Food Systemsto develop resources that help growers understand and work through local policies.
Learn more at usda.gov/urban. For additional resources available to producers, download the Urban Agriculture at a Glance brochure or visit farmers.gov/urban.
USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. Under the Biden-Harris administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to safe, healthy, and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities throughout America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit usda.gov.
Private landowners, tribes, land trusts and other groups wanting to restore and protect critical wetlands through the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) have until May 3, 2024, to apply for funding consideration during the 2024 enrollment period. The deadline is for the KKAC Organization - AR-MS Conservation & Social Consortium Easement Project which includes Arkansas, Crittenden, Desha, Drew, Jefferson, Lee, Lincoln, Monroe, Phillips, St. Francis, and Woodruff Counties.
“For over 25 years, NRCS has worked with landowners in Arkansas to protect their wetlands and agricultural lands,” said Mike Sullivan, NRCS state conservationist in Arkansas. “Conservation easements are important tools for people who are trying to improve soil health, water and air quality and wildlife habitat on their land.”
The project is similar to opportunities with the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program – Wetland Reserve Easement (ACEP-WRE) which provides assistance to landowners and eligible entities helping conserve, restore and protect wetlands. NRCS accepts applications year-round, but applications are ranked and funded by enrollment period.
KKAC Organization- AR-MS Conservation & Social Consortium Easement Project
The KKAC Organization has been aggressively working with historically underserved groups for over five years. Through this project, they are seeking to increase the number of underserved farmers and ranchers successfully adopting wildlife conservation practices and provide a broader awareness and management of waterfowl wildlife recreational opportunities to a more diverse population and thus increasing the economic benefits to the historically underserved community.
“RCPP is a unique program that leverages non-federal investments brought by conservation partners to accelerate conservation in selected project areas,” said Arkansas NRCS State Conservationist Mike Sullivan. “This approach helps us maximize use of our collective resources to address locally identified concerns.”
Through wetland RCPP easements, NRCS and the KKAC Organization will help landowners and tribes restore, enhance and protect wetland ecosystems. NRCS and the landowner work together to develop a plan for the restoration and maintenance of the easement. This project has a special emphasis on helping socially disadvantaged and historically underserved landowners.
Wetland conservation easements funded through this RCPP Project will be permanent, eligible lands include:
- Farmed or converted wetlands that can successfully be restored;
- Croplands or grasslands subject to flooding; and
- Riparian areas that link protected wetland areas.
RCPP promotes coordination of NRCS conservation activities with partners that offer value-added contributions to expand our collective ability to address on-farm, watershed, and regional natural resource concerns. Through RCPP, NRCS seeks to co-invest with partners to implement projects that demonstrate innovative solutions to conservation challenges and provide measurable improvements and outcomes tied to the resource concerns they seek to address.
Landowners and tribes interested in RCPP and partners interested in agricultural land easements should contact their local USDA service center.To learn about RCPP and other technical and financial assistance available through NRCS conservation programs, visit https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/getting-assistance/get-started-with-nrcs or www.ar.nrcs.usda.gov .
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is updating the Federal crop insurance program to affirm the use of USDA conservation practices as Good Farming Practices for crop insurance. Recently, USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) recently updated the Good Farming Practices Handbook, as part of the agency’s broader efforts to support conservation and climate-smart activities as well as to improve crop insurance for agricultural producers.
The updated handbook recognizes all conservation practices offered by USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) as Good Farming Practices for crop insurance. Essentially, appropriate use of NRCS conservation practices will have no impact on crop insurance coverage, which affirms how the rules have worked on the ground for years.
Additionally, in the handbook, NRCS is recognized as an agricultural expert resource for cover crop management systems.
This updated handbook builds on similar efforts, including RMA’s designation of planting cover crops as a Good Farming Practice in 2019.
Conservation and Crop Insurance
In recent years, RMA has increased its support of conservation by encouraging producers to use conservation and climate-smart practices. In November, RMA announced improvements to its Hybrid Seed Rice coverage to support producers using irrigation practices that conserve water. Also in recent years, RMA has offered premium benefits to producers to plant cover crops through the Pandemic Cover Crop Program and provided coverage for producers who split apply nutrients. Learn more on RMA’s Conservation and Crop Insurance webpage.
More Information
Across USDA, agencies like RMA and NRCS are working to improve programs to better support the needs of producers. For example, NRCS is streamlining its Regional Conservation Partnership Program and Agricultural Conservation Easement Program, part of its efforts to strengthen implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act. The Inflation Reduction Act – part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda – provided $19.5 billion of additional funding for NRCS conservation programs.
 
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