Farm Bill Incentive Programs

Agricultural Management Assistance

Purpose: This program provides cost share assistance to agricultural producers to voluntarily address issues such as water management, water quality, and erosion control by incorporating conservation into their farming operations.

Who Can Participate: Agricultural producers; private land. This program is available only in 15 States in which Federal Crop Insurance Program participation is historically low: Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

How it Works: Producers may construct or improve water management structures or irrigation structures; plant trees for windbreaks or to improve water quality; and mitigate risk through production diversification or resource conservation practices, including soil erosion control, integrated pest management, or transition to organic farming. The NRCS develops a conservation plan and provides technical assistance.

Agency Offering Program: Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Risk Management Agency (RMA), and Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS).

Website: http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/ama/

Contact Information: Find your local NRCS office in the local phone book or at this locator website.

Conservation Innovation Grants

Type of Program: Direct funding, Technical assistance

Purpose: This is a voluntary program to stimulate the development and adoption of innovative conservation approaches and technologies to address some of the Nation's most pressing natural resource concerns. It leverages federal investment in environmental enhancement and protection, in conjunction with agricultural production. Projects need to be at a watershed or larger scale. There are five focus areas for 2004: water resources, soil resources, atmospheric resources, grazing land and forest health, and wildlife habitat. The focus of the program may change annually.

Who Can Participate: Proposed projects must involve EQIP-eligible producers. Applications can come from non-federal government agencies, non-governmental organizations, Tribes, or individuals.

How it Works: This program is authorized and funded within the Environmental Quality Incentives Program. The funds are awarded through a nationwide competitive grant process. There is a required non-federal match of at least 50%, including half of this from in-kind.

Agency Offering Program: Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)

Website: www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/cig/

Contact Information: Find your local NRCS office in the local phone book or at this locator website.

Conservation of Private Grazing Lands

Type of Program: Technical assistance

Purpose: To provide accelerated and coordinated technical, educational, and related assistance, to conserve and enhance grazing land resources that provide economic and ecological benefits to local communities and to the broader public.

Status: Currently, funds have not been appropriated for this program.

Who Can Participate: Owners and managers of private grazing land

How it Works: Technical assistance will address: grazing land management; soil erosion; energy-efficient production; water conservation; wildlife habitat; using plants to sequester greenhouse gases and increase soil organic matter; and biomass energy and raw materials for industrial products. This is not a cost share program.

Agency Offering Program: Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)

Website: www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/cpgl/

Contact Information: Find your local NRCS office in the local phone book or at this locator website.

Conservation Reserve Program

Type of Program: Direct funding, Technical assistance

Purpose: To reduce soil erosion, reduce sedimentation in streams and lakes, improve water quality, establish wildlife habitat, restore floodplains, and enhance forest and wetland resources.

Who Can Participate: Agricultural producers with cropland or marginal pastureland

How it Works: Farmers convert highly erodible cropland or other environmentally sensitive acreage to vegetative cover, to improve the quality of water, control soil erosion, and enhance wildlife habitat. Farmers receive an annual rental payment for the term of the 10-15 year contract. Cost sharing, up to 50%, is provided to establish approved conservation practices.

Agency Offering Program: The program is funded through the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) and administered by the Farm Service Agency, with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) providing technical assistance.

Website: www.fsa.usda.gov/dafp/cepd/crp.htm

Contact Information: To find your local Farm Service Agency office, go to this locator website.

Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program

Type of Program: Direct funding, Technical assistance

Purpose: To provide benefits similar to the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), tailored to meet significant environmental needs of individual states. There are CREP programs in about half the states.

Who Can Participate: Landowners must meet the eligibility criteria for the Conservation Reserve Program, plus additional criteria to meet individual states' programs.

How it Works: State and federal partnerships provide landowners with incentive payments, cost-share assistance, and rental payments for installing specific long-term conservation practices on eligible land. Landowners enter into contracts for 10-15 years and remove certain lands from agricultural production.

Agency Offering Program: Offices of the US Farm Services Agency; Natural Resources Conservation Service, Soil and Water Conservation District

Website: www.fsa.usda.gov/dafp/cepd/crep.htm

Contact Information: To find your local Farm Service Agency office, go to this locator website.

Conservation Security Program

Type of Program: Direct funding, Technical assistance

Purpose: To promote the conservation and improvement of soil, water, air, energy, plant and animal life, and other conservation purposes on working private and tribal lands.

Who Can Participate: For the first year of the program (2004), only 18 priority watersheds have been chosen to participate in the United States. Eligibility and priority for individual landowners/producers is based on a high level of current and planned conservation activities.

How it Works: For the first year of the program (2004), only 18 priority watersheds have been chosen to participate in the United States. r 2005, 202 watersheds will participate.ligibility and priority for individual landowners/producers is based on a high level of current and planned conservation activities.

Agency Offering Program: Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)

Website: www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/csp/

Contact Information: Find your local NRCS office in the local phone book or at this locator website.

Conservation Technical Assistance

Type of Program: Technical assistance

Purpose: To provide technical assistance for planning and implementing conservation systems that address diverse natural resource issues (including USDA cost share programs and conservation incentive programs). Other technical assistance relates to complying with state and local requirements, complying with federal regulations related to soil erosion and wetlands, and develop and implement conservation plans needed to ensure compliance with the law.

Who Can Participate: Land users, communities, units of state and local government, other federal agencies.

How it Works: Interested parties should contact their local NRCS office.

Agency Offering Program: Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)

Website: www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/cta/

Contact Information: Find your local NRCS office in the local phone book or at this locator website.

Emergency Watershed Protection

Type of Program: Direct funding, Technical assistance

Purpose: To assist sponsors and individuals in implementing emergency measures to relieve imminent hazards to life and property created by a natural disaster (flood, drought, fire, or any other natural occurrence causing a sudden impairment of the watershed). The program is designed for installation of recovery measures.

Who Can Participate: All projects must be sponsored by a state, city, county, or special district. The program helps groups of people with a common problem.

How it Works: Eligible activities include removing debris from streams, protecting destabilized streambanks, preventing erosion, repairing conservation practices, retarding runoff, and purchasing flood plain easements. The program covers up to 75% of construction costs. The remaining 25% must come from local sources and as cash or in-kind services. Funds cannot be used to work on measures installed by another federal agency.

Agency Offering Program: Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)

Website: www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/ewp/

Contact Information: Find your local NRCS office in the local phone book or at this locator website.

Environmental Quality Incentives Program

Type of Program: Direct funding, Technical assistance

Purpose: To promote agricultural production and environmental quality as compatible national goals.

Who Can Participate: Landowners with livestock or agricultural production on eligible land. Each state will develop local priorities for EQIP funding, based on national priorities.

How it Works: EQIP offers financial and technical help to assist eligible participants install or implement structural and management practices on eligible agricultural land. One to 10 year contracts provide incentive payments and cost-shares to implement conservation practices. The NRCS can assist in the development of a plan and must approve the plan. The cost-share for certain conservation practices is up to 75%. Incentive payments may be provided for up to three years to encourage producers to try practices they may not otherwise try.

Agency Offering Program: Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)

Website: www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/eqip/

Contact Information: Find your local NRCS office in the local phone book or at this locator website.

Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program

Type of Program: Direct funding

Purpose: This program provides matching funds to help purchase development rights to keep productive farm and ranchland in agricultural uses.

Who Can Participate: To qualify, farmland must: be part of a pending offer from a farmland protection program; be privately owned; have a conservation plan for highly erodible land; be able to sustain agricultural production (large enough, access to markets, adequate infrastructure and support, surrounding land that supports long-term agricultural production).

How it Works: Working through existing programs, USDA partners with state, tribal, or local governments and other organizations to acquire conservation easements or other interests in land from landowners. Landowners agree not to convert the property to non-agricultural uses. USDA provides up to 50% of the fair market easement value.

Agency Offering Program: Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)

Website: www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/frpp/

Contact Information: Find your local NRCS office in the local phone book or at this locator website.

Grassland Reserve Program

Type of Program: Direct funding and Technical assistance

Purpose: This voluntary program helps landowners protect, restore, and enhance grassland, rangeland, pastureland, and shrubland on their property. The program focuses on maintaining grazing on the land, conserving lands vulnerable to conversion to cropland or other uses, and protects plant and animal biodiversity.

Who Can Participate: Landowners can have easements or rental agreements. Operators with long-term control of the property can use rental agreements. The minimum enrollment is usually 40 contiguous acres.

How it Works: Landowners follow a conservation plan, developed by the NRCS or a third party, to limit their use of their lands through conservation easements (30 years or permanent) or rental agreements (10-30 years). Grazing, mowing, and fire (rehabilitation, breaks, fences) are allowed. Practices that involve breaking the soil surface are not allowed, unless approved as part of the conservation plan. If restoration is needed, the program covers 75-90% of the cost. The program covers all administrative costs for establishing easements. The Commodity Credit Corporation generally holds the easements, but another entity (state, land trust) can request to fill this role.

Agency Offering Program: Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Farm Service Agency (FSA), in cooperation with Forest Service (USFS).

Website: www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/GRP/

Contact Information: Find your local NRCS office in the local phone book or at this locator website.

Rural Abandoned (Coal) Mine Program

Type of Program: Direct funding, Technical assistance

Purpose: To reclaim the soil and water resources of rural lands adversely affected by past coal mining practices, to protect people and the environment.

Who Can Participate: Individuals or groups of landowners. This program is available in Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

How it Works: This program provides technical and financial assistance to land users who voluntarily enter into 5- to 10-year contracts for reclamation of up to 320 acres of eligible abandoned coal-mined lands and waters. The land user involved prepares a reclamation plan with assistance from the NRCS. Funding is provided from the Abandoned Mine Reclamation Fund, which all active coal mining operators pay into, at a rate of 35 cents per ton of coal produced from surface mining and 15 cents per ton of coal produced by underground mining.

Agency Offering Program: Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)

Website: www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/ramp/

Contact Information: For contact information in each state, go to this locator website.

Soil and Water Conservation Assistance

 Type of Program: Direct funding, Technical assistance

Purpose: To encourage farmers and ranchers to voluntarily address threats to soil, water, and related natural resources, including grazing land, wetlands, and wildlife habitat. The program will also help landowners comply with federal and state environmental laws and make beneficial, cost-effective changes to cropping systems, grazing management, nutrient management, and irrigation.

Who Can Participate: SWCA is available nationwide, but only in areas that are not designated as priority areas for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP), and Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). Applicants must own or control the land.

How it Works: NRCS will work with the landowner to develop a (required) conservation plan. NRCS will determine eligible practices using a locally led process. There is a five to ten year contract period. The maximum total payment per participant shall not exceed $50,000. The federal cost share is 75% of the cost of an eligible practice.

Agency Offering Program: Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)

Website: www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/swca/

Contact Information: Find your local NRCS office in the local phone book or at this locator website.

Wetlands Reserve Program

Type of Program: Direct funding, Technical assistance

Purpose: To offer landowners an opportunity to establish long-term conservation and wildlife practices and protection, to protect, restore, and enhance wetlands.

Who Can Participate: Owners of land with a history of agricultural use with wetlands that are restorable as beneficial for wildlife. Wetlands converted since 1985 are not eligible.

How it Works: Landowners voluntarily retire marginal land from agriculture, limiting the land's use permanently while retaining it in private ownership. There are three options: (1) permanent conservation easement (NRCS pays for the easement plus 100% of restoration costs), (2) 30 year conservation easement (NRCS pays 75% of the value of the easement plus 75% of restoration costs), or (3) cost-share restoration agreement (NRCS pays 75% of restoration costs). The land can be used for hunting, fishing, and other uses that are compatible with providing wetland functions.

Agency Offering Program: Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)

Website: www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/wrp/

Contact Information: Find your local NRCS office in the local phone book or at this locator website.

Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program

Type of Program: Direct funding, Technical assistance

Purpose: To assist landowners who want to establish and improve aquatic or upland wildlife habitat. Projects with declining wildlife species are prioritized.

Who Can Participate: WHIP provides assistance to conservation minded landowners who are unable to meet the specific eligibility requirements of other USDA conservation programs.

How it Works: NRCS works with the participant to develop a wildlife habitat plan. WHIP agreements between generally last from 5 to 10 years. The program provides up to 75% cost sharing. Participants voluntarily limit future use of the land for a period of time, but retain private ownership.

Agency Offering Program: Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)

Website: www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/whip/

Contact Information: Find your local NRCS office in the local phone book or at this locator website.

Notes: The Salmon Habitat Restoration Initiative is authorized under WHIP in 5 states (Alaska, California, Maine, Oregon, Washington). Landowners have flexible options for 1 to 15+ year agreements. Projects include riparian restoration, fish passage barriers, restoring gravel spawning beds, and reducing agricultural runoff.