Here comes more money. Received this from a federal surrogate conservation org who are promoting this.
USDA Rolls Out $1.5 Billion for RCPP Projects and Awards
10/23/2024 | 4:56 PM CDT
USDA announced $1.5 billion for 92 funding awards under the Regional Conservation Partnership Program. That includes nine projects that highlight grazing management practices such as grazing cover crops. (DTN photo by Chris Clayton)
USDA on Wednesday announced $1.5 billion would go to 92 conservation projects across the country under the Regional Conservation Partnership Program.
The funding is the most ever announced under the RCPP and included money authorized under the 2018 farm bill and the Inflation Reduction Act. The IRA included $4.95 billion for RCPP as part of $19.5 billion in the bill for the program under the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).
The RCPP generally funds projects that include multiple partners and seek to scale up conservation practices on a broader scale such as a watershed or state.
"The Regional Conservation Partnership Program is an example of public-private partnership at its best," said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. "Thanks to the boost in funding from the Biden-Harris Administration's Inflation Reduction Act we're able to invest even more in this popular and important program and increase our conservation impact across the country, supporting our nation's farmers, ranchers and forest landowners while at the same time protecting our natural resources for the future."
The projects support priorities in conservation and climate and can save farmers money and increase productivity, USDA stated. There are 16 projects addressing water conservation in western states to deal with long-term drought pressures. And 42 projects promote wildlife habitat, conservation and restoration, USDA stated. Nine of the projects help livestock producers with more sustainable grazing practices. Six projects support use of technologies to reduce enteric methane emissions in livestock.
NRCS also set aside $100 million for projects led by Native American tribes as part of an effort to support more Tribal producers through USDA conservation programs.
https://www.dtnpf.com/agriculture/web/ag/news/article/2024/11/11/farm-bill-disaster-aid-face-congress
Some of the funding details include:
The Mississippi River Trust will receive $25 million to help permanently protect approximately 7,500 acres of wooded areas and wetlands in the Lower Mississippi River basin.
AgSpire Inc. in Iowa will receive $20.7 million to work with 75 Iowa beef feedyards to introduce supplements in their diets that will reduce enteric emissions 25% from approximately 225,000 cattle.
Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever through the Montana Grasslands and Wildlife Corridors will receive $25 million for a project to improve wildlife habitat, sequester carbon and promote grassland agricultural practices on as much as 120,000 acres.
Prime Pursuit in Nebraska will receive $21 million to help provide corn produced through regenerative agricultural practices to cattle feeders in the state by implementing cover crops and regenerative grazing on 1.27 million acres.
The InterTribal Buffalo Council will receive $21.3 million to restore and manage native grassland ecosystems utilizing buffalo and conservation practices on 83-member tribal nation's lands across three projects in Utah, Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Florida, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, Montana, North Dakota, and Wyoming. This project will work to restore cultural and spiritual practices, sequester carbon and reduce greenhouse emissions.
Blue Ridge Resource Conservation and Development in North Carolina will receive $15 million to restore stream banks and establish riparian buffers in western North Carolina to improve water quality, enhance wildlife habitat, promote sustainable agriculture, sequester carbon and build strong community partnerships to ensure long-term environmental, social, and economic benefits for the region.
The full list of 92 projects can be found at https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/….