Natural Resources Conservation Service

LINKS: Farm Bill    Grassland Reserve Program     Conservation Security Program

Update March 24, 2010:                                                  NEW GRAZING OPTION AVAILABLE TO RESTORE NEBRASKA WETLANDS     
Funding is available to eligible landowners for wetland restoration and the purchase of conservation easements through the Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP).  Applications for WRP will be accepted at any time, but Nebraska landowners should apply by April 1, 2010, at local USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) offices.  These applications may be considered for fiscal year 2010 funding. WRP is a voluntary program administered through NRCS that provides technical and financial assistance to private landowners and Tribes to restore, protect, and enhance wetlands in exchange for retiring marginal land from agriculture. 

A new WRP option available to eligible Nebraska landowners this year is the WRP Reserved Rights Pilot option.  Under this option, the grazing rights are retained by the landowner.  Compensation normally paid through WRP for permanent or 30-year easements would be reduced by the value of the grazing rights retained by the landowner.  Participants would develop a grazing plan with NRCS that includes the location, timing, intensity, frequency and duration of grazing.  Vegetation will be restored to native grasses and forbs.  Wetland hydrology will also be restored with available cost-share assistance.  Cost-share assistance may also be available for establishing fence or to modify existing fences to meet wildlife friendly specifications.  This option is available where appropriate ecological conditions and plant communities were historically present.

According to Nebraska NRCS Wetlands Reserve Program Coordinator Randy Epperson, nearly 16,000 acres were enrolled across the state last year.  Over 5,000 acres were restored through the WRP in Nebraska. Wetlands benefit Nebraskans by providing habitat for fish and wildlife, including threatened and endangered species; improving water quality by filtering sediments and chemicals; reducing flooding; recharging groundwater; protecting biological diversity; and providing opportunities for educational, scientific and recreational activities.

Landowners who are interested in WRP and the Reserved Rights Pilot should contact their local Natural Resources Conservation Service office to see if they are eligible.  Additional information is available on line at http://www.ne.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/wrp_wrep.html.  

USDA ORGANIC INITATIVE SIGN UP PERIOD EXTENDED
Sign up for $1.5 million available through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program extended to April 1, 2010.

Steve Chick, State Conservationist for the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Nebraska has announced the cutoff date for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) Organic Initiative has been extended to April 1, 2010.  The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) NRCS, which administers EQIP, has set aside $1.5 million in EQIP funds to help Nebraska organic producers and those who are transitioning to organic production.

 “This is a great opportunity for Nebraska ag producers.  Farmers and ranchers transitioning to organic agriculture, or who are currently certified organic, may apply for financial assistance through EQIP.  If approved, they can receive up to $20,000 per year or $80,000 over six years to implement conservation practices,” Chick said.   Applications for the EQIP Organic Initiative are taken continuously throughout the year, but to be considered for Fiscal Year 2010 funding, producers need to have an application signed and returned to their local NRCS office by April 1, 2010.  Funding selections will be made on or before May 1, 2010, from those applications received.

  “EQIP applicants who are certified organic will need to bring a copy of their organic system plan (OSP) and the name and address of their USDA accredited certifying agent.  Applicants who are transitioning to organic will certify their intentions to transition to organic and must provide the name of the USDA accredited certifying agent they have contacted,” Chick said. A number of conservation practices may be funded through the EQIP Organic Initiative, including cover crops, crop rotations, fencing and watering for rotational grazing, high tunnels for seasonal crops, and field borders.

Some participants are eligible to receive a higher payment rate; those are limited resource farmers, beginning farmers, and socially disadvantaged groups.  For more information, go to http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/SLB_Farmer/.   Visit your local USDA Service Center and talk to the NRCS staff about the EQIP Organic Initiative, conservation planning, and other programs available to help protect natural resources.  For more information about EQIP, go to http://www.ne.nrcs.usda.gov/programs and click on EQIP Organic Initiative.

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The NRCS provides technical assistance to private landowners for Natural Resources Districts through the following programs in Nebraska:

Nebraska Soil & Water Conservation Program, Natural Resources Districts Cost Share Programs, State Buffer Bill, Nebraska Environmental Trust, 319 Projects (Department of Environmental Quality), Irrigation Water Management, Grazing Lands Technical Assistance. 

Nebraska NRCS also administers the federally assisted programs such as: Environmental Quality Incentives Program, Wetland Reserve Program, Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program and the Watershed Protection Program.

The Central Platte NRD receives technical support from the following NRCS offices (Ext. 3):

Visit the NRCS webpage at: www.nrcs.usda.gov