Nevada NRCS News

Farm Bill Deadline Announced for EQIP, AMA and WHIP

Apply by July 17

Reno, June 17 — Agricultural producers interested in obtaining Farm Bill funding for conservation practices should apply by July 17. 

Applications for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, Agricultural Management Assistance, and Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program must be submitted by July 17 for producers to be considered for funding during this fiscal year. 

EQIP provides payments to install conservation practices such as fuel breaks, seeding and irrigation systems on agricultural land.

AMA provides payments to address issues such as water management, water quality and erosion control.  Producers may construct or improve water management or irrigation structures; plant trees for windbreaks, improve water quality; and mitigate risk by diversifying production or installing conservation measure to control erosion, manage pests or transition to organic farming.

WHIP helps cover the costs to develop and improve wildlife habitat on agricultural land, nonindustrial private forest land, and Indian land. 

Payments are usually up to 75 percent of the incurred cost of installing the practices and foregone income.  Limited resource, beginning, and socially disadvantaged producers may be eligible for payments up to 90 percent of the estimated incurred costs to install practices under these programs.

 The new Farm Bill established a new payment limitation of $300,000 for individuals or legal entity participants for all program contracts entered during any six year period. Projects that have special environmental significance may, with approval of the NRCS Chief, have the payment limitation raised to a maximum of $450,000.

For complete details and technical assistance with planning and installing conservation measures, contact your local NRCS office. 

Funds Available to Protect Grazing Lands in Nevada

Apply by June 15

Reno, May 18 — Funds are now available for landowners to participate in the Grassland Reserve Program in Nevada. GRP is a voluntary program that helps landowners and operators protect eligible grazing lands, including rangeland, irrigated pasture, and certain other lands, using rental contracts or conservation easements.

“We’re offering this program to protect rangeland health and wildlife, while enabling agricultural producers to continue using the land for grazing,” said Bruce Petersen, state conservationist for the Natural Resources Conservation Service in Nevada.

The program supports working grazing operations, enhancement of plant and animal biodiversity, and protection of grasslands under threat of conversion to cropping, urban development and other activities.

Only the rental contract portion of GRP is being offered in Nevada this year. The program signup period will close on June 15, 2009. Applications must be submitted to Farm Service Agency county offices or NRCS field offices to be considered for funding this fiscal year. Local conservationists with the Natural Resources Conservation Service will provide assistance to help landowners develop grazing management and restoration plans.

According to Gus Wegren, acting state executive director for the FSA in Nevada, applicants must own or have control of the eligible land for the intended contract period. “Rental contracts are available for 10, 15 or 20-year terms,” he said.

The FSA established rental rate for all of Nevada is 75 percent of the grazing value or $5.00 per acre.

Eligible land includes privately-owned grasslands; land that contains forbs, including improved rangeland and irrigated pasture for which grazing is the predominant use; or land that is located in an area that historically has been dominated by grassland, forbs or shrubs that has the potential to serve as wildlife habitat of significant ecological value. There is no minimum acreage for enrollment. Land is not eligible if it is currently enrolled in another conservation program or is already protected by an existing easement, contract or deed restriction, or is owned by a conservation organization. 

A grazing management plan is required for all GRP rental contracts. This plan will address grazing related resources, will require planned and applied practices that must meet NRCS standards and specifications and include any restrictions to haying, mowing, or harvesting for seed production during the nesting season for grassland birds in the local area that are in significant decline. A restoration agreement may also be necessary. The restoration agreement identifies conservation practices and measures necessary to improve the rangeland and irrigated pasture functions and values. Financial assistance may be available for conservation practices or activities. Practices and activities required to meet NRCS standards and specifications will be paid at 50 percent of the cost of installing the practice.

The Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) provision of the 2008 Farm Bill impacts eligibility for GRP. Individuals or entities that have an AGI exceeding $1 million for the three tax years immediately preceding are not eligible to receive program benefits or payments. However, an exemption is provided in cases where two-thirds of the AGI is derived from farming, ranching or forestry operations.

Production of crops, fruit trees, vineyards or other agricultural commodities and other activities inconsistent with maintaining grazing uses and related conservation values are prohibited. Rental contracts allow common grazing practices, including those related to forage and seed production. Fire pre-suppression activities such as building fire breaks and prescribed burning are allowed as well as grazing related activities such as fencing and livestock watering facilities. Both rental contracts and restoration agreements have a $50,000 annual payment limitation per person per year.

More information about GRP is available from your local USDA Service or on the Nevada GRP Web page and the Farm Service Agency Web site. USDA offices can be found online or in the phone book under US Government.

Financial Assistance Available for Organic Producers

Deadline Extended to June 12

Reno, May 5 — A special funding opportunity for Nevada’s certified organic farmers and those who are transitioning to organic farming is being offered by the Natural Resources Conservation Service in Nevada. According to Bruce Petersen, NRCS state conservationist, interested producers must apply by May 29.

The Organic Initiative is part of the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), a voluntary conservation program that provides financial and technical assistance to landowners willing to implement practices to improve natural resources on privately owned agricultural land. Applications for EQIP are taken continuously throughout the year; however to be considered for Fiscal Year 2009 funding, producers need to have an application signed and returned to their local NRCS office by May 29 to be eligible for this round of funding under the EQIP Organic Initiative.

While EQIP has always been available for organic producers to treat resource concerns on their land, specific funds are being set aside under the new Farm Bill to assist organic producers. Individual applicants can receive a maximum of $80,000 over the life of the 2008 Farm Bill, and no more than $20,000 in any one year. Applications for the EQIP Organic Initiative are competitive and are ranked based on national and state resource priorities as well as their overall benefit to the environment.

Organic farming is one of the fastest growing segments in U.S. agriculture. The 2008 Farm Bill helps producers of all commodities become environmentally sustainable. Producers may receive financial assistance to install practices such as micro-irrigation systems, pest management, conservation cover crops, prescribed grazing and other practices. NRCS provides free technical assistance to help producers design and transition to organic farming, and provides financial assistance to install the practices. Producers are required to develop and carry out an organic system plan or carry out practices consistent with an organic system plan.

Producers must be pursuing an organic certification or be in compliance with their organic certification. In order to be considered an agricultural producer under the 2008 Farm Bill, an annual minimum of $1,000 of agricultural products must be produced and/or sold from the operation. Other eligibility requirements and determinations apply.

Some participants, such limited resource farmers, beginning farmers, and socially disadvantaged groups, are eligible to receive a higher rate of financial assistance. For more information, go to http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/SLB_Farmer/.

For more information, contact your local NRCS Office.

Nevada Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program Open Until June 1

RENO, April 7— Applications for the Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program are being accepted until June 1 by the Natural Resources Conservation Service in Nevada.  FRPP provides matching funds to help purchase development rights to keep productive farm and ranch land in agriculture.

Applications from qualifying entities that have pending offers will be accepted through June 1. NRCS provides matching funds to State or local governments, non-governmental organizations and Federally-recognized Tribes to purchase easements. 

To qualify, the farm or ranch land:

·         Must be privately-owned,

·         In Nevada, the property submitted for FRPP must contain at least 50 percent of prime farmland, or be lands of statewide importance and are irrigated, unless otherwise determined by the Nevada NRCS State Conservationist,

·         Contain historical or archeological sites that are:

o        Consensus determined by the State Historical Preservation Office or the Tribal Preservation Office, or

o        Formally nominated to the National Register, and

o        Be part of a pending offer from a state, tribal, or local government, or a non-governmental organization’s agricultural land protection program,

·         Must have a conservation plan on acreage determined to be highly erodible, and

·         Must contain sufficient acres to sustain agricultural production.

Changes made to FRPP under the 2008 Farm Bill include:

• Purpose expanded to protect agricultural lands by limiting non-agricultural uses,

• Facilitates the purchase of conservation easements by qualified entities,

• Establishes a certification process for entities, 

• Eligible entities must have a plan for administering easements that meets the purposes of the FRPP,

• Entity share of the cost cannot be less than 25% of the acquisition purchase price,

• Allows inclusion of forestlands (must not exceed two-thirds of the easement acreage)  as an eligible land use;  forestlands must contribute to the economic vitality of an agricultural operation or serve as a buffer to protect the agricultural operation, and,

• Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) for the landowner is capped at $1 million based on the three tax years immediately preceding the year the cooperative agreement is signed; an exemption is provided where two-thirds of the AGI is derived from farming, ranching or forestry operations. 

To qualify, the landowner must be in compliance with the highly erodible land and wetland conservation provisions of the Farm Bill and must meet the terms of the AGI.

For application information, go to Nevada NRCS Website at http://www.nv.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/frpp.html or contact the Nevada NRCS State Office, (775) 857-8500, ext. 103. 

Applications must be sent on or before June 1 to the Nevada State Conservationist, Attn. Peggy Hughes, 1365 Corporate Blvd., Reno, NV 89502.

Applications will be ranked as they are received and will be accepted on a continuous basis.

USDA to use economic recovery funding to restore, protect flood-prone land

RENO, March 13— Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture will provide up to $145 million to eligible landowners nationwide through the floodplain easement component of its Emergency Watershed Protection program. The funds will be used to restore an estimated 60,000 acres of frequently flooded land to its natural state and create jobs.

 Vilsack said that eligible landowners can sign up for these easements through March 27 at local USDA service centers.

 “We will be working with landowners who voluntarily agree to restore the floodplains to their natural condition by placing their land into easements,” said Bruce Petersen, state conservationist for the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service in Nevada. “These easements will convert environmentally sensitive lands into riparian corridors and wooded bottomlands that are so vital for fish and wildlife habitat and to mitigate downstream flooding.”

 A floodplain is defined as a low, nearly flat area adjacent to a river that is formed chiefly of river sediment and is subject to occasional or periodic flooding.  To qualify, the land must have been flooded at least once in the past 12 months, or twice in the past 10 years.

 According to Petersen, permanent easements on floodplains will allow quiet enjoyment and limited recreational use.  No structures will be allowed, and participants will be responsible for excluding livestock and controlling noxious weeds and pests. Eligible land must be private or state and local government.  Federally administered lands are not eligible.  Other stipulations and requirements apply.

The price paid for land will be determined by the lesser of two methods -- a landowner's offer or the geographic rate caps established for the Wetlands Reserve Program in Nevada. In most cases, the offer will be the rate cap amount.  For 2009, the Nevada rate cap is approximately $1500 per acre.

The funding, obtained from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, includes both technical and financial assistance to restore the easements. All funds will be spent on targeted projects that can be completed with economic stimulus monies.

 The goal is to have all floodplain easements acquired and restored within 12-18 months. No more than $30 million can be spent in any one state.

The EWP Program’s floodplain easement component allows the NRCS to purchase easements on lands damaged by flooding. The restored floodplain will generate many public benefits, such as increased flood protection, enhanced fish and wildlife habitat, improved water quality, and a reduced need for future public disaster assistance. 

Other benefits include reduced energy consumption when certain agricultural activities and practices are eliminated and increased carbon sequestration as permanent vegetative cover is re-established.

Interested landowners should contact their local USDA Service Center for more information about EWP Program floodplain easements before March 27 or visit the Nevada NRCS Recovery Website at http://www.nv.nrcs.usda.gov/recovery/.

### 

Persons requiring special accommodations or materials in an alternative format should contact Liz Warner, Public Affairs Specialist, (775) 857.8500 x 105.

NEW CONSERVATION PROGRAM ANNOUNCED UNDER 2008 FARM BILL
Proposals Due March 2, 2009

RENO, Feb. 4 — Bruce Petersen, state conservationist for the Natural Resources Conservation Service in Nevada, has announced a new financial assistance program available to agricultural producers and entities.  The Agricultural Water Enhancement Program (AWEP) replaces the Ground and Surface water program from the 2002 Farm Bill.

NRCS will implement AWEP by entering into partnership agreements with eligible entitles to promote ground and surface water conservation, or water quality improvement, or both, in their project area.   NRCS will then enter into contracts directly with eligible agricultural producers participating in the entity project and other eligible producers within the project area.  Eligible partners include, but are not limited to, federally-recognized tribes, states, units of local government, agricultural or silvicultural associations, producer groups such as irrigation associations, agricultural land trusts or other nongovernmental organizations that have experience working with agricultural producers.  No AWEP funds may be used to cover administrative expenses of partners.

NRCS is seeking project proposals from eligible partners through this program. Project proposals require a letter of review by the Nevada NRCS state conservationist, and must be submitted to NRCS headquarters by March 2, 2009.

The AWEP Request for Proposals can be found on the Federal Register Web site at:  http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2009/pdf/E9-504.pdf.

A synopsis of this grant notice is detailed on the Grants.gov Web site, funding opportunity number USDA-NRCS-NHQ-09-02.

AWEP operates through contracts to plan and implement conservation practices that conserve ground and surface water and improve water quality on agricultural lands such as cropland, pasture, grassland and rangeland.

Agricultural water enhancement activities in Nevada may include:

• water quality or water conservation plan development;

• water conservation restoration or enhancement projects, including conversion to the production of less water-intensive agricultural commodities.

• water quality or quantity restoration or enhancement projects;

• irrigation system improvement or irrigation efficiency enhancement;

• activities designed to reduce drought's impacts; and

• other related activities that will help achieve water quality or water conservation benefits on agricultural land.

Proposals must be submitted to the Chief (Attn: Financial Assistance Programs Division), Natural Resources Conservation Service, USDA, AWEP Proposals, P.O. Box 2890, Washington, DC 20013. Applicants and potential partners also must send their proposal to the Nevada State Conservationist postmarked, or dated if electronic, no later than March 2, 2009. Applicants and partners need to register before submitting an application.  Registration can take up to 2 weeks.  To submit the application electronically, visit http://www.grants.gov/applicants/apply_for_grants.jsp and follow the on-line instructions.

Producers may participate individually or collectively through the partnership project.  All EQIP requirements and policies will apply. Contract terms for producers in AWEP will run from 2 to 10 years.

Interested partners should contact the assistant state conservationist for programs or the EQIP coordinator, NRCS Nevada State Office, 775-857-8500, for more information.