Application Period Extended For NRCS Conservation Incentive
The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service has extended the application ranking date for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program Conservation Incentive Contracts option. Tribal producers should now apply by March 4 to be eligible for this round of funding.
Conservation Incentive Contracts address priority resource concerns, including sequestering carbon and improving soil health in high-priority areas. Through these contracts, NRCS works with producers to strengthen the quality and condition of natural resources on their operations using management practices such as conservation crop rotation, cover crops, prescribed grazing, nutrient management, and residue and tillage management that target resource concerns, including degraded plant condition, livestock production and limitation, and soil quality limitations.
Conservation Incentive Contracts offer tribal producers annual incentive payments to implement management practices as well as conservation evaluation and monitoring activities to help manage, maintain and improve priority natural resource concerns and build on existing conservation efforts. Find a list of practices in the “Conservation Incentive Contracts” fact sheet at www.mt.nrcs.usda.gov under Programs, then EQIP.
Conservation Incentive Contracts last five years. The 2018 Farm Bill created the new Conservation Incentive Contract option, and it was piloted in 2021 in four states, including Montana.
The EQIP Conservation Incentive Contracts in Montana will be targeted to include socially disadvantaged producers operating on Montana’s seven reservations and in Blaine, Cascade, Glacier, and Hill counties. NRCS accepts applications year-round, but landowners should apply by the March 4 ranking date to be considered for this year’s funding. Call your local USDA Service Center to learn more. Find contact information using the Service Center Locator at farmers.gov/contact.
