PORTLAND
The U.S. Department of Agricultureâs Natural Resources Conservation Service is seeking proposals through June 21 for On-Farm Conservation Innovation Trials. On-Farm Trials, part of the agencyâs Conservation Innovation Grant (CIG) program, feature collaboration between NRCS and partners to implement on-the-ground conservation activities and then evaluate their impact. Incentive payments are provided to producers to offset the risk of implementing innovative approaches.
This program harnesses the expertise, resources and capacity of partner organizations nationwide to help NRCS boost natural resource conservation on private lands and support climate smart agriculture.
âUSDA is a leader in using the latest science, research and conservation tools to reduce the impacts of climate change,â said Ron Alvarado, NRCS State Conservationist in Oregon. âWeâre doing our part in helping Americaâs farmers and ranchers conserve the natural resourc
David Ekstrom The USDA is opening the money window for groups that want to partner with farmers in finding conservation efforts that can scale. On Wednesday, USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) announced that it is seeking proposals through June 21 for On-Farm Conservation Innovation Trials (On-Farm Trials). On-Farm Trials, part of the agency’s Conservation Innovation Grant (CIG) program, feature collaboration between NRCS and partners to implement on-the-ground conservation activities and then evaluate their impact. NRCS will invest up to $25 million on On-Farm Trials in 2021. This total includes up to $10 million for the Soil Health Demonstration Trials (SHD) priority. The Soil Health Demonstration Trial (SHD) component of On-Farm Trials focuses exclusively on implementation of conservation practices and systems that improve soil health.
Private entities whose primary business is related to agriculture
Non-government organizations with experience working with agricultural producers
Non-federal government agencies
NRCS encourages proposal submissions from historically underserved entities and encourages all applicants to meaningfully include historically underserved producers in their On-Farm Trials proposal submissions. Historically underserved producers include those who identify as one or more of the following: American Indian, Alaskan native, Asian American, Black/ African American, Pacific Islander, and Hispanic/Latino. It also includes producers who are military veterans, low income or have farmed for 10 years or less. Proposals that include the meaningful participation of these producers receive priority consideration through the evaluation criteria.