USDA Expands and Renews Conservation Reserve Program in Effort to Boost Enrollment and Address Climate Change kticradio.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from kticradio.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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.
Pierre, SD, USA / DRGNews
Apr 22, 2021 9:37 AM
United States Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that USDA will open enrollment in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) with higher payment rates, new incentives, and a more targeted focus on the program’s role in climate change mitigation. Additionally, USDA is announcing investments in partnerships to increase climate-smart agriculture, including $330 million in 85 Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) projects and $25 million for On-Farm Conservation Innovation Trials. Secretary Vilsack made the announcement today at the White House National Climate Task Force meeting to demonstrate USDA’s commitment to putting American agriculture and forestry at the center of climate-smart solutions to address climate change.
USDA
Diverse plant communities attract many species of prairie wildlife in acres enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). Additional 4 million acres targeted with higher rental rates and climate incentive payments.
Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced several changes to the Conservation Reserve Program to incentivize participation, including adjusting rental rates with a focus on highly erodible lands and introducing a variety of incentive payments, including a climate incentive payment.
Vilsack previously discussed how CRP participation was lacking from the funding allocated under the last farm bill. He hopes to bridge that shortfall by enrolling up to 4 million new acres in CRP by raising rental payment rates and expanding the number of incentivized environmental practices allowed under the program.
The cap will gradually increase to 27 million acres by 2023. By
4/21/2021 The U.S. government is raising the number of acres eligible to be enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) and will pay farmers more to set aside that land. On Wednesday, USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that the goal is to enroll up to 4 million new acres in CRP by raising rental payment rates and expanding the number of incentivized environmental practices allowed under the program. CRP is one of the world’s largest voluntary conservation programs with a long track record of preserving topsoil, sequestering carbon, and reducing nitrogen runoff, as well providing healthy habitat for wildlife, according to the USDA’s press release.