EQIP

NRCS announced the establishment of a “batching deadline” of January 15th for the first funding round of key conservation programs.

NRCS Idaho says the application deadline for Fiscal Year 2026 Environmental Quality Incentives Program, EQIP, as well as the Regional Conservation Partnership Program, also known as the RCPP, projects is October 3rd.

House Republicans are proposing a $290 billion cut from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program over the next decade.  The GOP plan uses some of the money saved to increase spending on commodity programs, crop insurance, and other farm bill programs.  The dra...

Farm operations in Oregon have been significantly impacted by recent wildfires.  To help, the NRCS-Oregon technical and financial assistance available to help farmers and livestock producers recover from these wildfire events.   A total of $2 million of FY24 funds have newly been made available to support producers in wildfire recovery. Producer...

Devin Fielding held up a photograph of his children when he explained why he farms, as well as the golden opportunity he sees in the University of Idaho-led Innovative Agricultural and Marketing Partnership (IAMP) program, formerly known as Climate-Smart Commodities for Idaho.

Earlier this week, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced funding for agricultural producers and forest landowners to participate in voluntary conservation programs and adopt climate-smart practices.  The Inflation Reduction Act provided an additional $19.5 billion...

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association is out with its policy priorities for 2023.  The priorities focus on advancing animal disease preparedness, protecting voluntary conservation programs, and defending producers from regulatory overreach.   “Our f...

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said recently it’s premature to ask if billions of dollars in Inflation Reduction Act conservation funds can be transferred to the upcoming Farm Bill, even though the need will likely exist.  The decision will be up to Congress, but Vilsack and the administration will have a say in whether to use some of the Inflation Reduction Act’s $16 billion for programs like

Climate change as an issue in the next farm bill is already causing temperatures to rise in the nation’s capital.  But if there’s anything farm leaders agree on, it’s conservation incentives, not dictates.   “Let the innovators compete, let them go after it and do what they want, it’s not ‘one size fits all,’ it gives them a shot to do it," said former Farm Service Agency chief, Jonathan Copp

The USDA is out with a new initiative designed to incentivize conservation practices that improve nutrient management.  Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said the initiative will be based within NRCS.   "We're going to put $40 million of resources that we have available and target those resources through a regional conservation partnership program effort to increase better nutrient management