$29 Million in NRCS Conservation Funds Are Now Available for Maryland’s Farmers

Maryland Media Liaison:

Carol Hollingsworth, 443-482-2902

Annapolis, Maryland – (February 24, 2009) - NRCS Maryland received approximately $29 million in financial assistance funds through the 2008 Farm Bill to help Maryland’s farmers and non-industrial private forest lands owners install conservation practices on their land. Although the final program rules for the conservation programs in the 2008 Farm Bill are still being developed at NRCS national headquarters, now is the time for farmers to come into their local USDA Service Center to seek technical and financial assistance. Maryland’s farmers should submit applications now for participation in conservation programs this year.

Farmers should contact the NRCS or Soil Conservation District Staff to begin the process of identifying natural resource concerns on their land and targeting conservation practices to resolve those concerns. There are a variety of USDA conservation programs that focus on different natural resource areas of concern. Farmers should be ready to discuss their ag operation and resource concerns with field office staff and then NRCS staff can determine which Farm Bill conservation program can be used to best meet the resource needs.

Natural resource concerns can be addressed by implementing conservation practices that include nutrient management, irrigation water management, animal waste storage facility, heavy use area protection, water control structure, wetland creation and restoration, invasive species control, and creation and management of upland wildlife habitat and pollinator habitat.

NRCS Maryland continuously accepts enrollment applications for all of its conservation programs. NRCS Maryland is planning four funding cycles to evaluate applications for fiscal year 2009 funds. Program applications are ranked to match funds to applications that carry the highest environmental benefits. NRCS will continue to evaluate program applications on a monthly basis to determine program eligibility until fiscal year 2009 funds are exhausted. The end of the application period in the first funding cycle is April 24, 2009. All applications received by this date will be ranked and considered for funding. Additional funding cycles are planned with applications being ranked on May 22, 2009, June 26, 2009, and July 31, 2009.

Conservation programs funded and available now through the 2008 Farm Bill include the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), the Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP), the Agricultural Management Assistance Program (AMA), the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Initiative (CBWI), the Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP), and the Grasslands Reserve Program (GRP).

Farmers should begin the planning and application process now, so that when the program rules are finalized, they will have their application materials ready for evaluation and if approved, the applications can be quickly funded. Once the conservation practices have been implemented and bills submitted to NRCS, farmers can expect direct deposit payment of the financial assistance funds in a prompt manner. This quick reimbursement will make it easier for farmers to pay for the cost of installation of conservation practices.

< Back to News