Four popular USDA land stewardship and working lands programs will receive an additional $850 million this year to handle the perennial crush of applications for assistance, said the Biden administration on Monday. The outlay will be the Agriculture Department’s first use of the $19.5 billion earmarked for its conservation programs in the climate, health and tax law passed last summer.
“We know that agriculture plays a critical role in the nation’s effort to address climate change, we’re using this funding to bolster our existing programs, maximize climate benefits and foster other environmental benefits across the landscape,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack at the National Association of Conservation Districts meeting in New Orleans.
Vilsack also announced a WaterSMART Initiative to spend $25 million in three new and 37 existing priority areas to help farmers and ranchers conserve water and build drought resilience in arid regions.
“Farmers have a central role to play in addressing climate change, conserving water and enhancing habitat for wildlife,” said Aviva Glaser of the National Wildlife Federation in welcoming the first step by USDA to put the climate funding into “on-the-ground climate-smart agricultural practices…The 2023 farm bill offers us an opportunity to shore up and build upon these investments.”
The $850 million will be divided among the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP) and the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP), said the USDA. The money will assist producers in adopting practices such as cover crops, conservation tillage, wetland restoration, prescribed grazing, nutrient management and tree planting to mitigate climate change and conserve land and water.
“Other opportunities for agreements and partnerships will be announced for fiscal 2023 in the coming months,” said the USDA.
Congress said the $19.5 billion in conservation funding was to prioritize practices that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase climate resiliency. The USDA spends around $5 billion a year on conservation programs so the additional funding would allow a large increase in the work.
“Generally, this funding should make 2023 one of the best years for farmers to utilize conservation funds in a long time,” said Jesse Womack of the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition. “NSAC welcomes this announcement because of USDA’s specific plans for identifying and enrolling under-served producers.”
EQIP shares the cost with producers to reduce runoff, improve habitat and soil health. CSP, the first USDA working lands program, helps farmers make soil, water and habitat conservation part of their daily operations. ACEP provides easements to preserve grasslands and wetlands. RCPP assists in funding coordinated conservation work among farmers in a shared landscape. For this fiscal year, EQIP was appropriated $2 billion, CSP $1 billion, ACEP $450 million and RCPP $300 million.