Baker County
Baker County comprises approximately 1,977,000 acres of land. There is 964,000 acres of private land of which approximately 127,000 acres is irrigated cropland or hayland, 638,000 acres is rangeland and 128,000 acres is forest. Fifty-one percent of the county is publicly owned. The major drainages in the county include the Powder River, Burnt River and Pine Creek. The NRCS office is located in Baker City. The NRCS staff provides technical assistance and administers NRCS financial assistance conservation programs.
Current Financial Assistance Opportunities for Farmers, Ranchers and Forest Owners in Baker County
The following Conservation Implementation Strategies are available to help Baker County agricultural producers address targeted resource concerns identified in the Long Range Plan. Click the project names below for more information:
- Water Quality Initiative - Baker City Source Water and Forest Health Protection
- Sage Grouse Initiative - Oregon Strategy (WLFW)
- Drought and Wildfire Watering Strategy
- East Oregon Forest Restoration (RCPP)
- Climate-Focused Sustainable Livestock Production in Oregon
Additional Funding Opportunities...
In addition to the local projects above, producers may also apply for statewide programs such as the Conservation Stewardship Program, the Organic Initiative, Seasonal High Tunnel Initiative, On-Farm Energy Initiative, and conservation easement programs. Visit with your local District Conservationist for more information on these and other programs, or visit the NRCS Programs webpage.
Local Work Group Meetings
Every year, NRCS hosts a Local Work Group meeting where farmers, landowners, conservation partners and other members of the community discuss the natural resource needs for the county. Based on feedback from those meetings, NRCS updates the county's Long Range Plan and develops new Conservation Implementation Strategies to address those resource concerns. You may contact us anytime to express concerns or comments about conservation needs in the county, and we encourage you to attend the next Local Work Group meeting in your county. For more information about Local Work Group meetings, contact your local NRCS office.