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Climate

Climate change threatens agricultural production, forest resources and rural economies. NRCS offers a variety of programs, services, resources and tools to help farmers, ranchers, forest landowners and partners pursue voluntary conservation efforts to deliver climate solutions.

Conservation Programs and Climate-Smart Agriculture and Forestry

NRCS offers financial assistance and one-on-one technical support through voluntary conservation programs. Several NRCS conservation programs directly support climate-smart agriculture and forestry, including the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP) and Conservation Technical Assistance. Visit farmers.gov/climate-smart to learn how each program supports climate-smart agriculture and forestry.

The Inflation Reduction Act provides an additional $19.5 billion over five years to support USDA’s conservation programs that yield climate change mitigation benefits. NRCS is increasing Climate-Smart Agricultural and Forestry Mitigation Activities eligible for Inflation Reduction Act funding for fiscal year 2024 through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP).

State-specific application ranking dates for NRCS programs are available on the NRCS Program Application Ranking Dates webpage.

Producers and landowners should contact the NRCS office at their local USDA Service Center for additional information and one-on-one technical support specific to their working land. USDA Service Centers are in nearly every county across the United States.

If you’re new to working with NRCS, the Conservation at Work Video Series provide examples of conservation practices that may work well for your operation, including options that contribute to climate change mitigation. 

Stream bank with clouds in reflection

Inflation Reduction Act

The Inflation Reduction Act, part of President Biden's Investing in America agenda, represents the single largest investment in climate and clean energy solutions in American history.

Adaptation and Mitigation

Adaptation actions can be taken in response to local climate change impacts and projections to reduce risks and vulnerabilities, build resilience and help to maintain productivity. NRCS helps agricultural producers and private landowners voluntarily mitigate climate change.

Alexander Frick, Jr. in his tractor/planter planting soybean seeds with the aid of precision agriculture systems and information, Alexander Frick, Jr., a.k.a. Alē, and his father Alexander Frick, Sr. are co-owners of Frick Farms, LLC, where they farm non-irrigated corn, soybeans, and wheat on more than 3,000 acres in northeast Texas, on April 13, 2021. In 2017 they began incorporating precision agriculture technology into their farming operation.. Their conservation practices include precision agriculture,

Nutrient Management

Nutrient management maximizes crop-nitrogen uptake and has a compelling and cost-effective role to play in mitigating greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture.


How to Get Assistance

Do you farm or ranch and want to make improvements to the land that you own or lease?

Natural Resources Conservation Service offers technical and financial assistance to help farmers, ranchers and forest landowners.

how to get started

To get started with NRCS, we recommend you stop by your local NRCS field office. We’ll discuss your vision for your land.

NRCS provides landowners with free technical assistance, or advice, for their land. Common technical assistance includes: resource assessment, practice design and resource monitoring. Your conservation planner will help you determine if financial assistance is right for you.

We’ll walk you through the application process. To get started on applying for financial assistance, we’ll work with you:

  • To fill out an AD 1026, which ensures a conservation plan is in place before lands with highly erodible soils are farmed. It also ensures that identified wetland areas are protected.
  • To meet other eligibility certifications.

Once complete, we’ll work with you on the application, or CPA 1200.

Applications for most programs are accepted on a continuous basis, but they’re considered for funding in different ranking periods. Be sure to ask your local NRCS district conservationist about the deadline for the ranking period to ensure you turn in your application in time.

As part of the application process, we’ll check to see if you are eligible. To do this, you’ll need to bring:

  • An official tax ID (Social Security number or an employer ID)
  • A property deed or lease agreement to show you have control of the property; and
  • A farm number.

If you don’t have a farm number, you can get one from USDA’s Farm Service Agency. Typically, the local FSA office is located in the same building as the local NRCS office. You only need a farm number if you’re interested in financial assistance.

NRCS will take a look at the applications and rank them according to local resource concerns, the amount of conservation benefits the work will provide and the needs of applicants. View Application Ranking Dates by State.

If you’re selected, you can choose whether to sign the contract for the work to be done.

Once you sign the contract, you’ll be provided standards and specifications for completing the practice or practices, and then you will have a specified amount of time to implement. Once the work is implemented and inspected, you’ll be paid the rate of compensation for the work if it meets NRCS standards and specifications.

Find Your Local Service Center

USDA Service Centers are locations where you can connect with Farm Service Agency, Natural Resources Conservation Service, or Rural Development employees for your business needs. Enter your state and county below to find your local service center and agency offices. If this locator does not work in your browser, please visit offices.usda.gov.