Application cut off for Fiscal Year 2024 is April 19, 2024
SALINA, KANSAS, October 27, 2023 – Kansas farmers and ranchers who are interested in planning and competing for potential funding from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) money should ACT NOW. “If you have a pending Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) application at your U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) local service center, or have never applied for EQIP, this is your chance to ACT NOW and update your conservation plan or apply for a conservation plan for EQIP to address resource concerns on your property,” said Kris R. Ethridge, Acting State Conservationist for the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).
ACT NOW is a funding process where applications will have a much shorter turnaround time compared to the traditional process. The ACT NOW process targets the resource concerns of soil organism, habitat loss or degradation, aggregate instability, compaction, organic matter depletion, and plant productivity and health. Livestock water into cropping systems with a diverse conservation crop rotation, cover crops, prescribed grazing, and soil health testing are just a few of the ways IRA ACT NOW money is addressing these resource concerns.
“The IRA money is readily available. Climate Smart Agricultural and Forestry Mitigation Practices are available for implementation if NRCS identifies resource concerns that these practices will address. Don't hesitate, ACT NOW and see if you are eligible for IRA Money on your land,” said Ethridge. Applications are taken on a continuous basis, but funding decisions are made when applications are planned, assessed, and ranked. The quicker NRCS prepares a conservation plan based on treating your resource concerns, the better chance you have for funding. Application cut off for Fiscal Year 2024 is Friday, April 19, 2024.
USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. Under the Biden-Harris administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to safe, healthy, and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate-smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit usda.gov.
USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.
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