USDA-NRCS Announces Financial Assistance to Cheyenne County Landowners Along the South Fork Republican River
Application cut off date is June 30, 2023 for fiscal year 2023 funding.
SALINA, KANSAS, May 31, 2023 ‒ Eric A. Allness, Acting State Conservationist, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), has announced that producers in the South Fork Republican River (SFRR) watershed in Cheynne county are eligible to receive financial assistance under the Regional Conservationist Partnership Program (RCPP). The project is funded through the USDA Partnership program which is locally led by the Cheyenne County Conservation District and the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks. RCPP-SFRR will provide funding to landowners along the South Fork Republican River to address plant pest pressure, groundwater depletion, and water quality issues.
“These resource concerns can be addressed by implementing brush management, specifically to remove Russian olive, salt cedar, and eastern red cedar trees in rangeland along the river,” said Allness. “This RCPP project can also provide funds for alternate water sources for livestock, prescribed grazing, and other practices on an as needed basis to achieve these goals.”
A participant meeting is planned to be held in conjunction with the NRCS and the lead Partner, the Cheyenne County Conservation District. The meeting will be at 9:00 a.m. on Thursday, June 1, 2023 at the Cheyenne County Fairgrounds (1555 Road 15, Saint Francis, Kansas). Breakfast will be served. All landowners and operators in the project area are invited to attend.
Applications for RCPP-SFRR are accepted year-round, and the project will utilize Act Now funding. The final date to apply for fiscal year 2023 funding will be Friday, June 30, 2023. Applications received prior to the deadline will be planned, assessed, ranked, and submitted in the order received and will be preapproved based on fund availability and if a ranking score above the threshold level has been met. Applications received after the deadline will be batched and considered for fiscal year 2024 funding.
“The Act Now funding process will allow applicants with high ranking scores to avoid the long processing time typically associated with conservation programs,” said Allness. “This will enable interested and qualified applicants to begin implementing the needed conservation practices sooner and reduce the wait time.”
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