NRCS in Louisiana Opens Application Period Under Inflation Reduction Act Funding

Alexandria, LA (February 17, 2023) – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS) in Louisiana announced today that it is opening an application period for NRCS conservation programs resulting from funding provided to the agency under the Inflation Reduction Act.

Interested Louisiana farm and non-industrial private forest landowners must apply by March 17, 2023, for the agency’s Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), and Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), offered under this funding allocation.

The new application period comes closely after an announcement from Agricultural Secretary Tom Vilsack on Monday. He stated that the Department is being provided $850 million nationally in fiscal year 2023 from the Inflation Reduction Act for programs offered by the agency that impact climate resiliency.

The focus of this signup under the IRA for EQIP and CSP is for voluntary conservation practices that help landowners implement climate-smart agricultural practices. This funding aims to provide direct climate mitigation benefits and expand access to financial and technical assistance for producers to advance conservation on their farm, ranch, or forest land through practices like cover cropping, conservation tillage, wetland restoration, prescribed grazing, nutrient management, tree planting and more.

"While many of our producers have a strong desire to implement climate-smart agricultural practices in Louisiana, the cost of those measures is difficult as they recover from the impacts of inflation on their operations,” explains Chad Kacir NRCS State Conservationist for Louisiana. “Making changes at the producer level when they are overdrawn or just at break-even can be seen as a risk they can’t take right now; this funding will help producers reduce that risk while also having a positive impact on our climate,” he said.

“Producers in Louisiana had an initial signup for fiscal year 2023 that closed November 18, 2022,” explains Kacir, “but this funding allows us to open up another signup period and reach more producers this year.”

The IRA is projected to have a long-term impact with states receiving additional funds to support agricultural producers over the next several years. “These funds will provide economic resiliency to our local food and fiber markets,” Kacir said.

How to Apply:

NRCS accepts producer applications for its conservation programs year-round, but producers interested in EQIP or CSP should apply by March 17, 2023 to be considered for funding in the current cycle. Funding is provided through a competitive process and will include an opportunity to address the unmet demand from producers who have previously sought funding for climate-smart conservation activities.  

For more information: 

Landowners interested in protecting, conserving, or restoring the natural resources on their property through technical or financial assistance should contact their local USDA Service Center to begin the conservation planning process.

You can contact your local field office for more information regarding these programs or to apply. General program information is available on the NRCS Louisiana website Louisiana | Natural Resources Conservation Service (usda.gov).

Find Your Service Center:

To find your local USDA Service Center, visit: Find Your Local Service Center | Farmers.gov. 

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