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Press Release

NRCS Announces Sign-Up for 2022 Program Offerings

Topics
New JerseyAnimalsPlantsWaterWildlife HabitatCroplandsEasementsWetlandsWildlifeEnvironmental Quality Incentives ProgramRegional Conservation Partnership ProgramWorking Lands for Wildlife
Publish Date
Bog Turtle with radio tracking device

Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) New Jersey is now accepting FY2022 applications for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), the Agricultural Management Assistance (AMA) program and the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) through October 22, 2021.

Contact:
Gail Bartok, Assistant State Conservationist - Programs
(732)-537-6042

SOMERSET, N.J., August 16, 2021 –  The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) New Jersey is now accepting FY2022 applications for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), the Agricultural Management Assistance (AMA) program and the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) through October 22, 2021.

Through EQIP, NRCS provides agricultural producers with one-on-one help and financial assistance to plan and implement conservation practices to address a variety of issues such as water quality degradation, soil erosion, soil quality degradation and inadequate habitat for fish and wildlife.

Special Initiatives include Conservation Activity Plans (CAP), Working Lands for Wildlife (WLFW) and the National Water Quality Initiative (NWQI).

AMA is a voluntary conservation program available to beginning and limited resource farmers, small farms, and producers who have had limited participation in other USDA financial assistance programs. Producers eligible for AMA can apply for financial and technical assistance to voluntarily address resource issues such as water management, water quality, and erosion control by incorporating conservation into their farming operations.

Through RCPP, NRCS seeks to co-invest with partners to implement projects that demonstrate innovative solutions to conservation challenges and provide measurable improvements and outcomes tied to the resource concerns they seek to address. New Jersey’s two new RCPP land management projects are:

  • Protecting Source Water Protection in the Raritan Basin - In partnership with the New Jersey Water Supply Authority, conservation systems and practices on farms in the project area will be implemented to promote source water protection.

  • Salem River Bog Turtle Protection and Restoration –  Lead partner, New Jersey Audubon, will help private landowners increase wildlife habitat and habitat suitability for the endangered Bog Turtle population in the Upper Salem River Watershed by offering financial incentives to install and maintain conservation practices.

    Applications are available through your local USDA Service Center and online at www.nrcs.usda.gov/GetStarted. NRCS accepts applications for conservation programs year-round and they’re processed when funding becomes available. Interested producers can learn more about New Jersey Farm Bill programs on the NRCS NJ website.

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