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Press Release

Ohio NRCS EQIP-IRA Funding Now Available, Expanding Assistance to Advance Climate Mitigation Efforts

Apply By April 28
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The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Ohio Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is accepting applications for Environmental Quality Incentives Program – Inflation Reduction Act (EQIP-IRA) funding. Applications must be received by April 28, 2023 to be eligible for Fiscal Year 2023 funding.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Ohio Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is accepting applications for Environmental Quality Incentives Program – Inflation Reduction Act (EQIP-IRA) funding. These funds expand financial and technical assistance to landowners and producers advancing conservation practices targeting climate mitigation on their land. Applications must be received by April 28, 2023 to be eligible for Fiscal Year 2023 funding.

Nationally, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) provides an additional $19.5 billion over five years for climate smart agriculture through several of the conservation programs that NRCS implements. The Environmental Quality Incentives Program is NRCS’ flagship conservation program that helps farmers, ranchers and forest landowners integrate conservation into working lands. In Ohio, an additional $3.3 million in financial assistance has been made available to Ohio landowners through EQIP-IRA in Fiscal Year 2023.

EQIP-IRA is designed to help farmers and private landowners apply conservation measures that focus on carbon sequestration, greenhouse gas emissions, energy efficiency and soil health. The program focuses strongly on conservation planning, conservation implementation, and solving natural resource concerns related to climate change.  Conservation practices are limited to the following:

 

 

  • Historically Underserved: This fund category is for applicants meeting the definition of Beginning Farmer/Rancher or Veteran Farmer/Ranchers who also meet the Beginning Farmer/Rancher definition. This category also assists limited resource producers and socially disadvantaged producers address resource concerns. Click here for the FY23 EQIP-IRA Historically Underserved Practice List.

 

Ohio will use the ACT NOW process in Fiscal Year 2023 for EQIP-IRA to immediately approve and obligate a ranked application in a designated ranking pool when the eligible application meets or exceeds a state-determined minimum ranking score without waiting until the NRCS field office ranks all applications in that ranking pool.

Learn more about ACT NOW thresholds as well as other program information on the Ohio NRCS EQIP website. To find out about other technical and financial assistance available through NRCS conservation programs, visit Get Started with NRCS or contact your local USDA Service Center.