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Deschutes County

Deschutes County has an area of 3,055 square miles, or 1.96 million acres. Over 77 percent of the county is publicly owned. The 461 thousand acres of private land includes 92,000 ac. forest and 240,000 ac of range. Pasture and hay is grown on most of the 38,000 ac. of irrigated land. Livestock production is a large portion of the agricultural industry. The local food movement is strong here with a growing number of community supported and organic farms. The NRCS office, located in Redmond, offers voluntary technical and financial assistance to private landowners interested in natural resource conservation improvements. Lately the NRCS has focused mostly on irrigation improvements for water conservation.


Current Financial Assistance Opportunities for Farmers, Ranchers and Forest Owners in Deschutes County

The following Conservation Implementation Strategies are available to help Deschutes County agricultural producers address targeted resource concerns identified in the Long Range Plan. Click the project names below for more information:

Additional Funding Opportunities...

In addition to the local projects above, producers may also apply for statewide programs such as the Conservation Stewardship Program, the Organic Initiative, Seasonal High Tunnel Initiative, On-Farm Energy Initiative, and conservation easement programs. Visit with your local District Conservationist for more information on these and other programs, or visit the NRCS Programs webpage.

Local Work Group Meetings

Every year, NRCS hosts a Local Work Group meeting where farmers, landowners, conservation partners and other members of the community discuss the natural resource needs for the county. Based on feedback from those meetings, NRCS updates the county's Long Range Plan and develops new Conservation Implementation Strategies to address those resource concerns. You may contact us anytime to express concerns or comments about conservation needs in the county, and we encourage you to attend the next Local Work Group meeting in your county. For more information about Local Work Group meetings, contact your local NRCS office.

Find Your Local Service Center

USDA Service Centers are locations where you can connect with Farm Service Agency, Natural Resources Conservation Service, or Rural Development employees for your business needs. Enter your state and county below to find your local service center and agency offices. If this locator does not work in your browser, please visit offices.usda.gov.