Columbia, Missouri, August 15, 2025 – USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Missouri invites qualifying farmers and landowners to apply to receive technical and financial assistance through the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP). Funding is available for four regional partnership projects. Applications must be received by September 15, 2025 to be considered for this round of funding.

The RCPP projects and associated counties with projects are:

• Program Restoring & Improving Monarch Ecosystems (PRIME) (Andrew, Atchison, Benton, Buchanan, Caldwell, Carroll, Cass, Clay, Clinton, Daviess, DeKalb, Gentry, Grundy, Harrison, Henry, Holt, Jackson, Johnson, Lafayette, Livingston, Mercer, Nodaway, Pettis, Platte, Ray, Saline and Worth counties): This project aims to increase monarch and pollinator habitat in Northwest Missouri through land management practices, with emphasis on prescribed burning and short-term land rental payments. PRIME will target lands currently enrolled in and expiring from Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), enhancing monarch habitat by maintaining and restoring diverse native plant communities. Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever are the lead partners on this project.
• Precision Farm Data & Strategic Buffer Project (Chariton, Lafayette, Linn, Macon, Pettis, Randolph and Saline counties): This project focuses on utilizing on-farm yield data to identify non-profitable or marginal cropland acres to strategically establish field borders, pollinator habitat, wetlands and more to maximize profitability while improving water quality and wildlife habitat. The Missouri Department of Conservation is the lead partner on this project.
• Missouri Targeted Conservation (portions of Audrain, Bates, Boone, Bollinger, Caldwell, Callaway, Cape Girardeau, Carroll, Chariton, Clinton, Cole, Cooper, Daviess, DeKalb, Dunklin, Gasconade, Gentry, Grundy, Harrison, Howard, Jefferson, Johnson, Lafayette, Livingston, Macon, Mercer, Miller, Moniteau, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, New Madrid, Osage, Pemiscot, Pettis, Randolph, Ray, Saline, Scott, Shelby, St. Francois, St. Louis, Ste. Genevieve, Stoddard, Vernon, and Worth counties): This project aims to identify areas within a watershed where identified conservation practices can achieve the most economically efficient loss reductions for sediment, nutrients, and pathogens into waterways. The Blackwater, Cahokia-Joachim, South Fork Salt, Little Osage, Thompson, Upper Grand, Little River Ditches, and Lower Missouri-Moreau watersheds have been identified as the Missouri focus areas. The Missouri Department of Natural Resources is the lead partner on this project.
• James River Headwaters RCPP (Greene & Webster counties): This project aims to support the protection of clean drinking water, improve the local farming community, and assist municipalities in meeting federal water quality requirements and improve aquatic ecosystem within the James River Headwaters. To accomplish this, this project is emphasizing practices like riparian buffers, rotational grazing, and soil health. The Watershed Committee of the Ozarks Inc. is the lead partner on this project.

RCPP promotes coordination of NRCS conservation activities with partners that offer value-added contributions to expand our collective ability to address on-farm, watershed, and regional natural resource concerns. 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.

Individuals and entities are eligible to participate in RCPP. RCPP offers a continuous application sign-up. However, to be considered for this round of funding, applications must be received by September 15, 2025. Applicants can sign-up by contacting their local USDA-NRCS Field Office.

For more information, contact your local Field Office at Find Your Local Service Center | Farmers.gov. To learn more about RCPP, visit our website Regional Conservation Partnership Program | Natural Resources Conservation Service.