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Black Angus cows and calves graze organic pastures, and for added nutrition and variety, they enjoy a daily feeding of sweet silage at Nick’s Organic Farm, owned by Nick Maravell, in Adamstown, MD on Friday, July 12, 2013. The white plastic wrapped bales of pasture grass and alfalfa have been fermenting for months to create sweet silage that stores well and can be used to feed cattle at varying amount all year long. The fermentation process sweetens the taste and increases the vitamin levels. The farm pro

Regional Conservation Partnership Program - How to Apply

Through the Regional Conservation Partnership Program, NRCS co-invests with partners in innovative, workable and cost-effective approaches to benefit farming, ranching and forest operations

Through the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP), NRCS co-invests with partners in innovative, workable and cost-effective approaches to benefit farming, ranching and forest operations; local economies; and the communities and resources in a watershed or other geographic area.

The partners develop project applications, as described in the annual RCPP Application for Program Funding below, to address specific natural resource objectives in a proposed area or region. Partnering organizations design, promote, implement and evaluate the project outcomes.

NRCS reviews and selects final RCPP projects through a two-phase application process.

  • Phase 1: Pre-proposal Application
  • Phase 2: Full Proposal Application 

Partnership Agreements

The partnership agreement defines the scope of the project, including:

  1. Eligible activities to be implemented
  2. Potential agricultural or nonindustrial private forest operation affected
  3. Local, state, multi-state or other geographic area covered
  4. Planning, outreach, implementation, and assessment to be conducted. Partners are responsible for contributing to the cost of the project, conducting outreach and education to eligible producers for potential participation in the project and for assessing the project’s effects. In addition, partners may act on behalf of the eligible landowner or producer in applying for assistance and for leveraging financial or technical assistance provided by NRCS with additional funds to help achieve the project objectives.

Before closing the agreement, the partner must provide an assessment of the project costs and conservation effects.

NRCS will review partnership proposals according to the priorities identified in the announcement and make project selections. Upon selection of a partnership proposal, NRCS and the partner will enter into a partnership agreement through which the partner will complete the project objectives and provide assistance to producers in the project area. 

Training and Assistance

In August 2017, the RCPP national team hosted two webinars to discuss the RCPP full proposal requirements and the submission process and tool. CLICK HERE to download the RCPP webinar slides, which include portal screen shots and instructions.

View a recording of the August 3, 2017.