Huron, SD - The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced a historic $1.5 billion for 92 partner-driven conservation projects through the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP), a partner-driven approach to conservation that funds solutions to natural resource challenges on agricultural land. Partners will provide $968 million in contributions to amplify the impact of the federal investment. Coming in at first in the nation for most applications accepted, six South Dakota (SD) projects will receive $82.7 million in funding. Selected RCPP projects, including those in SD, will help farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners adopt and expand voluntary, locally led conservation strategies to enhance natural resources while tackling the climate crisis.

Today’s investment is made with funding available through the Farm Bill and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The IRA is part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s Investing in America Agenda and the largest investment in climate action and conservation in world history, which has enabled USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to boost funding for RCPP. In total, the IRA provides $19.5 billion to support USDA’s oversubscribed conservation programs, including $4.95 billion for RCPP.

“The Regional Conservation Partnership Program is an example of public-private partnership at its best,” said Tony Sunseri, State Conservationist in SD for USDA’s NRCS. “Thanks to the boost in funding from the Inflation Reduction Act, we are able to invest even more in this popular and important program and increase our conservation impact across the country, supporting our nation’s farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners while at the same time protecting our natural resources for the future.”

The NRCS also set aside $100 million for Tribal-led projects, part of a broader effort to support Tribes and Tribal producers through NRCS conservation programs. From this set aside, NRCS has made seven awards to five different tribes and tribal entities. 

By leveraging collective resources and collaborating on common goals, RCPP demonstrates the power of public-private partnerships in delivering results for agriculture and conservation.

In SD, project(s) include:  

• Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate 
  • Cultivating Sustainability: Developing a Crop Emissions and Sustainability Index for Enhanced Economic Potential on Sisseton Wahpeton Tribal Lands
  • $1,200,000.00
• South Dakota Second Century Habitat Fund Inc. 
  • Second Century Working Lands & Woody Habitat Program
  • $11,293,311.00
• Buffalo Nations Grasslands Alliance 
  • Native Nations Grassland Restoration in the Northern Great Plains
  • $4,957,317.00
• Pheasants Forever, Inc and Quail Forever 
  • Accelerating Prescribed Fire in South Dakota
  • $24,387,150.00
• The Nature Conservancy 
  • The Nature Conservancy RCPP Project in South Dakota
  • $19,664,000.00
• Intertribal Buffalo Council 
  • Tribal Buffalo Restoration in the Northern Great Plains Region
  • $21,250,000.00

The projects support priorities in conservation and climate and can save farmers money and increase productivity. For example, there are six projects that support use of innovative technologies to reduce enteric methane emissions in livestock, 16 projects that address water conservation in the West, ensuring producers and communities have the tools they need to adapt in the face of continued drought pressures, and 42 projects promote terrestrial wildlife habitat conservation and restoration, as directed by the recent USDA Secretarial memo: Conserving and Restoring Terrestrial Wildlife Habitat Connectivity and Corridors. 
See the list of all the 92 awarded projects here.

Projects are being awarded under both RCPP Classic and RCPP Alternative Funding Arrangements (AFA). The RCPP Classic projects are implemented using NRCS contracts and easements with producers, landowners, and communities in collaboration with project partners. Through RCPP AFA, the lead partner works directly with agricultural producers to support the development of innovative conservation approaches that would not otherwise be available under RCPP Classic.

To learn more, visit usda.gov.   

#