LITTLE ROCK, April 1, 2020 – Farmers and landowners in six USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) projects in Arkansas have until May 15, 2020, to submit applications to receive financial assistance to implement conservation activities.
The RCPP projects and counties are:
- East Fork Cadron Creek: portions of Faulkner County
- West Fork White River: portions of Washington County
- Bayou Meto Lower: portions of Pulaski and Lonoke counties
- Little Red River Water Improvement Project: White County
- Carroll County White River: Carroll County
- North Arkansas Quail Focal Landscape: Benton, Washington, Carroll, Madison, Boone, Newton, Marion, Searcy, Baxter, Stone, Fulton, Izard, Sharp and Randolph counties
Individuals and other entities actively engaged in agricultural production are eligible to participate in RCPP- Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). RCPP-EQIP offers a continuous application sign-up. However, to be considered for funding, applications must be received by May 15. Applicants can sign up for the 2020 program year by contacting their local USDA NRCS field service center.
“RCPP is a unique program that leverages non-federal investments brought by conservation partners to accelerate conservation in selected project areas,” said Arkansas NRCS State Conservationist Mike Sullivan. “This approach helps us maximize use of our collective resources to address locally identified concerns.”
All applications will be evaluated for funding based on how well they align with project priorities using procedures to optimize environmental benefits. Applications ranking highest in a funding category will be funded according to priority and is subject to availability of program funds.
All USDA Service Centers, including those with NRCS field offices, are not currently accessible to customers in person. NRCS staff are working with customers through phone, mail and online communications, and field work continues with appropriate social distancing to help producers with conservation planning and financial assistance through Farm Bill programs.
Online services are available to customers with an eAuth account, which provides access to the farmers.gov portal where producers can view USDA farm loan information and payments and view and track certain USDA program applications and payments. Customers who do not already have an eAuth account can enroll at farmers.gov/sign-in. Online NRCS services are available to customers through the Conservation Client Gateway link which can be found at www.nrcs.usda.gov. Customers can track payments, report completed practices, request conservation assistance and electronically sign documents.
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.
For more information about RCPP in Arkansas, visit https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/ar/programs/farmbill/rcpp/ or contact by phone your local USDA/NRCS Field Service Center.
Press Release (373 KB; PDF)
