State Priorities
Wildlife Initiative: The purpose of the Wildlife Initiative is to help participants develop fish and wildlife habitat on private agricultural land, nonindustrial private forest land and Indian land. NRCS provides technical and financial assistance to landowners and others to develop or enhance upland, wetland, riparian, and aquatic habitat areas on their property.
Forestland Initiative: The 2008 Farm Bill placed increased emphasis on non-industrial private forestland that has been continued through the 2018 Farm Bill. The purpose of the Forestland Initiative is to focus on practices that will improve forest health; promote forest management; educate land users; and create enhance, and protect forestland bird habitat.
Southeast Kentucky Early Successional Habitat Initiative (SEKESH): The purpose of the Southeast Kentucky Early Successional Habitat Initiative is to establish fish and wildlife habitat on private agricultural land and nonindustrial private forestland in a highly forested area of the State with a large potential for early successional habitat improvement. Many wildlife species either depend on or greatly benefit from areas of young forest in proximity to older more mature forest stands. However, early successional habitats are generally lacking within the initiative area. Emphasis will be placed on forest stand improvement practices with the objective of creating or maintaining early successional forest habitat to benefit a suite of wildlife species. This initiative is available in the following Kentucky counties: Bell, Boyd, Breathitt, Carter, Clay, Elliott, Estill, Floyd, Greenup, Harlan, Jackson, Johnson, Knott, Knox, Laurel, Lawrence, Lee, Leslie, Letcher, Lewis, Magoffin, Martin, Menifee, Morgan, Owsley, Perry, Pike, Powell, Rockcastle, Rowan, Whitley, and Wolfe.
Manure Management: Through the Manure Management Initiative, Kentucky NRCS will assist Animal Feeding Operations (AFO) to manage waste generated by their livestock. The objective of this Initiative is to address water quality resource concerns created by the waste generated from AFOs. By offering financial assistance to construct storage facilities, this Initiative will improve water quality resources by providing waste storage during the winter months when the field conditions are not optimal for spreading waste. In addition to waste storage facilities, this Initiative will offer financial incentives for producers to spread the waste generated by their operations according to the recommendations in their Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plan (CNMP).
Conservation Activity Plans (CAPs): A Conservation Activity Plan or CAP can be developed for producers to identify conservation practices needed to address a specific natural resource need. Typically, these plans are specific to certain kinds of land use such as: transitioning to organic operations, grazing land and forest land. A CAP can also address a specific resource need, such nutrient management or a herbicide resistance issue. With a CAP plan, producers can then apply for financial assistance to implement the needed conservation practices. Kentucky offers special fund accounts for applicants interested in CAPs.
For more information see the National CAP Webpage.
Irrigation Water Management: Through the Irrigation Water Management Initiative, Kentucky NRCS will address the irrigation efficiency of existing irrigation systems on cropland. Applicants must have been irrigating with the current system for at least two of the last five years to meet the EQIP irrigation history requirement. Applicants will also be required to have an Irrigation Water Management Plan, written by an NRCS certified Technical Service Provider (TSP), an NRCS Employee that has been trained to write Irrigation Water Management Plans, or an outside source whose plan has been determined to meet NRCS requirements. The plan would need to document efficiency improvements that could be made to the existing system.
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