NRCS provides farmers, ranchers and forest managers with free technical assistance, or advice, for their land. Common technical assistance includes: resource assessment, practice design and resource monitoring. The conservation planner will help you determine if financial assistance is right for you. Technical assistance is also available online through
Conservation Client Gateway.
Visit
NRCS website for more information.
Environmental Quality Incentives Program Grants are available for best management practices and conservation on private, non-industrial forestland and agricultural lands. Financial assistance is available to help plan and implement conservation practices that address natural resource concerns and for opportunities to improve soil, water, plant, animal, air and related resources on agricultural land and non-industrial private forestland. In addition, EQIP can help producers meet Federal, State, Tribal and local environmental regulations.
Eligible Applicants: Owners of land in agricultural or forest production or persons who are engaged in livestock, agricultural or forest production on eligible land and that have a natural resource concern on the land
Funding Available: Financial and technical assistance to agricultural and forestland producers through contracts up to 10 years. Not to exceed $300,000 for all EQIP contracts entered into during any six-year period. If NRCS determines project has special environmental significance the payment limitation is a maximum of $450,000.
Conservation Stewardship ProgramCSP helps agricultural producers maintain and improve their existing conservation systems and adopt additional conservation activities to address priority resources concerns. Through CSP, participants take additional steps to improve resource condition including soil quality, water quality, water quantity, air quality, and habitat quality, as well as energy. Participants earn CSP payments for conservation performance - the higher the performance, the higher the payment.
Wetlands Reserve EasementsWRE provides habitat for fish and wildlife, including threatened and endangered species, improve water quality by filtering sediments and chemicals, reduce flooding, recharge groundwater, protect biological diversity and provide opportunities for educational, scientific and limited recreational activities.
NRCS also provides technical and financial assistance directly to private landowners and Indian tribes to restore, protect, and enhance wetlands through the purchase of a wetland reserve easement.
Agricultural Land Easements ALE is designed to protect the long-term viability of the nation’s food supply by preventing conversion of productive working lands to non-agricultural uses. Land protected by agricultural land easements provides additional public benefits, including environmental quality, historic preservation, wildlife habitat and protection of open space.
Emergency Watershed Protection The EWP program was set up by Congress to respond to emergencies created by natural disasters. The United States Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service is responsible for administering the program. EWP is designed to relieve imminent hazards to life and property caused by floods, fires, windstorms, and other natural occurrences. It is not necessary for a national emergency to be declared for an area to be eligible for assistance. Activities include providing financial and technical assistance to remove debris from streams, protect destabilized streambanks, establish cover on critically eroding lands, repairing conservation practices, and the purchase of flood plain easements. The purpose of EWP is to help groups of people with a common problem. EWP is generally not an individual assistance program. All projects undertaken must be sponsored by a political subdivision of the State, such as a city, county, general improvement district or conservation district, or by a tribal government.
Other NRCS ProgramsThere are other NRCS programs that are specific to Oregon geographic areas - Wildfire Rehabilitation Initiative, Organic Initiative, drought funding, and restoration funding.
Anyone applying for EQIP or any of the other NRCS grants for the first time should schedule a meeting with NRCS to discuss their options before moving forward.