Sustainable Farming Funding Available
See the James River Partnership Program (RCPP) underlined below and call the Watershed office at (417) 866-1127 for more information!
The following was published by the USDA – Natural Resource Conservation Service regarding upcoming easement opportunities for landowners looking to improve their practices. Applications must be received by Nov. 17, 2023, to be considered for this round of funding.
View the press release in full here.
Missouri Offers Funding Opportunities for Farmers and Landowners Through Seven Regional Partnership Projects
The RCPP projects and associated counties are:
- Program Restoring & Improving Monarch Ecosystems (PRIME) (Andrew, Atchison, Benton, Buchanan, Caldwell, Carroll, Cass, Clay, Clinton, Daviess, DeKalb, Gentry, Grundy, Harrison, Henry, Holt, Jackson, Johnson, Lafayette, Livingston, Mercer, Nodaway, Pettis, Platte, Ray, Saline and Worth counties):
This project aims to increase monarch and pollinator habitat in Northwest Missouri through land management practices, with an emphasis on prescribed burning and short-term land rental payments. PRIME will target lands currently enrolled in and expiring from Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), enhancing monarch habitat by maintaining and restoring diverse native plant communities. Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever are the lead partners on this project. - Precision Farm Data & Strategic Buffer Project (Chariton, Lafayette, Linn, Macon, Pettis, Randolph and Saline counties):
This project focuses on utilizing on-farm yield data to identify non-profitable or marginal cropland acres to strategically establish field borders, pollinator habitat, wetlands and more to maximize profitability while improving water quality and wildlife habitat. The Missouri Department of Conservation is the lead partner on this project. - Restoring Glade and Woodland Communities for Threatened Species in the Ozarks of Southeast Missouri (Bollinger, Butler, Carter, Iron, Madison, Oregon, Perry, Reynolds, Ripley, Shannon, St. Francois, St. Genevieve and Wayne counties):
This project focuses on the restoration of glade, woodland and forest habitats on private land for at-risk species such as the Indiana Bat, Gray Bat, Mead’s Milkweed, Hine’s Emerald Dragonfly, Ozark Hellbender and the Grotto Sculpin. Practices that protect subsurface water quality will be implemented in the Karst area of Perry County to protect the Grotto Sculpin. The Missouri Department of Conservation is the lead partner on this project. - Sand Prairie Restoration Partnership Program (Butler, Dunklin, Mississippi, New Madrid, Pemiscot, Scott and Stoddard counties):
This project focuses on the restoration and protection of sand prairie communities on private land through voluntary perpetual easements. Perpetual easements will help protect this critically endangered native community, providing essential habitat for multiple threatened and endangered species. The Missouri Department of Conservation is the lead partner on this project. For more information about this project, contact Joe Tousignant at [email protected] or (573)755-6072. Note: A prior press release incorrectly included Scotland County in this project. This press release lists the correct counties in the project. - Missouri Targeted Conservation (portions of Audrain, Bates, Boone, Bollinger, Caldwell, Callaway, Cape Girardeau, Carroll, Chariton, Clinton, Cole, Cooper, Daviess, DeKalb, Dunklin, Gasconade, Gentry, Grundy, Harrison, Howard, Jefferson, Johnson, Lafayette, Livingston, Macon, Mercer, Miller, Moniteau, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, New Madrid, Osage, Pemiscot, Pettis, Randolph, Ray, Saline, Scott, Shelby, St. Francois, St. Louis, Ste. Genevieve, Stoddard, Vernon and Worth counties):
This project aims to identify areas within a watershed where identified conservation practices can achieve the most economically efficient loss reductions for sediment, nutrients and pathogens into waterways. The Blackwater, Cahokia-Joachim, South Fork Salt, Little Osage, Thompson, Upper Grand, Little River Ditches and Lower Missouri-Moreau watersheds have been identified as the Missouri focus areas. The Missouri Department of Natural Resources is the lead partner on this project. - James River Headwaters RCPP (Greene & Webster counties):
This project aims to support the protection of clean drinking water, improve the local farming community and assist municipalities in meeting federal water quality requirements and improve aquatic ecosystem within the James River Headwaters. To accomplish this, this project is emphasizing practices like riparian buffers, rotational grazing and soil health. The Watershed Committee of the Ozarks Inc. is the lead partner on this project. - East Locust Creek Source Water Protection Project (Sullivan & Putnam counties):
This project aims to prevent nonpoint source runoff from entering the East Locust Creek Reservoir (ELCR). The North Central Missouri Regional Water Commission is the lead partner on this project.
Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP)
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.
More information
Contact your local Field Office at https://www.farmers.gov/working-with-us/service-center-locator. To learn more about RCPP, visit our website www.mo.nrcs.usda.gov.
