Common practices producers have implemented under EQIP and CSP include prescribed grazing, cover crops, crop rotation and residue and tillage management
In short, this new IRA funding provides agriculture producers an economic boost to help take care of their piece of Texas and implement down to earth solutions that support agriculture and the environment. (Courtesy photo)
AUSTIN — Since 1996, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service’s (NRCS) Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) has been helping producers apply conservation practices that are environmentally beneficial to the land. Since then, NRCS has entered into hundreds of thousands of contracts and provided over $15 billion in financial assistance to help agricultural producers apply conservation practices.
For decades, producers across the nation have been helping to take care of the environment through the implementation of NRCS recommended conservation practices funded by EQIP and NRCS’s Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP). Common practices producers have implemented under EQIP and CSP include prescribed grazing, cover crops, crop rotation and residue and tillage management.
The agency has evaluated 25 years of program implementation and assessed opportunities to improve program administration and funding. For years, producers have been implementing conservation practices that made sense for their operation such as cover crops, nutrient management, range planting, and forest stand improvement. While each conservation practice delivered on-site benefits, the effects of those practices have been studied and it has been determined that those practices offer many offsite environmental benefits such as reduced emissions, increased soil carbon sequestration, reduction of nitrous oxide and methane emissions, both potent greenhouse gases. These NRCS recommended practices build resilience into producers’ ag operations, the nation’s food supply, the economy, and the environment.
What is Climate Smart Agriculture?
Climate Smart Ag is an agriculture operation management approach that considers natural resources and manages them in a way that is beneficial for the environment. This has been the backbone on which NRCS has been providing technical and financial assistance since 1935. The practices historically offered through EQIP and CSP are beneficial for the environment. They are considered “climate smart practices.” “Climate Smart” is another name for “environmentally conscious.”
Because science has proven that greenhouse gases, emissions and other things that contribute to ozone layer and environmental damage can be mitigated through natural means with conservation practices, landowners and managers are the ideal solution to help mitigate these issues. The more landowners that participate in EQIP and CSP and implement conservation practices that help deter environmental damage, the greater the potential for reversing or offsetting environmental damage.
Nobody is more in tune with the environment than agriculture producers. They operate in it every day. USDA NRCS recognizes that agriculture producers are not the problem – they are a large part of the solution. With nearly 130 million acres in ag production in Texas, there is a great deal of opportunity for producers to participate in programs that build environmental resiliency, boost the economy at the local, state, and national level, all while providing food and fiber that is so important in our everyday lives.
New Funding Available to Implement Climate Smart Ag
EQIP and CSP have traditionally been funded through the Farm Bill. There has always been a historically higher demand for these programs than funding could provide. In August 2022, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) was signed into law, providing billions in funding for voluntary agriculture conservation programs. Under IRA, EQIP will receive $8.45 billion and CSP $3.25 billion beginning in 2023 and last through 2026.
IRA funding through EQIP and CSP is specifically set aside for conservation practices that have been determined to be “climate smart agriculture and forestry” (CSAF) practices because of their scientifically proven ability to mitigate and improve damaged natural resources.
IRA funding allows for unprecedented opportunities to fund EQIP and CSP applications, getting more conservation on the ground than ever before. These are traditional EQIP and CSP practices that have received a funding boost from the IRA. The funds are designed to support climate-smart mitigation activities and other conservation activities that facilitate them. Examples of practices that can be funded include cover crops, residue management, brush management, prescribed grazing, pasture and hay planting, wildlife habitat planting, forest stand improvement and many more.
This funding not only helps producers accelerate their management and conservation goals on their operations and improve the environment, but it also boosts local economies. Every dollar of EQIP and CSP funds implemented at the local level has an economic multiplier effect of $4-6 dollars. As producers implement their EQIP and CSP contracts, they purchase equipment and supplies and employ contractors to accomplish conservation activities such as building a fence, creating a livestock pond, building a high tunnel and more.
In short, this new IRA funding provides agriculture producers an economic boost to help take care of their piece of Texas and implement down to earth solutions that support agriculture and the environment.
–USDA NRCS Texas