USDA invests in partnership projects

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced a $1.5 billion investment for 92 partner-driven conservation projects, including one in Illinois and Indiana, through the Regional Conservation Partnership Program.

Partners will provide $968 million in contributions to amplify the impact of the federal investment. Selected RCPP projects will help farmers, ranchers and forest landowners adopt and expand voluntary, locally led conservation strategies to enhance natural resources.

Illinois will receive $18.96 million in funding to reduce sedimentation to improve southern Illinois aquatic habitats in the Mississippi River Basin.

This Illinois project, in partnership with Ducks Unlimited Inc., will work to help producers in targeted southern Illinois watersheds reduce the amount of sediment moving through the watersheds and deposited in critical downstream aquatic habitats.

The goal of the Illinois project is to restore an anticipated 130 acres of wetlands and 977 acres of native vegetation buffers and implement 48,865 acres of no-till cover crops to reduce nitrogen and phosphorus runoff and sequester carbon.

Indiana will receive $15.75 million for the Wabash River RCPP project, in partnership with The Nature Conservancy.

The Wabash River RCPP will work to influence broad adoption of edge-of-field and in-field conservation practices for the central Wabash River Basin to address degraded water quality, inadequate habitat and necessary climate action.

This RCPP will achieve improved freshwater species diversity and density measured with an annual biological assessment at 44 sites. It will also work to influence positive trends in habitat quality measured with annual Qualitative Habitat Evaluation Index assessment at each of these 44 sites.

This investment is made with funding available through the farm bill and the Inflation Reduction Act. In total, the Inflation Reduction Act provides $19.5 billion to support USDA’s oversubscribed conservation programs, including $4.95 billion for RCPP.

“The Regional Conservation Partnership Program is an example of public-private partnership at its best,” said Tammy Willis, Natural Resources Conservation Service state conservationist in Illinois.

“Thanks to the boost in funding we’re able to invest even more in this popular and important program and increase our conservation impact across the country, supporting our nation’s farmers, ranchers and forest landowners while at the same time protecting our natural resources for the future,” said Damarys Mortenson, Indiana NRCS state conservationist.

“America’s working lands and forests are crucial in our fight against the climate crisis — from sequestering carbon pollution to absorbing the impact of storms and floods,” said John Podesta, senior adviser to the president for international climate policy.

“Today’s awards make sure that the people who know those landscapes best — farmers, ranchers and forest landowners — have the resources they need to lead this important work.”

The projects support priorities in conservation and climate and can save farmers money and increase productivity. For example, there are six projects that support use of innovative technologies to reduce enteric methane emissions in livestock.

There are also 16 projects that address water conservation in the West, ensuring producers and communities have the tools they need to adapt in the face of continued drought pressures.

And 42 projects promote terrestrial wildlife habitat conservation and restoration, as directed by the recent USDA secretarial memo, “Conserving and Restoring Terrestrial Wildlife Habitat Connectivity and Corridors.”

NRCS also set aside $100 million for tribal-led projects, part of a broader effort to support tribes and tribal producers through NRCS conservation programs.

By leveraging collective resources and collaborating on common goals, RCPP demonstrates the power of public-private partnerships in delivering results for agriculture and conservation. See the list of all the 92 awarded projects at https://tinyurl.com/RCPP-projects.

Projects are being awarded under both RCPP Classic and RCPP Alternative Funding Arrangements. RCPP Classic projects are implemented using NRCS contracts and easements with producers, landowners and communities in collaboration with project partners.

Through RCPP AFA, the lead partner works directly with agricultural producers to support the development of innovative conservation approaches that would not otherwise be available under RCPP Classic.