Think of it as consulting.
Technical assistance, according to Mark Green, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service district conservationist based in Springfield, Mo., is the basis for all of the familiar NRCS voluntary cost-share programs. NRCS both provides the technical aid and administers the programs, and the producer has to have a plan in place before becoming program eligible. “We’ll go out on the farm or the ranch with the landowner, look at what they’ve got as far as soils, forages and crops, and at what they want to do and what their goals are. Then, we’ll give them ideas to reach those goals and protect the resources at the same time, and put that into a plan with them,” Green told Ozarks Farm and Neighbor.
The plans can involve preservation of any resources; that includes water quality, waste management, grazing, grasslands, forestry and wildlife. Green said they’ll get assistance from state wildlife personnel for the latter, and they’ve partnered with the Soil and Water Conservation Districts since his agency was founded 76 years ago as the Soil Conservation Service. In addition, NRCS has a lot of their own people on the ground. “In every field office, which would be about every county, we’ve got one or two people to help,” he said, adding some of their personnel are certified to write nutrient management plans.
Once the plan has been written and judged to be sound, the producer can use it to seek program help from NRCS. Among the most popular programs is the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), which can provide cost sharing on practices like installing an animal waste system, fencing and a water source for a grazing system, or woodland protection. Green said, “The main practices there would be stream buffers, like riparian corridor buffers, which could include tree planting and fencing. If that’s their primary livestock water, there might be a possibility of replacing that with some other water sources to water the livestock and get them out of the stream.”
Another program sought by many producers is the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), an incentive program for producers who are already doing conservation work; they’re offered five-year contracts to maintain and enhance their practices. One common enhancement is monitoring the grazing system. “For five years, they have to take pictures of their different pastures annually, assess their pasture each year and keep records,” Green said. “Another (activity) that we use a lot is rotating your supplement areas, feeding mineral and hay.” Green estimated the number of approved enhancements at about 200; as an example, crop producers can get assistance for installing new spray nozzles in order to reduce pressure and drift.
A third program, the Conservation Reserve or CRP, is managed by the Farm Service Agency and is primarily for cropland, but also offers contracts to place buffer strips and other small parcels of sensitive land under grass or trees in exchange for an annual payment. Green said, “We would go out and do the planning with them – see what they want to do, give them ideas, put it into a plan, and fit that into what can help on the program. The plan is required first. They can sign up any time and when FSA accepts the application, we have that all put together with the landowner to submit; it’s on a point system, so they compete with others that sign up.” Since it’s a 10-year contract, NRCS continues to work with the landowner over the years to put the plan in place.
As to whether they can provide technical assistance in a timely fashion, Green said, “We do the best we can. There’s a budget and like anybody, we’ve been cut back on staff through the years… We get out there as soon as we can, but sometimes we have to put folks on a waiting list.” He encouraged anyone interested in an NRCS program to contact their local field office and get more information – and, if they’re not already in USDA’s system, to enroll their farm so a number can be assigned to it. “That’s a big first step no matter what you’re going to do,” he said, “because sometimes that can delay signups.”
