Federal Cost Share Programs for Habitat Development

USDA/NRCS
Conservation Reserve Program (CRP)
Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP)
Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program (WHIP)
Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP)

US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS)
Partners for Wildlife

Pending Legislation
Conservation Security Act

USDA/NRCS

Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) http://www.fsa.usda.gov/dafp/cepd/12crplogo/tableof.htm

Under the “new” CRP, erosion control remains a top priority, but now water quality and wildlife habitat improvement are also emphasized. Continuous sign-up is available to farmers implementing special projects such as filter strips, riparian buffer strips, windbreaks, and wildlife habitat plantings (hedgerows could be included in these categories). Participating farmers must sign up for a minimum of 10 years (with an option to renew for an additional 5 years) and develop a conservation plan that takes certain acres out of production. In return, the farmer receives annual rental payments on the land from the government, up to $50,000 per person per year. Participating farmers can also apply for 50% cost share on implementation of conservation practices agreed to in the conservation program (15). For more information, contact your local Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) office.

Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP) http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/NRCSProg.html#Anchor-Environmental

This program supports implementation of conservation plans that include structural, vegetative, and land management practices on eligible land. Five- to ten-year contracts are made with eligible producers. Cost-share payments (up to 75%, $10,000 maximum/year, $50,000 maximum/contract), may be made to implement one or more eligible structural or vegetative practices, such as animal waste management facilities, terraces, filter strips, tree planting, and permanent wildlife habitat. These plans are developed in cooperation with NRCS and approved by the Farm Service Administration County committee. Incentive payments can be made to implement one or more land management practices, such as nutrient management, pest management, and grazing land management. For more information, contact your local Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) office.

Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP) http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/whip/

Similar in many ways to the EQIP program, WHIP is a voluntary program for people who want to develop and improve wildlife habitat primarily on private lands. NRCS offers both technical assistance and cost-share payments to help establish and improve fish and wildlife habitat. The cost-share agreement generally lasts from 5 to 10 years from the date the agreement is signed. NRCS will pay up to 75 percent of the cost of installing the wildlife habitat practices as long as NRCS or its agent has access to monitor the effectiveness of the practices. NRCS helps participants prepare a wildlife habitat development plan in consultation with the local conservation district. The plan describes the landowner’s goals for improving wildlife habitat, includes a list of practices and a schedule for installing them, and details the steps necessary to maintain the habitat for the life of the agreement. This plan may or may not be part of a larger conservation plan that addresses other resource needs such as water quality and soil erosion.

Wetlands Reserve Program
http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/wrp/

For additional information about the Wetlands Reserve Program, which may have some applicability to farmscaping, please visit the website or call your local NRCS office.

US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS)

Partners for Wildlife
http://partners.fws.gov/index.htm

The Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program (formerly named the Partners for Wildlife program) is a proactive, voluntary program of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that provides technical and financial assistance to private (non-federal) landowners to voluntarily restore wetlands and other fish and wildlife habitats on their land. The program emphasizes the reestablishment of native vegetation and ecological communities for the benefit of fish and wildlife in concert with the needs and desires of private landowners. The Service also enlists the assistance of a wide variety of other partners to help restore wildlife habitat on private lands. These partners include other federal agencies, tribes, state and local governments, conservation organizations, academic institutions, businesses and industries, school groups, and private individuals.

The USFWS provides financial and technical assistance to private landowners through voluntary cooperative agreements. Landowners agree to maintain restoration projects as specified in the agreement, but retain full control of the land. Depending on the project, landowners can apply for cost share on up to 50% of the expense of implementing the plan. Landowners and national, state, and local organizations can serve as partners with the USFWS in carrying out restoration work on private lands.

This pending draft legislation, being considered for passage in 2001, may have significant opportunities for farms to implement sustainable practices in the future. Due to the nature of this legislation, we felt it important to include draft language of the legislation in this document to provide sustainable agriculture practitioners with information about a possible future resource.

Conservation Security Act 2000

Summary: The Conservation Security Act (CSA) of 2000 provides financial assistance to help farmers and ranchers find viable solutions to agricultural, environmental, and economic concerns. The CSA rewards producers for good stewardship in appreciation of the many nonmarket environmental and social benefits that these practices provide society. The Act balances federal funding for conservation on working lands with existing funding for land retirement, providing farmers access to payments for whole-farm resource planning.

Conservation Purposes: The Conservation Security Program (CSP) created by the CSA addresses the full range of conservation concerns related to agriculture, including:

• conservation of soil, water, energy, and other related resources
• soil, water, and air quality protection and improvement
• on-farm conservation and regeneration of plant germplasm
• wetland and wildlife habitat restoration, conservation, and enhancement
• greenhouse gas emissions reduction and carbon sequestration
• and other similar conservation goals

Participation: Participation in the program stipulates that land practices must achieve resource and environmental benefits, but does not require the removal of land from production. Practices do not need to be newly introduced to the farm/ranch; producers can be rewarded for good stewardship practices implemented prior to enrollment in the CSP. Participants are responsible for developing conservation security plans that identify targeted resources, practices, and implementation schedules. Participants are granted maximum flexibility for choosing land management, vegetative, and structural practices suitable for individual farms. In certain instances, the plan may include an on-farm research or demonstration component.

Tiers: Participants have the choice of enrolling in one of three tiers:

• Tier I participants address priority resource concerns on all or part of their farms/ranches. Practices may include soil and residue management, nutrient management, pest management, irrigation management, grazing management, wildlife habitat management, contour farming, strip cropping, cover cropping, and related practices.
• Tier II participants address priority resource concerns on the whole farm/ranch and meet applicable resource management system criteria. Tier II practices entail adoption of land use adjustment practices such as resource-conserving crop rotations, rotational grazing, conversion to soil-conserving practices, installing conservation buffer practices, restoration of wildlife habitats, prairies, and/or wetlands, and other related practices.
• Tier III participants satisfy the requirements of tiers I and II, while integrating land use practices into a whole-farm, total-resource approach that fosters long-term sustainability of the resource base.

Payment and Eligibility: Payments are based on the natural resource and environmental benefits expected from plan implementation, the number and timing of management practices established, income forgone due to land use adjustments, costs related to on-farm research, and several other factors. Bonuses are also offered to beginning farmers, joint participation by operators within a small watershed, and plans that optimize carbon sequestration and minimizes greenhouse gas emissions. Payments may not exceed $20,000, $35,000, and $50,000 for Tier I, II, and III contracts, respectively.

Funding: The program is funded out of the Commodity Credit Corporation and all eligible producers will receive contract payments for the requisite number of years. CCC funding is also provided for technical assistance, education and outreach, and monitoring and evaluation.