Agricultural Management Assistance (AMA)

Providing costshare payments to agricultural producers to voluntarily address issues such as water management, water quality, and erosion control by incorporating conservation into their farming operations

AMA is available in 15 states where participation in the Federal Crop Insurance Program is historically low: Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has leadership for the conservation provisions of AMA. The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is responsible for an organic certification costshare program. The Risk Management Agency (RMA) is responsible for mitigation of financial risk through an insurance costshare program.

Under AMA, producers may build or improve water management structures or irrigation structures; plant trees for windbreaks or to improve water quality; and mitigate risk through production diversification or resource conservation practices, including soil erosion control, integrated pest management, or transition to organic farming.

Application and Financial Information
Applicants may request AMA assistance at any time by submitting an application to the local NRCS or conservation district office. The application (form CCC1200) is available at the local USDA Service Center or on the Web at www.sc.egov.usda.gov.

A conservation plan is required for the area covered in the application and becomes the basis for developing the AMA contract. NRCS will work with the landowner to develop a conservation plan. Landowners must agree to maintain costshared practices for the life of the practice. Contracts are for 3 to 10 years. Incentives payments are permitted under AMA.

The NRCS state conservationist, in consultation with the State Technical Committee, will determine eligible structural and/or vegetative conservation practices using a locally led process. The federal costshare is 75 percent of the cost of an eligible practice. Participants will be paid based upon certification of completion of the approved practice.

AMA is budgeted at $20 million per year. The total AMA payments (from NRCS, AMS, and RMA) shall not exceed $50,000 per participant for any fiscal year.

Eligibility, Uses, and Restrictions
Applicants must own or control the land and agree to implement specific eligible conservation practices. Applicants must meet the Food Security Act s definition of "person." Eligible land includes:

Cropland
Hayland
Pasture and rangeland
Land used for subsistence purposes

Other land (such as forestland) that produces crops or livestock where risk may be mitigated through operation diversification or change in resource conservation practices

Contact
The NRCS or the local conservation district can provide more information. The USDA Service Center is listed in the telephone book under U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Internet
www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/ama/

Last Updated January 24, 2005