Conservation Implementation Strategy (CIS) Project Yankton County Rangeland Improvement Project will soon be underway in Yankton County, SD, serving the community and improving land quality. This 3-year project is one of 11 selected in Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 and is federally-funded through the NRCS Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) through the 2018 Farm Bill. The purpose of this project is to assist landowners to implement better grazing management by completing rotational/prescribed grazing, and controlling and managing unwanted, invasive species. Farmers, ranchers, and landowners within the project areas are eligible to apply for financial assistance.
The final day to apply for consideration for this FY is January 6, 2023. The NRCS conservation specialists and partners are coordinating these projects throughout the state. Through collectively focusing expertise and resources on the highest priority resource concerns in the highest priority areas, CIS projects can yield the most impressive returns. Collaborative funding and support from other agencies and groups create a coordinated community effort and focus on mutual issues of concern. The Yankton County Rangeland Improvement Project has partnered with the Yankton County Conservation District to promote conservation practices on rangeland which will include prescribed grazing, cross-fencing, livestock pipeline, watering facility, heavy use area protection, brush management (cedar control), prescribed burning, and wells. Project sponsors identified rangeland health and invasive species (cedar invasion) as resource concerns and developed this CIS project to address the situation.
“Improving rangeland and involving producers at the local level supports long-term rangeland sustainability,” says Dan Mehlhaf, NRCS District Conservationist, in Yankton, SD.
To apply to be a part of this project, please contact your local NRCS Service Center at www.nrcs.usda.gov/contact/find-a-service-center, or contact Dan Mehlhaf, NRCS District Conservationist, at daniel.mehlhaf@usda.gov or (605) 665-2662. For more information on the CIS in SD, or if you have ideas for a project, visit www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs-initiatives/eqip-environmental-quality-incentives/south-dakota/south-dakota-conservation, or contact Jeff Vander Wilt, Assistant State Conservationist for Programs, at jeffrey.vanderwilt@usda.gov or (605) 352-1226.
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