The Missouri USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is now accepting applications for accelerated Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) ACT NOW funding to help support urban conservation and build climate resiliency within urban spaces.
These additional opportunities will help agricultural producers in the St. Louis Urban Hub make best use of their natural resources, where agricultural production is often limited by competing land uses and higher costs of utilization. Urban and small farm agriculture includes the cultivation, processing, and distribution of agricultural products in urban and suburban areas as well as the improvement of forestland for production and wildlife benefit. This targeted sign-up is for producers who operate farms in the St. Louis Urban Hub. See boundary map for more information.
St. Louis Urban Hub Map (417.16 KB)
Urban and small farmers provide critical access to healthy food for local communities, as well as jobs, increased green spaces, and closer community ties. While this sign-up is limited in scope, NRCS is looking to expand urban agriculture and small farm conservation to other areas of Missouri in the future. For these types of operations and this sign-up, NRCS offers technical and financial assistance to support conservation practices.
How to Apply
NRCS in Missouri will accept applications until Aug. 1, 2023, for the EQIP St. Louis Urban Hub Initiative. Applications submitted prior to Aug.1, 2023, will be assessed and ranked as soon as the applicant has made treatment decisions through a conservation plan.
Based on fund availability, eligible applications that meet a minimum threshold will be preapproved immediately, allowing the applicant to ACT NOW. Application assessments below the minimum threshold will be batched and funded in ranking order as funding allows.
For more information about NRCS programs and assistance, visit www.mo.nrcs.usda.gov or contact Sarah Szachnieski, NRCS Urban Conservationist at (314) 457-4746 or sarah.szachnieski@usda.gov.
Original source can be found here.
