The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is offering this opportunity in the Glade-Raft-White Oak Creek and Lower White-Bayou Des Arc Mississippi River Basin Initiative project areas this fiscal year for a second time to help agricultural producers improve water quality in Arkansas. The USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is continuing its successful landscape-level water quality efforts with the Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative (MRBI).
“We have learned that when we partner with producers to deliver conservation practices to critical watersheds, we see a positive impact,” said NRCS State Conservationist in Arkansas Mike Sullivan. “Through these partnerships, we maximize the delivery of our conservation efforts which yields greater results to water quality and benefits the public, our natural resources and farmers’ bottom lines.”
NRCS accepts program applications on a continuous basis but sets dates to batch and rank applications as funding allows. Farmers and landowners in Arkansas who submit applications to their local NRCS office by March 24, 2023, will be considered for this round of funding. Applications received after March 24, 2023, will be considered in later funding periods, subject to funding availability.
Arkansas’s project areas are:
MRBI
Glade-Raft-White Oak Creek – Portions of White and Prairie County
Lower White-Bayou Des Arc – Portion of Prairie County
NRCS has strengthened focus on watershed assessment and partner engagement in priority small watersheds in fiscal years 2020, 2021, and 2022. Partners are encouraged to work with Arkansas NRCS for new project area interests.
All applications will be evaluated for funding based on local, state and nationally developed criteria to optimize environmental benefits. Applications ranking highest in a funding category will be funded according to priority and is subject to availability of program funds.
For more information, visit http://www.ar.nrcs.usda.gov/ or contact the local your local USDA Service Center.
All USDA Service Centers are open for business, including those that restrict in-person visits or require appointments. All Service Center visitors wishing to conduct business with NRCS or any other Service Center agency should call ahead and schedule an appointment.
Original source can be found here.
