PA agriculture conservation programs 2024

Wednesday, September 27, 2023

The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is announcing fiscal year 2024 assistance opportunities for Pennsylvania agricultural producers and private landowners for key programs, such as the Agricultural Management Assistance (AMA) program, Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) Easements, and Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP).

Application Deadlines

• November 1, 2023: EQIP, RCPP, AMA, and ACEP

• January 1, 2024: CSP

Program Descriptions

• AMA helps agricultural producers manage financial risk through diversification, marketing, or natural resource conservation practices.

• CSP helps agricultural producers build on their existing conservation efforts while strengthening their operation.

• EQIP provides cost-share assistance for producers to use 170-plus conservation practices to address a wide variety of resource concerns.

• RCPP Land Management Contracts are available to provide cost-share assistance for on-the-ground conservation practices through a variety of RCPP Projects.

• RCPP Easements enable private landowners to protect agricultural and forest land habitat from development.

• ACEP Agricultural Land Easements (ALE) offer private landowners across Pennsylvania the ability to protect private agricultural land from development.

• ACEP Wetland Reserve Easements (WRE) facilitate the restoration and protection of wetlands on private land.

Benefits for Historically Underserved Producers

Special provisions are also available for historically underserved producers. For EQIP, historically underserved producers are eligible for advance payments and higher payment rates.

How to Apply

To participate in USDA conservation programs, applicants should be farmers or farm or forest landowners and must meet eligibility criteria. To take advantage of NRCS technical assistance and expertise or federally funded conservation on your farm or land, contact your local NRCS field office.