NRCS Announces 2023 Sign-Ups Using Inflation Reduction Act Funding for Climate-Smart Agriculture through EQIP

Temple, February 24, 2023 — The USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Texas announced Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 sign-ups using Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) funding through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP).  IRA funds will provide direct climate mitigation benefits and will expand access to financial and technical assistance for producers to advance conservation on their farm, ranch or forest land through practices like cover cropping, conservation tillage, wetland restoration, prescribed grazing, nutrient management, tree planting and more.EQIP provides financial and technical assistance to agricultural producers and forest landowners to address natural resource concerns.  NRCS works one-on-one with producers to develop a conservation plan that outlines conservation practices and activities to help solve on-farm resource issues. Producers implement practices and activities in their conservation plan that can lead to cleaner water and air, healthier soil and better wildlife habitat, all while improving their agricultural operations.IRA-EQIP will offer 39 core conservation practices that directly improve soil carbon, reduce nitrogen losses, or that reduce, capture, avoid, or sequester carbon dioxide, methane, or nitrous oxide emissions, associated with agricultural production.Texas NRCS will consider IRA-EQIP applications received by May 19, 2023, for the FY2023 funding opportunity.In FY2023, IRA-EQIP will be offered to Federally Recognized Tribes that have land in Texas, as well as the following counties:Applying for Assistance
The NRCS accepts applications for its conservation programs year-round however, applications must be submitted by the dates above to be considered for funding in FY2023. Applications received after the above will be automatically deferred to the next funding period. Producers, landowners, and forest managers interested in applying for assistance should contact the local NRCS Field Office. Applicants are encouraged to schedule an appointment with their local FSA County Office when applying for NRCS programs to establish or update records. Local NRCS Field Offices and FSA County Offices can be located using the USDA Service Center Locator (https://offices.sc.egov.usda.gov/locator/app).