NRCS Missouri Offers Funding Opportunities for Farmers and Landowners

USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Missouri invites qualifying farmers and landowners to apply to receive technical and financial assistance through the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP). Funding is available for seven regional partnership projects. Applications must be received by November 29, 2024 to be considered for this round of funding. 
The RCPP projects and associated counties with projects are: 
 Program Restoring & Improving Monarch Ecosystems (PRIME) (Andrew, Atchison, Benton, Buchanan, Caldwell, Carroll, Cass, Clay, Clinton, Daviess, DeKalb, Gentry, Grundy, Harrison, Henry, Holt, Jackson, Johnson, Lafayette, Livingston, Mercer, Nodaway, Pettis, Platte, Ray, Saline and Worth counties): This project aims to increase monarch and pollinator habitat in Northwest Missouri through land management practices, with emphasis on prescribed burning and short-term land rental payments. PRIME will target lands currently enrolled in and expiring from Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), enhancing monarch habitat by maintaining and restoring diverse native plant communities. Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever are the lead partners on this project. 
 Precision Farm Data & Strategic Buffer Project (Chariton, Lafayette, Linn, Macon, Pettis, Randolph and Saline counties): This project focuses on utilizing on-farm yield data to identify non-profitable or marginal cropland acres to strategically establish field borders, pollinator habitat, wetlands and more to maximize profitability while improving water quality and wildlife habitat. The Missouri Department of Conservation is the lead partner on this project. 
 Sand Prairie Restoration Partnership Program (Butler, Dunklin, Mississippi, New Madrid, Pemiscot, Scott and Stoddard counties): This project focuses on the restoration and protection of sand prairie communities on private land through voluntary perpetual easements. Perpetual easements will help protect this critically endangered native community, providing essential habitat for multiple threatened and endangered species. The Missouri Department of Conservation is the lead partner on this project. 
 Missouri Targeted Conservation (portions of Audrain, Bates, Boone, Bollinger, Caldwell, Callaway, Cape Girardeau, Carroll, Chariton, Clinton, Cole, Cooper, Daviess, DeKalb, Dunklin, Gasconade, Gentry, Grundy, Harrison, Howard, Jefferson, Johnson, Lafayette, Livingston, Macon, Mercer, Miller, Moniteau, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, New Madrid, Osage, Pemiscot, Pettis, Randolph, Ray, Saline, Scott, Shelby, St. Francois, St. Louis, Ste. Genevieve, Stoddard, Vernon, and Worth counties): This project aims to identify areas within a watershed where identified conservation practices can achieve the most economically efficient loss reductions for sediment, nutrients, and pathogens into waterways. The Blackwater, Cahokia-Joachim, South Fork Salt, Little Osage, Thompson, Upper Grand, Little River Ditches, and Lower Missouri-Moreau watersheds have been identified as the Missouri focus areas. The Missouri Department of Natural Resources is the lead partner on this project. 
 Increasing On-Farm Resilience to Drought and Flood in Missouri (all Missouri counties with priority in Benton, Boone, Callaway, Cole, Cooper, Henry, Howard, Johnson, Lafayette, Miller, Moniteau, Morgan, Pettis and Saline counties): This project aims to improve Missouri's agricultural sustainability. This will be done by implementing management practices that allow farming operations to become more resilient to the impacts of weather extremes such as drought and flooding. The goals of the proposed practices are to aid in improving soil health, increasing both forage diversity and water delivery capacity to livestock, and reducing the loss of sediment, nutrients, and pathogens from farm fields. The Missouri Department of Natural Resources is the lead partner on this project. 
 James River Headwaters RCPP (Greene & Webster counties): This project aims to support the protection of clean drinking water, improve the local farming community, and assist municipalities in meeting federal water quality requirements and improve aquatic ecosystem within the James River Headwaters. To accomplish this, this project is emphasizing practices like riparian buffers, rotational grazing, and soil health. The Watershed Committee of the Ozarks Inc. is the lead partner on this project. 
 Improving Grassland Health and Connecting Resilient Lands RCPP (Cedar, Harrison, St. Clair, and Vernon counties): This project aims to see a more sustainable forage production and positive trend in in wildlife diversity and abundance, specifically in Prairie Chicken populations. This will be accomplished by implementing grassland and grazing management practices to meet project goals. The Nature Conservancy is the lead partner on this project. 
RCPP promotes coordination of NRCS conservation activities with partners that offer value-added contributions to expand our collective ability to address on-farm, watershed, and regional natural resource concerns. Through RCPP, NRCS seeks to co-invest with partners to implement projects that demonstrate innovative solutions to conservation challenges and provide measurable improvements and outcomes tied to the resource concerns they seek to address. 
Individuals and entities are eligible to participate in RCPP. RCPP offers a continuous application sign-up. However, to be considered for this round of funding, applications must be received by November 29, 2024. Applicants can sign-up by contacting their local USDA-NRCS Field Office. 
For more information, contact your local Field Office at Find Your Local Service Center | Farmers.gov. To learn more about RCPP, visit our website Regional Conservation Partnership Program | Natural Resources Conservation Service.