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*Biden-Harris Administration Announces Availability of Inflation Reduction Act Funding for Climate-Smart Agriculture Nationwide*

Producers and landowners in Maine should apply by March 17 for funding consideration this fiscal year

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*BANGOR, Maine*?? Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced this week that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is making funding available for agricultural producers and forest landowners nationwide to participate in voluntary conservation programs and adopt climate-smart practices. The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) provided an additional $19.5 billion over five years for climate smart agriculture through several of the conservation programs that USDA?s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) implements. NRCS is making available $850 million in Fiscal Year 2023 for its oversubscribed conservation programs: the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP) and Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP).

*Maine is slated for more than $3.5 million in IRA allocations for Fiscal Year 2023 financial and technical assistance under its signature conservation programs through the NRCS.*

?The Inflation Reduction Act provided a once-in-a-generation investment in conservation on working lands, and we want to work with agricultural and forest landowners to invest in climate-smart practices that create value and economic opportunities for producers,? said Vilsack, who spoke Monday at the National Association of Conservation Districts annual meeting. ?We know that agriculture plays a critical role in the nation?s effort to address climate change, and we?re using this funding to bolster our existing programs, maximize climate benefits, and foster other environmental benefits across the landscape.?

Nationally the IRA funding includes an additional $8.45 billion for EQIP, $4.95 billion for RCPP, $3.25 billion for CSP, and $1.4 billion for ACEP. The increased funding levels begin in Fiscal Year 2023 and rapidly build over four years. These additional investments are estimated to help hundreds of thousands of farmers and ranchers apply conservation to millions of acres of land. Additionally, the IRA provides $300 million to quantify carbon sequestration and greenhouse gases (GHG) through the collection and use of field-based data to assess conservation outcomes. Information gained through this effort will be used to improve practices and technical assistance to customers. Further guidance on this important work will be provided as the implementation of this portion of the IRA continues.

These 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. To ensure we can quantify the benefits of these IRA investments, NRCS is working to support Department-wide work on Measurement, Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MMRV). The IRA provided targeted funding to support this effort. In administering the Inflation Reduction Act climate investments, USDA will also support other environmental co-benefits, including ? among other things ? water conservation, wildlife habitat improvements, and reducing runoff.

_How to Apply_
*NRCS accepts producer applications for its conservation programs year-round, but producers interested in EQIP or CSP should apply by March 17, 2023, for funding consideration in the current cycle.*?Funding is provided through a competitive process and will include an opportunity to address the unmet demand from producers who have previously sought funding for climate-smart conservation activities.

For more information contact your?local NRCS Field Office in Maine [ [link removed] ].

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