The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Texas announced fiscal year (FY) 2025 financial assistance opportunities for famers and agricultural landowners through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP).

NRCS will accept applications through Nov. 8 for FY 2025 EQIP funding opportunities.

Texas NRCS will use the ACT NOW process for some EQIP funding pools. Through ACT NOW, NRCS can immediately approve and obligate a ranked application when an eligible application meets or exceeds a determined minimum ranking score.

EQIP provides financial and technical assistance to farmers and forest landowners to address natural resource concerns.  NRCS works one-on-one with farmers to develop a conservation plan that outlines conservation practices and activities to help solve on-farm resource issues. Farmers 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.

Inflation Reduction Act (IRA)-EQIP will offer 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.

EQIP-Conservation Incentive Contracts (CIC) expands resource benefits for Texas farmers through incentive conservation practices such as wildlife management, cover crops, nutrient management, conservation crop rotations, and prescribed grazing. Additionally, EQIP-CIC allows farmers to target priority resource concerns on their property by offering incentive payments for a five-year contract without needing to enroll the entire operation into the program. EQIP-CIC is designed to be a stepping-stone between EQIP and the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), to help farmers improve their level of conservation and earn benefits of longer-term conservation enhancements.

Landowners can also choose to apply for financial assistance to get help installing the conservation practices outlined in their voluntary conservation plan through any one of the programs mentioned above. Through farm bill programs, NRCS provides technical and financial assistance to help farmers and landowners make conservation improvements on their land that benefit natural resources, build resiliency, and contribute to the nation’s broader effort to combat the impacts of climate change.

Applying for Assistance
Interested farmers should submit applications to their local NRCS office by Nov. 8, 2024, to be considered for the 2025 ranking funding period. Visit the NRCS Texas Website for more details about EQIP or other technical and financial assistance available through NRCS conservation programs or contact your local USDA Service Center.