The federal government set aside more than $19 billion in new funding for agricultural conservation in the Inflation Reduction Act, and Pennsylvania is making new investments through programs like the Agricultural Conservation Assistance Program (ACAP). We can help you use these funds to improve day-to-day operations, reduce operational costs, and protect against soil erosion and nutrient loss.
Adapting to regulations as farm operations evolve while managing the herd, the crops, the cashflow, the family is a hard job. Which requirements apply to your operations? Is there a way to streamline efforts and meet the requirements of multiple programs with the same actions? What are the most efficient and cost-effective methods of compliance? How can the operation sustain itself for the next generation? We break down the options so the operator/landowner can make the best decisions for their business.
Smart conservation is about more than regulatory compliance. It’s about saving money, improving animal health, and protecting resources. Fertilizer costs continue to rise, and shortages are a concern. If cropland receives excess nutrients, a nutrient management plan could save a farmer an average of $30 per acre, according to data from USDA’s National Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). Good planning and nutrient management can protect soil from erosion, improve fertility and infiltration, while protecting the quality of streams for years (and future generations).
We can assist at every stage:
- preparing plans
- obtaining grant funds/low interest loans and complying with program requirements
- performing design, engineering, and construction administration
We work directly with farmers, conservation districts, and NRCS to minimize the interruption to the operation during construction while maximizing the conservation value of the project.
Our team has administered programs and provided technical assistance for ag projects in 33 conservation districts in Pennsylvania. We not only design practices to NRCS standards – we lead our clients through all the funding and regulatory steps of the process. Some projects can be simple; others need to be customized to meet a farmer’s needs. We have the in-house expertise to engineer practically anything a farmer needs.
We have experience with the following funding programs:
Agriculture Conservation Assistance Program (ACAP)
Resource Enhancement & Protection Program (REAP)
Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP)
Growing Greener Grants
PennVEST
Center For Beef Excellence
Center for Dairy Excellence: Dairy Excellence Grants
CARAT: Climate Smart Grants
Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP)
Ag Plan Reimbursement Program
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF): Small Watershed Grant, Innovative Nutrient & Sediment Reduction Grant, Pennsylvania Most Effective Basins
We are a certified NRCS Technical Service Provider (TSP). We can help you obtain assistance and approval from the USDA’s National Resource Conservation Service related to access roads, fences, animal mortality facilities, composting facilities, heavy use area protection, open channels, pumping plants, roof runoff structures, roofs and covers, water control structures, surface and subsurface drains, trails and walkways, waste transfer and storage facilities, and vegetated treatment areas. We can help you identify your eligibility, apply for assistance, and then plan, design and construct any of these facilities. We can also assist with nutrient management design and implementation, forest harvest management, pasture and hay planting, and prescribed grazing. View our Technical Service Provider listing (Link opens in new tab.)
