Natural Resources Conservation District Report

Increased Funding Expected in 2023

The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), an agency in the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), works with private landowners to install or implement conservation practices on their land. NRCS is an agency of resource professionals who partner and work directly with and through local conservation districts. NRCS’s mission is to educate and assist landowners with installing conservation practices. NRCS has been working with farmers, ranchers, rural landowners and conservation districts since 1935. In 2022, the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) contracted over $70,000 to address natural resource concerns in Oceana County. EQIP provided funding for seasonal high tunnels, cover crops, critical area plantings, nutrient management, prescribed grazing, windbreak establishment, grassed waterways, forest management plans, waste storage facilities and more. The Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) contracted over $632,000 on more than 4,800 acres to landowners looking for additional opportunities to expand on existing conservation efforts. CSP provided funding for cover crops, conservation cover, pollinator and monarch habitat plantings, tree and shrub establishment, forest management, and more.

The Shelby USDA Service Center office looks forward to continuing to work with landowners on their agricultural and conservation goals. Call (231) 861-5600 for more information.

The Inflation Reduction Act signed in August 2022 by President Biden represents the single largest investment in climate and clean energy solutions in American history. It is a historic, once-in-a-generation investment and opportunity for the agricultural communities that USDA serves. The Inflation Reduction Act will help producers stay on the farm, prevent producers from becoming ineligible for future assistance, and promote climate-smart agriculture by increasing access to conservation assistance.

The law provides $20 billion to support USDA’s conservation programs that yield climate-related benefits while building resilience in agricultural operations. These are programs that are well-known to farmers and ranchers and are also oversubscribed. These investments mean that more producers will have access to conservation assistance.

• $8.45 billion for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program

• $4.95 billion for the Regional Conservation Partnership Program

$3.25 billion for the Conservation Stewardship Program

• $1.4 billion for the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program

• $1 billion for conservation technical assistance

• $300 million to measure, evaluate, quantify carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas emission reductions from conservation investments

These additional funds will help farmers and ranchers implement expanded conservation practices that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase storage of carbon in their soil and trees. The conservation funding is on top of otherwise available program funds, and the voluntary, incentivebased approach is targeted to support climate-smart agriculture mitigation and help producers build resilience in their operations.

Farm Bill Programs

• Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP): The EQIP provides financial and technical assistance to agricultural producers to address natural resource concerns and deliver environmental benefits such as improved water and air quality, conserved ground and surface water, increased soil health and reduced soil erosion and sedimentation, improved or created wildlife habitat, and mitigation against increasing weather volatility.

• Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP): The CSP helps you build on your existing conservation efforts while strengthening your operation. Whether you are looking to improve grazing conditions, increase crop resiliency, or develop wildlife habitat, we can custom design a CSP plan to help you meet those goals. We can help you identify natural resource problems in your operation and provide technical and financial assistance to solve those problems or attain higher stewardship levels in an environmentally beneficial and cost-effective manner.

• Conservation Reserve Program (CRP): The CRP reduces soil erosion, protects the Nation’s ability to produce food and fiber, reduces sedimentation in streams and lakes, improves water quality, establishes wildlife habitat, and enhances forest and wetland resources. It encourages farmers to convert highly erodible cropland or other environmentally sensitive acreage to vegetative cover, such as tame or native grasses, wildlife plantings, trees, filter strips, or riparian buffers. Farmers receive an annual rental payment for the term of the multi-year contract. Cost sharing is provided to establish the vegetative cover practices.

• Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP): The ACEP helps landowners, land trusts, and other entities protect, restore, and enhance wetlands, grasslands, and working farms and ranches through conservation easements. Under the Agricultural Land Easements component, NRCS helps American Indian tribes, state and local governments and non-governmental organizations protect working agricultural lands and limit non-agricultural uses of the land. Under the Wetlands Reserve Easements component, NRCS helps to restore, protect and enhance enrolled wetlands.

Although Oceana Conservation District has employed foresters throughout its 50-year history, 2022 marked the 10th year providing services through Michigan’s Forestry Assistance Program. Last year, 220 people contacted the District Forester for service requests. As a result, 160 site visits were provided covering 8,528 acres throughout the three-county service area (Oceana, Newaygo, and Muskegon).

As a public service, the District Forester provides landowners a site visit and recommendations about forestry, forest health and forest management. For example, the District Forester can help forest landowners estimate the value of their woodlot and point them in the right direction if they plan to conduct a timber harvest. The District Forester can also provide suggestions on how to improve the ecological health of the forest and how to create more habitat for deer and other wildlife. As a certified arborist, Rod Denning is also available to help diagnose forest pests and diseases.

A major focus of the Forestry Assistance Program is the administration and promotion of the Qualified Forest Program (QFP). Last year, 28 landowners enrolled 2,260 acres in the program. The program provides a property tax exemption for private landowners who actively