What's Up at the USDA Office?
Upcoming Deadlines/Dates
March 29: Deadline to sign up for General CRP
April 29: Deadline to sign up for Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC)
May 14: Deadline to complete CRP Management Activities
May 15 - August 1: CRP Primary Nesting Season
May 31: Deadline to apply for a Marketing Assistance Loan (MAL) for 2023 crops
Taking Second Round applications
Although NRCS takes program applications on a continual basis, we are still taking applications for the second round of funding and have a new way of processing applications more efficiently through ACT NOW.
Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP)
CSP is a program that is designed to compensate agricultural and forest producers who agree to increase their level of conservation by adopting additional conservation activities and maintaining their baseline level of conservation. CSP provides two possible types of payments through five-year contracts: The first paying for practices that you are already implementing and the second, a payment to install changes or enhancements from a choice of over 700 unique practices to your operation. For CSP, the application cutoff is April 12, 2024.
Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP)
Through EQIP, the NRCS provides conservation planning and financial assistance to implement conservation practices such as no-till, cover crops, terraces, grassed waterways, nutrient management, manure management facilities, pasture management, and over 200 more unique practices. The next application cutoff for EQIP applications is March 22, 2024.
ACT NOW
NRCS is utilizing ACT NOW to process some applications faster in various ranking pools. ACT NOW allows NRCS to immediately approve and obligate applications as long as the minimum score is reached, and funding is still available. With this we will be able to address issues you may have on your farm in a timelier manner.
If you have any questions on how we can assist your operation, give us a call or stop at our office right across the street from Fareway on the south edge of Waukon.
