NRCS Encourages Planning Now for Conservation Benefits and Future Funding Opportunities

Montana’s short summer is the perfect time for the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to conduct the field inventories and planning needed to develop a conservation plan for farmers, ranchers, and private forestland managers looking to improve their natural resources. Because the timeframe before snow is unpredictable and because the NRCS application ranking period for funding opportunities usually happens in the fall, visit the Malta office now. 

The local NRCS staff can help to figure out current problems, assess the condition of the land, and determine options for improvement all based on individual operational goals. A conservation plan is a customized collaboration between the planner and the customer. A final plan may include land use maps, soils information, inventory data, recommended practices, and other tools and resources to help landowners make management changes or install other conservation practices. 

“NRCS provides funding and technical assistance to help farmers, ranchers, and landowners to implement conservation practices that improve their land,” said Shilo Messerly, NRCS District Conservationist for Phillips County.

To learn more about the conservation funding opportunities, and others that may be available, visit NRCS at the Phillips County USDA Service Center. The office is located at 1120 U.S. Highway 191 South, Suite 2, call 406-654-1333 x 3, or email [email protected] or [email protected].

Big Game Habitat Improvement Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) Project: A group of thirteen partners will work with producers to improve grazing operations, improve and replace fences for wildlife movement, restore grassland habitats, and retain intact rangelands. Additional benefits include improved grazing management, improved plant productivity and health, making grasslands more resilient to drought, and restoring marginal cropland to perennial grasses. Apply by Oct. 11, 2024, for consideration in the current funding cycle.

Conversion Aversion Phillips County TIP: The goal of this Targeted Implementation Plan (TIP) is to provide adequate livestock water to acres that are expired/expiring Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) or grassland restorations. This will keep more acres in perennial vegetation and prevent grassland conversion back to crop for preventing wind erosion and benefitting grassland birds. Apply by Oct. 25, 2024, for consideration in the current funding cycle.

Reining in Soils TIP: The primary goal of this TIP is to reduce wind erosion through the implementation of four of the five soil health principles: diversify cropping rotation, keeping a living root in the soil, armoring the soil, and incorporating livestock into the system. Through a county-wide approach to encourage early adopters of soil health within their neighborhoods, this TIP works to both introduce and advance soil health in Phillips County to dryland cropland producers. Apply by Oct. 25, 2024, for consideration in the current funding cycle.

Windmill Reduction Act Phillips County TIP: The goal of this TIP is to improve livestock water dependability and restore proper grazing management, decommission nonfunctioning wells, and improve grassland and upland game bird habitat security. Concerns include inadequate livestock water from poor and nonfunctioning windmill systems, windmills pose a predation risk to grassland prairie birds, maintenance is a safety concern, and nonfunctioning wells risk ground-water contamination. Windmills will be replaced with a more reliable power source such as a solar or generator pump. Apply by Oct. 25, 2024, for consideration in the current funding cycle.

NRCS accepts conservation program applications year-round. Start planning now. Additional information, including full project proposals, is available on the Montana NRCS website at http://www.mt.nrcs.usda.gov. Click on What’s Available in My County.