Slide 1 NRCS Program Update NRCS New Jersey 2015 Program Summary Gail Bartok NRCS Assistant State Conservationist for Programs, New Jersey

Fiscal Year 2015, Obligated Program Financial Assistance (FA) Number of Contracts Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP) – Agricultural Land Easement $ 4,459,8841 Grasslands of Special Significance Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP) – Wetlands Reserve Easement $587,6003 Pre- approved applications Agricultural Management Assistance (AMA) $242,29912 Conservation Stewardship Program (CStP)$86,5208 Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP)$4,358, Regional Conservation Partnership Program – EQIP $331,1049 $10,065,690 Slide 2

EQIP 2015 National Special Initiatives: National Water Quality Initiative Organic Initiative On-Farm Energy Initiative Working Lands for Wildlife Bog Turtle Golden Winged Warbler Slide 3

2015 NJ EQIP Fund Pools Livestock Cropland Irrigated Cropland Wildlife Forest land Socially Disadvantaged/ Beginning Farmer Soil Health Initiative Conservation Activity Plans

EQIP Obligations by Fund Pool Slide 5 ProgramFA $ Obligated# of Contracts Livestock $853,48418 Cropland$500,88827 Irrigated Cropland$1,259,70917 Socially Disadvantaged/Beginning Farmer $384,22919 Wildlife$306,29417 Forest Land$176,63915 Energy Initiative$57,7449 Organic Initiative$41,7088 National Water Quality Initiative$407,9134 Soil Health Initiative$46,0844 Conservation Activity Plans$151,75566 Working Lands for Wildlife$48,6453

Top 10 Conservation Practices by Planned Amount 1.Cover Crop 2.Irrigation Water Management 3.Forest Stand Improvement 4.Conservation Cover 5.Brush Management 6.Early Successional Habitat Development and Management 7.Structure for Wildlife 8.Mulching 9.Pasture and Hay Planting 10.Irrigation, Micro-irrigation Slide 6

2015 NJ Approved CIG Proposals Rutgers, Bats as Tools for the Early Detection of Agricultural Pests –Brooke Maslo, $70,789 Freehold Soil Conservation District, Open Spaces Conservation Assistance Program –Bill Brash & Ines Zimmerman, $65,550 Slide 7

2015 NJ Approved CIG Proposals Rutgers, Improving Blueberry Soil Health for Sustainable Production –Peter Oudemans, $75,000 Rutgers, Determination of Energy Use Metrics for Commercial Greenhouses –Thomas Manning, $36,513 Slide 8

ACEP – Agricultural Land Easement Component 1 Parcel Application Funded $4,459,884 Obligated 373 Acres Approved Grasslands of Special Significance Slide 9

ACEP - Wetlands Reserve Easement Component 3 Pre-Approved applications Carry-over due to appraisal Process and timeline $587,600 allocated Slide 10

RCPP – Regional Conservation Partnership Program 2 Proposals Funded –1 Regional including PA, NY, and NJ Delaware River Watershed Working Lands Conservation and Protection Partnership –$13,000,000 –1 State (NJ) Implementation of ACEP and EQIP to address priority resource concerns in NJ Delaware Bay Watershed –$700,000 Slide 11

FY2016 Funding ACEP-ALE: $3,976,200 ACEP-WRE: $828,000 ACEP-BT: $505,000 AMA: $255,070 EQIP: $4,290,751 EQIP-NWQI: $245,485 EQIP-WLFW: GWW: 62,894 BT: $3,280 Slide 12

NEW FY2016 EQIP Fund Pools National Initiative: –High Tunnel State Initiative: –Aquaculture Slide 13

NJ NRCS Website For more information on funding opportunities, current FY cutoff dates, and general program information visit our website at: Slide 14