NRCS Role in Soil Conservation Mark Myers, Soil Conservationist Lancaster County, Pennsylvania Winter Farmers Meeting February 25, 2016

History of NRCS  Early 1930’s – Dust Bowl occurs in Midwest.  1933 – Soil Erosion Service (SES) created – Hugh Hammond Bennett.  1935 – Soil Conservation Act passed – agency name changed to Soil Conservation Service (SCS)  1980’s – Food Security Act (FSA), SWAPA.  1994 – Agency name becomes Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).  Agency now employs people with Agronomy, Forestry, Soils, Wildlife, Rangeland and Animal husbandry backgrounds. Photo courtesy of USDA-NRCS

NRCS Mission / Vision  Our Mission: “Helping People Help the Land”  Our Vision: “Productive Lands – Healthy Environment”

2014 Farm Bill Programs  EQIP: Environmental Quality Incentives Program  CSP: Conservation Stewardship Program  AMA: Agriculture Management Assistance Program  ACEP: Agriculture Conservation Easements Program  CREP: Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program

Farm Bill Programs  Open enrollment – accept applications year- round but “cutoff” dates for ranking purposes.  Deadline for round 1 applications is typically mid-October (CSP usually different).  Jan/Feb. rank round 1 applications, develop contracts in spring.  Typically do not get past first round applications.

2014 Farm Bill Programs  EQIP: Environmental Quality Incentives Program  EQIP provides financial and technical assistance to agricultural producers in order to address natural resource concerns and deliver environmental benefits such as improved water and air quality, conserved ground and surface water, reduced soil erosion and sedimentation, or improved or created wildlife habitat.

EQIP 2016  Roughly $18 million dollars for the state of PA  Approximately $1.6 million is slated for Lancaster County.  Incentive payment rates are based on regionalaverage cost tables.  Region is made up of DE, MD, PA, NJ, NY

8 RCPP 2016  RCCP: Regional Conservation Partnership Program  Promotes coordination between NRCS and its partners to deliver conservation assistance to producers and landowners. (Stroud Water Research Center). Riparian buffer must be included.  NRCS provides assistance to producers through partnership agreements and through program contracts or easement agreements.  Assistance is delivered in accordance with the rules of EQIP, CSP, ACEP and HFRP.

9 RCPP 2016  Watershed specific – Chickies, Pequea, Big Beaver Creeks, Eshleman Run for  $578,000 RCPP funds for Lancaster County.

2014 Farm Bill Programs  CSP: Conservation Stewardship Program  The Conservation Stewardship Program helps agricultural producers maintain and improve their existing conservation systems and adopt additional conservation activities to address priority resources concerns. Participants earn CSP payments for conservation performance— the higher the performance, the higher the payment.  Each state gets an acreage goal for the year.

2014 Farm Bill Programs  AMA: Agriculture Management Assistance Program  AMA helps agricultural producers use conservation to manage risk and solve natural resource issues through natural resources conservation. NRCS administers the AMA conservation provisions while the Agricultural Marketing Service and the Risk Management Agency implement other provisions under AMA. Only $345, in PA for For Irrigation.

ACEP: Agriculture Conservation Easement Program  The Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP) provides financial and technical assistance to help conserve agricultural lands and wetlands and their related benefits. Under the Agricultural Land Easements component, NRCS helps 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.

CREP: Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program  The Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP), an offshoot of CRP, targets high-priority conservation issues identified by government and non-governmental organizations. Farm land that falls under these conservation issues is removed from production in exchange for annual rental payments.  Program is handled by the Farm Service Agency (FSA). NRCS provides technical guidance.

CREP: Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program  Used in PA for retiring steep crop ground >EI of 8 and also for riparian buffers.  Over 100% cost share for buffers greater than 50 ft. next to the stream.  Annual rental payment for the 10 or 15 year life of the program based on soil rental rate. Average for Lancaster is around $ acre per year.

15 CTA Assistance  Technical assistance provided to producers not seeking financial assistance.  Conservation planning, engineering assistance (design, layout) on as time allows basis.  Practices – Contouring, waterways, terraces, manure management systems, barnyard runoff systems, etc.

Conservation Planning  Definition: tool that helps farmers protect and enhance the natural resources that support productive and profitable farming operations. Maintain HEL compliance, FSA program eligibility and Ch. 102 Clean Streams Law compliance.  Resource Concerns: SWAPA + H + E  Items Included in Conservation Plan:  Aerial maps with roads, streams indicated, fields delineated, land use and acreage labeled.  Contour map.  Soils map and information.  Inventory of natural resources present on farm.  Plan document – RUSLE2, grazing plan.  Environmental Compliance – EE, PNDI, Cultural Resources.

Conservation Planning Photos courtesy of USDA-NRCS

18 Soil Health Initiative  An unhealthy soil is “naked, hungry, thirsty and running a fever”.  Currently huge initiative for promoting soil health to improve soil quality and water quality resource concerns.  Emphasis on Continuous No-till and cover cropping – expanding to cover crop mixes.  Healthy soils increase water infiltration, water holding capacity while reducing soil erosion and decreasing water pollution potential.

Tropical Storm Lee  Plumes of sediment flowing down Susquehanna River to Chesapeake Bay following Tropical storm Lee in Sept  Record flooding at Conowingo dam. Photo courtesy of USDA-NRCS

Questions? Mark Myers NRCS Soil Conservationist Lancaster Field Office 1383 Arcadia Road, Rm 200 Lancaster PA Phone: (717) ext “The Nation that destroys its soil, destroys itself.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt - 20