Richland Soil and Water Conservation District

RC Soil and Water

USDA Farm Programs

USDA Farm Programs

Natural Resources Conservation
Service Farm Bill 2002

Conservation Reserve Program (CRP)
The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) offers landowners incentives to conserve soil, water, and wildlife habitat. Landowners can apply to enroll highly erodible land and other environmentally sensitive areas in the CRP. By enrolling land, a landowner can receive annual rental payments and cost share benefits to implement conservation practices.

Landowners must submit offers for CRP contracts at the local FSA office during sign-up periods announced by the Secretary of Agriculture. Changes in the CRP bid and ranking procedures now favor those landowners willing to implement "wildlife friendly" practices.

Conservation Security Program

CSP is a voluntary program that provides financial and technical assistance to promote the conservation and improvement of soil, water, air, energy, plant and animal life, and other conservation purposes on Tribal and private working lands. Working lands include cropland, grassland, prairie land, improved pasture, and range land, as well as forested land that is an incidental part of an agriculture operation. The program is available in all 50 States, the Caribbean Area and the Pacific Basin area. The program provides equitable access to benefits to all producers, regardless of size of operation, crops produced, or geographic location.

The Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (2002 Farm Bill) (Pub. L. 107-171) amended the Food Security Act of 1985 to authorize the program. CSP is administered by USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).

Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP)
The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) is a new program designed to identify conservation concerns and set conservation priorities to address soil erosion, water quality, wildlife habitat and other resource issues through a community based process. EQIP is available in all 46 counties to address statewide resource concerns. Sixty-five percent of EQIP funds are targeted toward approved Conservation Priority Areas. State Conservation Priority Areas have been identified by local work groups, ranked by the State Technical Committee and submitted to Washington for approval. Practices such as field borders, filter strips and grassed waterways designed to protect water quality may also be maintained as early successional habitats to benefit Bobwhite quail and other species. Riparian (stream side) buffer zones used to protect streams from runoff can also be highly productive areas for wildlife, providing food, cover and travel corridors.

Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program

The Farm and Ranch Land Protection Program (FRPP) provides matching funds to help purchase development rights to keep productive farm and ranchland in agricultural uses. Working through existing programs, USDA partners with State, tribal, or local governments and non-governmental organizations to acquire conservation easements or other interests in land from landowners. USDA provides up to 50 percent of the fair market easement value.

To qualify, farmland must: be part of a pending offer from a State, tribe, or local farmland protection program; be privately owned; have a conservation plan for highly erodible land; be large enough to sustain agricultural production; be accessible to markets for what the land produces; have adequate infrastructure and agricultural support services; and have surrounding parcels of land that can support long-term agricultural production. Depending on funding availability, proposals must be submitted by the eligible entities to the appropriate NRCS State Office during the application window.

Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP)
The Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) is designed to help eligible landowners restore wetlands. Under this program, landowners enter into permanent easements, 30 year easements or 10 year wetlands restoration agreements in exchange for a portion of restoration costs. The landowner maintains full control over access and use of WRP easement lands. Acceptable uses of WRP land may include such activities as hunting, fishing, or other compatible uses depending on the situation.

Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP)
The Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP) was established by the 1996 Farm Bill for the purpose of making technical and financial assistance available to landowners to develop, enhance and restore upland wildlife, wetland wildlife, threatened and endangered species, fish and other types of wildlife habitat.

In South Carolina, WHIP is specifically targeted towards developing, restoring and enhancing habitat for the following "priority species":

Bobwhite quail and associated grassland/shrub songbirds
Wintering waterfowl and shorebirds
Threatened, endangered and species of state concern