USDA Announces New Opportunities to Improve Nutritional Management

WASHINGTON, August 15, 2022 – United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) The passage of the Inflation Welcome Reduction Act will provide $19.5 billion in new conservation funding to support climate-smart agriculture. This historic funding will support new measures announced today by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to improve opportunities for nutrient management. NRCS will target funding, increase program flexibility, launch a new advocacy campaign to advance the economics of nutrition management, and expand partnerships to develop nutrition management plans. It is part of a broader effort by the USDA to address future fertilizer supply and cost challenges for U.S. producers.

“President Biden and Congress have taken an important and historic step in reducing the burden of inflation,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said. We are at the forefront of our response to climate change. From climate-smart agriculture to supporting healthy forests and conservation, to tax credits, for biofuels, infrastructure and beyond, the Reducing Inflation Act provides USDA with substantial additional resources to continue to lead the effort . “

Through USDA’s Conservation Program, U.S. farmers and ranchers will streamline opportunities to improve nutrient management programs that provide conservation benefits while mitigating supply chain disruptions and inputs The impact of increased costs.

“The pandemic and the Ukrainian invasion have led to supply chain disruptions, higher input prices and commodity shortages in countries around the world,” Vilsack said. “USDA The needs of U.S. producers and consumers are being met by increasing program flexibility, expanding options and assistance, and investing in nutrition management strategies to help farmers address local resource concerns and global food security while improving their bottom lines. ”

Specifically, NRCS work includes:

• Simplified Nutrition Stewardship Program – Simplified plan will incentivize nutrition management activities through key conservation programs, including Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP), EQIP Conservation Incentive contracts and a conservation management program. This program will use pre-approved ranking thresholds, including simplifying and expediting the application process, targeted outreach to small-scale and historically underserved producers, and coordination with the FSA to simplify U.S. agriculture Program eligibility process for new producers in the Ministry of Agriculture. In addition to other funds available at the state level, the NRCS is targeting additional funding for FY23 for nutrition management. The NRCS has also announced funding of up to $40 million through the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP). Nutrition Management Grant Opportunities.
Nutrient Management Economic Benefit Outreach – A new outreach campaign will highlight the economic benefits of nutrient management programs for farmers. The potential net savings for farmers adopting nutrient management programs is estimated at an average of $30 per acre of farmland. It is estimated that there are currently 89 million acres of farmland (accounting for 28% of total U.S. farmland) exceeds the nitrogen loss threshold; if all of these lands had a nutrient management plan implemented, the average net savings would be $2.6 billion. NRCS staff develops nutrient management plans to help producers use nutrients effectively and efficiently resources to adequately supply soil and plants with essential nutrients while minimizing nutrient delivery to ground and surface water. Producer information is available at farmer.gov/global-food-security.

Expansion of Nutrition Management Support Technology Service Provider Streamlining and Pilot – with existing capacity to support nutrition management programmes New agreement with key partner for technical assistance will expand benefits and serve as a model to continue streamlining the technical service provider certification process (TSP). NRCS is also developing new opportunities to support partner training frameworks, nutrient management outreach and education , and new incentives for nutrient management planning and implementation through TSP partners.

In addition to In addition to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act and the American Rescue Plan, the Reducing Inflation Act provides once-in-a-lifetime investments in rural communities and their infrastructure needs, while also addressing the climate change crisis. $40 billion in existing Ministry programs promoting climate-smart agriculture, rural energy efficiency and reliability, forest protection, etc. About $20 billion in investment will support oversubscribed Conservation programs, which means more producers will receive conservation assistance to support healthier land and water, increase the resilience of their operations, support their bottom lines, and combat climate change. This includes:

• $8.45 billion in EQIP

$4.95 billion for the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) $3.25 billion for Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP)

$1.4 billion for Agricultural Conservation Easements Entitlement Program (ACEP)

For more information and resources on nutrition management planning, visit farmer .gov/global-food-insecurity. Contact NRCS at your local USDA service center for assistance with a nutritional management plan for your land.

USDA impacts the lives of all Americans in many positive ways every day. During the Biden-Harris administration, the USDA is transforming America’s food system, focusing more on more resilient local and regional food production, providing a fairer market for all producers, and ensuring that all communities have access to safe, healthy and nutrient-dense foods, building new markets and channels using climate-smart food and forestry practices to increase incomes for farmers and producers, making historic investments in rural America’s infrastructure and clean energy capabilities, and addressing systemic barriers and Building a workforce that is more representative of America is committed to achieving equity across the sector. To learn more, visit usda.gov.

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