USDA-NRCS In Georgia Announces Conservation Stewardship Program Sign-up for Classic and Inflation Reduction Act Funding

Mar 01, 2023

The United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Georgia is announcing a Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) sign-up today. Agricultural producers and forest landowners looking to build on previous conservation efforts and building climate resiliency should consider one of two funding opportunities available to them this year and apply by March 31.

This year, NRCS will offer the statewide Classic CSP sign-up option for all producers in Georgia, as well as a targeted sign-up utilizing funding from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) that Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced recently.

“The Conservation Stewardship Program continues to help our customers take conservation to the next level,” said Terrance O. Rudolph, state conservationist for NRCS in Georgia. “This sign-up, including the IRA funding will help even more agricultural producers and forest landowners build a more climate resilient Georgia.”

CSP-Classic
NRCS offers CSP in all 50 states, as well as the Pacific and Caribbean areas through continuous sign-ups. The program provides many benefits, including increased crop yields, decreased inputs, wildlife habitat improvements and increased resilience to adverse weather. CSP is for working lands, including cropland, pastureland, rangeland, nonindustrial private forest land and agricultural land under Indian tribe jurisdiction.

Special provisions are available for historically underserved producers, which include those considered beginning, socially disadvantaged and limited resource as well as military veterans. These producers have targeted funds.

Find eligible practices in Georgia and practice payment amounts . Payment rates for conservation practices are reviewed and set each fiscal year for the state.

CSP-IRA
For the IRA funded portion of this year’s sign-up, agricultural producers in Baker, Calhoun, Decatur, Dougherty, Early, Grady, Miller, Mitchell, and Seminole counties can apply for Soil Health focused practices and enhancements. Whereas producers and forest landowners in Bleckley, Dodge, Emmanuel, Johnson, Laurens, Montgomery, Toombs, Treutlen, Twiggs, Washington, Wheeler, and Wilkinson counties can apply for Agroforestry, Forestry and Upland Wildlife Habitat practices and enhancements.

Source : usda.gov

Video: Dicamba Returns for Georgia Farmers: What the New EPA Ruling Means for Cotton Growers

After being unavailable in 2024 due to registration issues, dicamba products are returning for Georgia farmers this growing season — but under strict new conditions.

In this report from Tifton, Extension Weed Specialist Stanley Culpepper explains the updated EPA ruling, including new application limits, mandatory training requirements, and the need for a restricted use pesticide license. Among the key changes: a cap of two ½-pound applications per year and the required use of an approved volatility reduction agent with every application.

For Georgia cotton producers, the ruling is significant. According to Taylor Sills with the Georgia Cotton Commission, the vast majority of cotton planted in the state carries the dicamba-tolerant trait — meaning farmers had been paying for technology they couldn’t use.

While environmental groups have expressed concerns over spray drift, Georgia growers have reduced off-target pesticide movement by more than 91% over the past decade. Still, this two-year registration period will come with increased scrutiny, making stewardship and compliance more important than ever.