USDA-NRCS In Louisiana Announces ACEP-WRE Application Period

Sep 06, 2023

The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Louisiana has announced an application period for the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program-Wetlands Reserve Easements (ACEP-WRE) for fiscal year 2024. Private landowners across the state are encouraged to apply.

Applications for ACEP-WRE will be accepted on a continuous basis with monthly batching periods. Interested landowners are encouraged to apply by September 30, 2023, for 2024 funding consideration in the October application batching period. Applications received after this date will be evaluated for consideration in the next application batching period.

The ACEP-WRE program is designed to restore and protect wetlands. Eligible lands include farmed or converted wetlands that can be successfully and cost-effectively restored. The WRE program helps private landowners successfully:

Enhance and protect habitat for fish and wildlife (including threatened and endangered species)
Improve water quality
Reduce flooding
Recharge groundwater
Provide opportunities for educational and recreational activities.

NRCS provides technical and financial assistance directly to private and tribal landowners to restore, protect and enhance wetlands through the purchase of conservation easements. Eligible landowners can choose to enroll in a permanent or 30-year easement.

“NRCS assists farmers, ranchers and forest landowners through the WRE program by developing highly productive wildlife habitat, reducing the risk of farming flood-prone land, and improving environmental benefits while retaining private ownership,” explained Chad Kacir, State Conservationist in Louisiana. “WRE is an important tool that helps landowners voluntarily provide long-term protection for our state’s wetlands for future generations.”

Easement rates vary by region, but landowners may receive up to $3,600 per acre for enrolling eligible land in WRE. Additionally, NRCS will pay 100% of the restoration cost for permanent easements and 75% of the restoration cost for 30-year easements.

Source : usda.gov

Video: Could Seed Technology Lead the Fight Against Drought in Farming?

Seed is life, but water is the critical component to promoting that potential. As the seed sector navigates more and more extreme weather, ensuring each planted seed has access to adequate moisture is a critical — arguably, the MOST critical — component of early season success. A group of Slovakian scientists has recently introduced to the market a potential solution: a superabsorbent polymer seed coating technology that captures and delivers moisture directly to the seed. The company is PeWaS (aka: Permanent Watering Solutions), and the technology is Aquaholder. How does it work, what kind of difference could it make, and — more broadly — how might seed treatments as a whole change the game for big challenges like drought mitigation? We sat down with PeWaS’s CEO, Ivo Krpelan, to find out. If you're curious about the future of seed technology and sustainable farming, this is a conversation you won’t want to miss.