Proposals due May 11 for on-farm conservation and soil health test projects

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service is accepting proposals through Monday, May 11, for On-Farm Conservation Innovation Trials, now in their second year.

Part of the agency’s Conservation Innovation Grant program, On-Farm Trials help support the adoption and evaluation of innovative conservation approaches on agricultural land.

“NRCS has achieved tremendous success seeking innovative technologies and approaches to enhance conservation for agricultural producers and forest landowners for nearly 20 years,” said NRCS Chief Matthew Lohr. “The 2018 Farm Bill enhanced CIG by strengthening its demonstration component, allowing the agency to work with producers and partners to discover new conservation approaches and tools or enhance existing ones.” NRCS will invest up to $25 million on on-farm trials in 2020. This total includes up to $10 million for the Soil Health Demonstration Trials priority.

On-farm trials funding is designed to offer, through partners, technical and financial assistance to producers to help compensate for any risks associated with implementation of new conservation practices, systems and approaches. In addition, trials require evaluation of innovative conservation practices, systems and approaches at the farm level, including environmental, financial and social (to the extent possible) impacts of carrying them out.

The on-farm trials funding announcement seeking proposals will be published on www.grants.gov.

NRCS is seeking proposals that address at least one of the following four main priorities: irrigation management technologies, precision agriculture technologies and strategies, management technologies and strategies, and soil health demonstration trials.

NRCS will accept proposals from private entities whose primary business is related to agriculture, non-government organizations with experience working with agricultural producers, and non-federal government agencies.

For more information, go to www.ncrs.usda.gov.