COLUMBUS – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will offer technical and financial assistance to Ohio farmers, agricultural producers, and private forest landowners who want to better manage their agricultural and forest land resources.

Having a plan is always the best place to start in any endeavor and the Conservation Activity Plan (CAP) Initiative will help to develop a systematic plan that details the best approach to address natural resource concerns on farms and private forest/woodlands.

With CAP Initiative funding, landowners contract with a certified Technical Service Provider (TSP) to identify conservation practices needed to address their specific land use or natural resource need. A CAP could focus on a land use resource concern involving grazing land, forest land, or transitioning to an organic operation. A CAP could also address specific resource needs such as managing nutrients, on-farm energy improvements, or an air quality concern. For additional information on TSPs, visit the NRCS TSP website.

Once a conservation activity plan is completed with a certified TSP, producers can then apply for NRCS financial assistance to implement the conservation practices identified in their CAP. All NRCS financial-assistance programs are offered in a continuous sign-up; however, to be considered for CAP funding in the first collection period for the 2018 fiscal year, applications must be received by Oct. 20, 2017.

Applications for NRCS programs submitted by entities, such as agricultural producers applying as a corporation, must have a DUNS (Data Universal Numbering System) number and an active SAM (System for Award Management) registration status when applying, a process that may take several weeks. Applications cannot be processed without this information. Information on obtaining a DUNS number and registering with SAM is posted here.

To learn more about technical and financial assistance available through NRCS conservation programs, visit Get Started with NRCS or a local USDA Service Center.