As a landowner, you know your property better than anyone else. You know what it takes to thrive, the challenges of each season and how all your practices feed into each other. You likely have a running list of capital improvements you intend to make each year – but do you know how to capitalize on all of those improvements?
With more than 160 individual and national programs, the National Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) offers tremendous funding opportunities for land improvement projects. By developing a free conservation plan in collaboration with the NRCS, or a certified conservation planner, you could get paid for projects you already planned to tackle.
If you’re completing capital improvements without a conservation plan, you may be leaving opportunities – and money – on the table.
One-off capital improvements vs. conservation planning
Typically, when considering capital improvements, producers will follow one of two paths:
Scenario A: They approach each project independently, hiring contractors for specific, one-off practices, or
Scenario B: They approach the NRCS with a predetermined practice in mind, seeking potential cost-share programs for that specific project.
While there is nothing inherently wrong with either option, there is a more comprehensive strategy—the creation of a conservation plan through the NRCS. Rather than approaching each project individually, a conservation plan considers the entirety of the farm, which ensures a more effective use of resources and unlocks a broader range of NRCS programs that you can apply for.
What is a conservation plan?
A conservation plan serves as a voluntary and written record that outlines both resource concerns and conservation practices you intend to implement on your property. Essentially, it acts as a thoughtful blueprint for the sustainable and responsible use of your land, identifying your goals and natural resource issues related to soil, water, animals, plants, air, energy and human interaction.
Benefits to creating a conservation plan
Whether you work directly with the NRCS or with a certified NRCS planner, combining your farming skills and knowledge with the tools and resources of a conservation planner can help you:
- Identify root problems. You may have planned to solve an issue one way only to discover, through the conservation planning process, that the root problem is something else entirely. Instead of wasting efforts on the surface issue, you tackle the root cause. You may also uncover additional issues to fix at the same time, saving yourself the time, money and headache down the road.
- Align with cost-sharing opportunities. There are 160+ NRCS opportunities for cost-sharing, but it can be difficult to understand everything you’re actually eligible for. In the conservation planning process, a planner removes the guesswork and identifies exactly what you can apply for. This could go from a few dollars an acre to tens of thousands of dollars for a particular practice.
- Capitalize on additional income opportunities. As you and your conservation planner dig deeper into your property and resources, you may uncover new ways to optimize your land use and get paid for it. For instance, you may have areas of land that aren’t suitable for planting row crops, but would be ideal for pollinator strips or grass water ways that earn additional income. On the other hand, you may find that you’re already incorporating practices that can generate income.
- Gain a holistic view of your farm. Rather than tackling challenges with a Whac-A-Mole approach, a holistic view ensures that capital improvements are strategic and effective. By considering the entire ecosystem of your farm – including soil health, water management, crop selection and even machinery – a holistic approach works with your entire production system.
Adopting NRCS conservation planning not only ensures sustainable use of your land, but also opens the door to funding opportunities – don’t overlook the chance to capitalize on your farm improvements.
Contact us to learn more about the program, opportunities for your land or operation, and the application and implementation process
As a certified level 3 conservationist and Technical Service Provider (TSP), Pinion offers holistic conservation planning, design, and implementation services to agricultural producers such as farmers, ranchers, and private forest landowners on behalf of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). Connect with a Pinion advisor to learn more about capitalizing on conservation practices.
