Pennsylvania agriculture producers and landowners are eligible for technical and financial assistance through the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) administered by the USDA’s NRCS.
The assistance is intended to improve and enhance natural resources on farm and forest land, and five projects in Pennsylvania have funding available. The eligible projects include land in the following counties: Adams, Allegheny, Armstrong, Berks, Butler, Chester, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Lancaster, Perry and York.
NRCS accepts applications year-round but makes funding selections at application cut-off deadlines. The Partnership for Chesapeake Bay Water Quality project in Chester County and the Implementing Conservation Practices and Certified Nutrient Management Plans on Pennsylvania Preserved Farms project, which has funding available for producers in Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Perry and York counties, have their first cut-off deadlines on Oct. 29. The next cut-off deadline for both projects will be Dec. 30.
Three other projects — the Ag BMP Implementation in the Chesapeake Bay, Buffalo Creek Conservation Alliance, and Lancaster’s Common Agenda for Clean Water — are new in 2021, so the first cut-off deadline is Dec. 30 for each.
Applicants should be farmers or farm or forest landowners and must meet eligibility criteria. Interested producers should visit their local NRCS service center.
Read more information on the projects.