The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), an agency under the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), is announcing the potential availability of Grant Agreements for the purpose of leveraging NRCS resources, addressing local natural resource issues, encouraging collaboration, and developing State- and community-level conservation leadership in Minnesota.
Donor Name: Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)
State: Minnesota
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 04/21/2022
Size of the Grant: $100,000 – $750,000
Grant Duration: 3 years
Details:
Proposals are requested for competitive consideration for the following initiatives:
- Drainage Water Management Systems Demonstrations
- Demonstrate the use of drainage water management systems and impacts on soil health on a working farm(s).
- Evaluate flooding impacts and climate resilience in drainage systems.
- Develop promotional and technical materials related to drainage water management.
- Host field days and events related to drainage water management systems.
- Grazing and Livestock Assistance
- Provide grazing and livestock specialist expertise to promote the use of livestock as a management tool and assist customers in managing grazing systems to improve conservation.
- Provide grazing training, workshops, tours, and demonstration projects for NRCS customers.
- Facilitate a Working Effectively with Livestock Producers Course for NRCS employees and partners.
- Evaluate and provide environmental and economic outcomes of grazing systems related to soil health and wildlife habitat.
- Develop promotional and technical materials related to grazing management, livestock, and grasslands.
- Prescribed Burning
- Increase public awareness of the benefits of prescribed fire on the landscape.
- Write prescribed burn plans for implementation under NRCS programs.
- Provide training for Job Approval Authority (JAA).
- Identify obstacles to building prescribed fire service capacity and develop networks of burn associations.
- Develop promotional and technical materials related to prescribed fire
- Field to Market Expansion
- Increase the connectivity of the consumer to the producer to improve the adoption of conservation systems on the land.
- Increase the public and end-users understanding of agriculture production and the stewardship ethic of producers through demonstration projects, field tours, symposia, and social media.
- Identify food deserts and provide sustainable production opportunities.
- Expand farmer’s markets and locally grown initiatives.
- Enable a Free Market-Based Program to Incentivize Adoption of Ecosystem Services
- Pilot a market-based payment and/or exchange system to encourage long-term stewardship.
- Host a symposium to explore various systems that could be used to increase conservation adoption on agricultural and/or private forest lands.
- Provide outcomes-based measurements and metrics for the quantification of ecosystem services.
- Connecting Agriculture Retailers with Conservation Delivery – Increase private land conservation and encourage wide-spread adoption of conservation solutions by providing the go-between leadership of NRCS and private agricultural industry by:
- Integrating conservation and support of NRCS services into agricultural retailers’ networks
- Equipping retailers with the knowledge of NRCS programs, the ability to cooperatively work with the Agency, and assist in the implementation of conservation.
- Building leadership and expertise within NRCS on the services provided by farmer cooperatives and agricultural retailers.
- Equipping local offices with a better understanding of agronomic principles to better meet NRCS customers’ needs and provide a better understanding of the economic considerations in agronomic planning.
Funding Information
The estimated funding floor for this opportunity is $100,000.00, and the estimated funding ceiling is $750,000.00.
Grant Period
Projects may be between two (2) and three (3) years in duration. Applicants should plan their projects based on an estimated project start date of July 1, 2022.
Eligibility Criteria
Eligibility for this opportunity is limited to the following entity types:
- City or township governments
- County governments
- For-profit organizations other than small businesses
- Individuals
- Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS (other than institutions of higher education)
- Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS (other than institutions of higher education)
- Private institutions of higher education
- Public and State-controlled institutions of higher education
- Small businesses
- Special district governments
- State governments
For more information, visit Grants.gov.
