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Introduction
NRCS offers voluntary programs to eligible landowners and agricultural producers to provide financial and technical assistance to help manage natural resources in a sustainable manner. Through these programs the agency approves contracts to provide financial assistance to help plan and implement conservation practices that address natural resource concerns or opportunities to help save energy, improve soil, water, plant, air, animal and related resources on agricultural lands and non-industrial private forest land.
DUNS and SAM Update
Effective March 23, 2018, landowners and producers who participate in Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS
) financial assistance programs and conservation easement programs as a legal entity are now exempt from the requirement to obtain a DUNS number or to register SAM. The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018 (2018 Omnibus Bill), exempted landowners and producers participating in NRCS
conservation programs from these requirements. If you are a landowner or producer operating as a legal entity and are interested in participating in an NRCS
conservation program on land you own or control, you are no longer required to obtain a DUNS number or be registered in SAM to be eligible to participate.
NRCS does enter into Federal contracts, grants, and agreements with parties that are not landowners or producers. These customers continue to be subject to the DUNS and SAM registration and reporting requirements. The exemption does not apply to any current or future agreements or federal contracts with eligible entities, project sponsors, vendors, partners, or other non-exempt landowners or producers.
Download DUNS and SAM Update (PDF, 1.1MB)
Financial Assistance Programs
Our financial assistance programs include the following:
The Agricultural Management Assistance (AMA) helps agricultural producers use conservation to manage risk and solve natural resource issues through natural resources conservation. NRCS administers the AMA conservation provisions while the Agricultural Marketing Service and the Risk Management Agency implement other provisions under AMA.
The Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) helps agricultural producers maintain and improve their existing conservation systems and adopt additional conservation activities to address priority resources concerns. Participants earn CSP payments for conservation performance—the higher the performance, the higher the payment.
The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) provides financial and technical assistance to agricultural producers in order to address natural resource concerns and deliver environmental benefits such as improved water and air quality, conserved ground and surface water, reduced soil erosion and sedimentation or improved or created wildlife habitat.
The Water Bank Program (WBP) on the land for the benefit of migratory wildlife such as waterfowl, conserves surface waters, reduces soil and wind erosion and contributes to flood control. WBP is only available in Minnesota, North and South Dakota.
Former Financial Assistance Programs
The Agricultural Water Enhancement Program (AWEP) was a voluntary conservation initiative that provided financial and technical assistance to agricultural producers to implement agricultural water enhancement activities on agricultural land to conserve surface and ground water and improve water quality.
The Cooperative Conservation Partnership Initiative (CCPI) was a voluntary conservation initiative that enabled the use of certain conservation programs along with resources of eligible partners to provide financial and technical assistance to owners and operators of agricultural and nonindustrial private forest lands.
The Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program (WHIP) was a voluntary program for conservation-minded landowners who want to develop and improve wildlife habitat on agricultural land, nonindustrial private forest land, and Indian land. It has been folded into EQIP.
Please see the NRCS EQIP page for more information about conservation opportunities similar to AWEP and WHIP.
