WASHINGTON, Jan. 28, 2004–
Agriculture Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment Mark Rey
today announced the release of nearly $1.5 billion in funding for conservation
programs on working lands this fiscal year. The distribution of funds to
states makes conservation programs administered by the Natural Resources
Conservation Service operational.
“These funds demonstrate the Bush Administration’s
commitment to working lands and to maintaining high environmental stewardship
in communities across the nation,” Rey said. “The Department
of Agriculture remains committed to providing the conservation tools and
resources to ensure that the land remains both healthy and productive.”
With financial and technical assistance from NRCS,
farmers, ranchers and other landowners will continue to address resource
concerns on agricultural working lands, promote environmental quality,
address challenges in water quality and quantity, protect prime farmland
and grazing land, and protect valuable wetland ecosystems and wildlife
habitat on private lands.
The FY 2004 allocations to states include $1.2 billion
in financial assistance and $305 million for technical assistance for
NRCS Farm Bill programs and other activities. At least $30 million of
the technical assistance funds will be used for technical service providers.
“This funding will provide positive applications
of sound conservation on the ground – at the local level –
on America’s privately-owned farms and ranches,” Rey said.
Now that these funds have been allocated, NRCS state
offices will begin writing contracts with farmers and ranchers nationwide.
These contracts will help ease the existing backlog in these popular programs
improving soil, water, air and at-risk habitat on working lands.
Information on conservation programs is available at
http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/farmbill/2002/products.html.
Landowners who want specific information regarding program participation
should contact their local USDA Service Center or NRCS office, located
at http://offices.usda.gov or in
the telephone book under Federal Government, U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Fiscal year 2004 conservation program funding follows.
Program |
|
Financial
Assistance
(dollars in millions) |
Technical
Assistance
(dollars in millions) |
| Conservation Reserve Program |
|
** |
72.9 |
| Conservation Security Program |
|
35.2 |
5.5 |
| Environmental Quality Incentives Program |
|
661.0 |
171.1 |
| Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program |
|
84.8 |
2.7 |
| Grassland Reserve Program |
|
54.2 |
15.3 |
| Ground & Surface Water Conservation |
|
51.0 |
13.5 |
| Klamath Basin Water Conservation |
|
9.6 |
2.1 |
| Wetlands Reserve Program |
|
259.5 |
15.7 |
| Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program |
|
27.2 |
6.1 |
| |
|
|
|
| TOTAL |
|
1,182.5 |
304.9 |
** NRCS provides technical assistance for the Conservation
Reserve Program; however, the USDA Farm Service Agency makes program payments
to producers. Payments totaling $1.6 billion were announced on Oct. 1,
2003 (see http://www.usda.gov/Newsroom/0341.03.html).
|
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