LINCOLN, Nebraska – The U.S. Department of Agriculture this week announced a historic $1.5 billion for 92 partner-driven conservation projects through the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP), a partner-driven approach to conservation that funds solutions to natural resource challenges on agricultural land. Partners will provide $968 million in contributions to amplify the impact of the federal investment. Nebraska-led projects will receive $85 million in funding. Selected RCPP projects, including those in Nebraska, will help farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners adopt and expand voluntary, locally led conservation strategies to enhance natural resources while tackling the climate crisis.

This investment is made with funding available through the Farm Bill and the Inflation Reduction Act. The Inflation Reduction Act is part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s Investing in America Agenda and the largest investment in climate action and conservation in world history, which has enabled USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to boost funding for RCPP. In total, the Inflation Reduction Act provides $19.5 billion to support USDA’s oversubscribed conservation programs, including $4.95 billion for RCPP.

“The Regional Conservation Partnership Program is an example of public-private partnership at its best,” said Rob Lawson, State Conservationist in Nebraska for USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). “We are proud to move forward with our incredible partners on these Nebraska-led conservation projects.”

“America’s working lands and forests are crucial in our fight against the climate crisis—from sequestering carbon pollution to absorbing the impact of storms and floods,” said John Podesta, Senior Advisor to the President for International Climate Policy. “Today’s awards make sure that the people who know those landscapes best—farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners—have the resources they need to lead this important work.”

The projects support priorities in conservation and climate and can save farmers money and increase productivity. For example, there are six projects that support use of innovative technologies to reduce enteric methane emissions in livestock. There are also 16 projects that address water conservation in the West, ensuring producers and communities have the tools they need to adapt in the face of continued drought pressures. And 42 projects promote terrestrial wildlife habitat conservation and restoration, as directed by the recent USDA Secretarial memo: Conserving and Restoring Terrestrial Wildlife Habitat Connectivity and Corridors.

NRCS also set aside $100 million for Tribal-led projects, part of a broader effort to support Tribes and Tribal producers through NRCS conservation programs. From this set aside, NRCS has made seven awards to five different tribes and tribal entities.

By leveraging collective resources and collaborating on common goals, RCPP demonstrates the power of public-private partnerships in delivering results for agriculture and conservation.

Nebraska-led projects include the following:

Irrigation and Nutrient Management in Lower Loup River Basin
Lead partner: Lower Loup Natural Resources District
The goal of this project is to provide conservation improvements within the Lower Loup Natural Resources District. These practices will benefit soil health, emissions, water quality and water quantity. The water resources will be managed through better irrigation, resulting in water savings. A secondary objective is improvements to water quality and soil health with better nutrient management. Leaching below the root zone is a major concern. The project will include grid soil sampling on row-crop irrigation fields, increasing organics through cover crops, crop rotations, tillage practices, and improved fertilizer application.

Protecting Nebraska's Groundwater and Grasslands
Lead partner: Nebraska Community Foundation
This RCPP project will provide minimally restrictive easements and associated enhancements as a new option in the conservation toolbox to facilitate adoption of playa and grassland restoration and/or enhancement practices. The Rainwater Basin Joint Venture will track RCPP and partner-leveraged projects in both geospatial and financial databases. Annual activity and unique practice acres, as well as financial contributions will be recorded to quantify RCPP ecosystem outcomes.

Pasture Progress: Advancing Regenerative Beef in Nebraska
Lead partner: Prime Pursuits
This project will work to help Nebraska beef producers design and implement grazing management plans and deliver corn produced using regenerative farming practices to cattle feeders that reduce and avoid greenhouse gas emissions. The project goal is to implement regenerative grazing and cover crops on 1,267,300 acres of land to achieve an estimated 150,635 MT CO2e reduction to address Prairie Grasslands Region Critical Conservation Area priorities.

Growing and Expanding Nebraska's Grassland Cores
Lead partner: Nebraska Community Foundation
The Prairie Grassland Region project will focus on sustainable treatment of woody encroachment through a combination of brush management and follow-up treatments of Prescribed Fire and Integrated Pest Management to treat reinfestation. This biome-scale grassland management effort aims to improve forage production, provide wildlife benefits, and maximize carbon storage to help address climate change.

A complete list of all the 92 awarded projects nationwide is available here.

Projects are being awarded under both RCPP Classic and RCPP Alternative Funding Arrangements (AFA). RCPP Classic projects are implemented using NRCS contracts and easements with producers, landowners and communities in collaboration with project partners. Through RCPP AFA, the lead partner works directly with agricultural producers to support the development of innovative conservation approaches that would not otherwise be available under RCPP Classic.

Since the start of the Biden-Harris Administration, RCCP has made 334 awards totaling more than $3 billion. Since its inception, RCPP has made 812 awards involving more than 4,000 partner organizations, with more than $4 billion in NRCS funding amplified by another $4 billion in partner contributions.