NRCS Programs

CONSERVATION RESERVE PROGRAM & CONTINUOUS CONSERVATION RESERVE PROGRAM (CRP & CCRP)
The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) is a voluntary program for agricultural landowners. Through CRP, you can receive annual rental payments and cost-share assistance to establish long-term, resource conserving covers on eligible farmland.

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CONSERVATION STEWARDSHIP PROGRAM (CSP) 
CSP is a voluntary conservation program that supports ongoing stewardship of private agricultural lands by providing payments for maintaining and enhancing natural resources.  CSP identifies and rewards those farmers and ranchers who are meeting the highest standards of conservation and environmental management on their operations.  In addition, CSP creates powerful incentives for other producers to meet those same standards of conservation performance.  In short, CSP rewards the best and motivates the rest.  Through these rewards and incentives, CSP builds a foundation of natural resource conservation that will provide benefits to the public for generations to come.

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ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY INCENTIVES PROGRAM (EQIP)
The EQIP program continues to fund many needed conservation practices for farm owners and operators in Freeborn County. EQIP is a voluntary conservation program which supports needs of agriculture and environmental concerns through financial incentives and cost share payments. Another big benefit of EQIP is that all technical planning and engineering is completed by NRCS and our SWCD partners. This technical assistance provides the planning, survey, engineering design, design layout, and engineering oversight. Projects may take 10 to over 200 hours which with a conservative estimate would cost the landowner $500 to $10,000. Many projects would not get done if the landowner had to pay for this service.

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WETLAND RESERVE PROGRAM (WRP)
WRP is a voluntary program that offers landowners financial and technical assistance to enroll land into an easement (30 year or permanent) or develop a restoration agreement (10 year-no easement). The goal is to protect, restore or  enhance wetlands for the many environmental benefits which are provided by wetland habitat.  Each option provides planning and technical assistance associated with implementing the plan which generally includes various degrees of engineering for construction of the wetland practices. The easement options also provide a financial settlement based on a land appraisal for the property rights on the easement. The program also covers legal, land survey, and land appraisal cost which can be significant.