News Releases

Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) 2009 American Indian Heritage Poster

The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) recognizes and celebrates the many different cultures that we have the opportunity to offer our services and programs to; including American Indians. November has been designated as American Indian Heritage Month. This provides an opportunity to make people aware of the history of American Indians and their contributions to the world.

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News Release (November 5, 2009)

NATIONAL RC&D WEEK OBSERVED

National Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D) Week is observed this year during the week of September 20 to September 26, 2009. This week was established in commemoration of the first 10 RC&D areas authorized in the country.

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News Release (September 23, 2009)

FEDERAL CONSERVATION AGENCY BEGINS STATEWIDE SIGN-UP FOR THE NEW CONSERVATION STEWARDSHIP PROGRAM

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will begin continuous sign-up for the new Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) on August 10 in Ohio. The first cutoff for ranking purposes is scheduled for Sept. 30, State Conservationist Terry Cosby announced today.

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News Release (August 10, 2009)

AGREEMENT WILL BENEFIT FOREST OWNERS IN SEVEN SOUTHEAST OHIO COUNTIES

The USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the Ohio Forestry Cooperative entered into an agreement through the Cooperative Conservation Partnership Initiative (CCPI) to improve conservation on non-industrial private forest lands. CCPI is a conservation initiative that enables NRCS to target Farm Bill funds to projects and geographic areas proposed by eligible partners.

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News Release (July 24, 2009)

PROGRAM TEACHES BEEKEEPING TO 110 IN TEN OHIO COUNTIES

People may wonder why pollinators are so important and why anyone would want to protect bees. Most people don’t realize that without pollination, 80 percent of the world’s crops would not exist. Most pollen is transferred by insects such as bees. A healthy bee population is critical for healthy plants, healthy crops, and healthy food for people.

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News Release (June 22, 2009)

FUNDING TO IMPROVE WATER QUALITY IN GRAND LAKE ST. MARYS AVAILABLE NOW

Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) today announced that $1 million will be available through the U.S. Department of Agriculture to help improve the water quality of Grand Lake St. Marys.  

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News Release (June 1, 2009)

USDA FUNDING AVAILABLE FOR OHIO GRASSLAND OWNERS

The USDA Ohio Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Farm Service Agency (FSA) today announced the availability of the Grassland Reserve Program (GRP) for Ohio producers.  This program was reauthorized in the 2008 Farm Bill, is voluntary, and provides opportunities for agricultural operators to protect grazing uses and other related conservation values by restoring and conserving eligible grasslands and certain other lands through rental contracts and easements. 

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News Release (May 29, 2009)

DEADLINE EXTENDED FOR ORGANIC PRODUCERS INTERESTED IN CONSERVATION

The deadline for submitting applications for funding consideration in 2009 for the voluntary conservation program Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), has been extended until Friday, June 12, 2009, for organic producers or those transitioning to organic production in Ohio. Applications submitted after that date will be held for the 2010 funding cycle.

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News Release (May 19, 2009)

DEADLINE TO APPLY FOR THREE CONSERVATION PROGRAMS EXTENDED

State Conservationist Terry Cosby of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Ohio announced today that the deadline for funding decisions for applications to the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP), and Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) has been extended to May 29, 2009.

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News Release (May 7, 2009)

USDA to Provide $2.5 Million for Protecting Ohio Farmland

Terry Cosby, Ohio State Conservationist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) announced today the agency has received $2.5 million through the Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program (FRPP) to protect valuable Ohio farmland.

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News Release (April 13, 2009)

APPLY NOW FOR THE WETLANDS RESERVE PROGRAM

Spring is the perfect time to start thinking about creating habitat for those insect eating spring peepers and giving the rain from spring showers a place to settle instead of flooding newly planted crops. The Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP), offered by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), makes it easy to create, restore, or enhance the wetlands that provide these important environmental benefits on your land.

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News Release (April 6, 2009)

FUNDS AVAILABLE FOR FOREST MANAGEMENT

The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has teamed up with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Forestry to offer Ohio forest owners a unique opportunity to improve their forest health and value.  NRCS’s most popular conservation program, the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), has over $800,000 dedicated for Ohio’s forest landowners. 

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News Release (April 6, 2009)

NEW AIR QUALITY INITIATIVE OFFERED BY USDA

The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will help improve Ohio’s air quality by offering a special initiative to lower harmful fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) and 8-hour surface ozone (the primary component of smog). Terry Cosby, NRCS State Conservationist, announced that $2.5 million will be directed towards this Air Quality Initiative in Ohio through the 2009 Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP).

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News Release (April 6, 2009)

USDA PROVIDES CONSERVATION OPPORTUNITIES FOR ORGANIC PRODUCERS

Ohio farmers who are transitioning to organic agriculture or who are currently certified organic can receive special assistance for meeting their conservation goals under new provisions in the 2008 Farm Bill.

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News Release (April 6, 2009)

USDA ANNOUNCES SIGN-UP DEADLINE FOR THREE CONSERVATION PROGRAMS

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) announced today that funding decisions for applications to the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP), and Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) will take place May 8, 2009. While the application process for these Farm Bill conservation programs is continuous, funding selections are only made once or twice a year.

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News Release (April 6, 2009)

EXTENSION ANNOUNCED FOR FLOODPLAIN EASEMENT ASSISTANCE

The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) extended the sign-up period until April 10 for funding available to eligible landowners through the floodplain easement component of the Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP).

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News Release (March 26, 2009)

USDA WILL RESTORE AND PROTECT FLOOD-PRONE LANDS IN OHIO WITH ECONOMIC RECOVERY FUNDING

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will provide up to $30 million to eligible landowners in Ohio through the floodplain easement component of its Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) Program, State Conservationist Terry Cosby announced today. The funds will be used to restore frequently flooded land to its natural state and create jobs.

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News Release (March 10, 2009)

2008 FARM BILL RULES PUBLISHED

The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) announces the interim final rules for the Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP), the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), the Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP), and the Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program (FRPP) were published on January 15 and 16, 2009, in the Federal Register. 

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News Release (January 23, 2009)

USDA’S Interim Final Rule Amends Composition, Responsibilities of State Technical Committees

U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service Chief Arlen Lancaster today announced the release of the interim final rule for State Technical Committees, which amended requirements regarding the composition and responsibilities of these advisory committees nationwide.

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News Release (December 2, 2008)

Ohio RC&D Coordinator Honored as National Coordinator of the Year

Sandy Chenal, RC&D Coordinator of Ohio’s Crossroads RC&D, was named as RC&D Coordinator of the Year for 2007.  In 2007, Ms. Chanel won regional RC&D Coordinator of the Year.  The regional winners were then pooled for selection of national Coordinator of the Year for 2007.   Ms. Chenal traveled to Washington, D.C. to receive her award.

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News Release (May 9, 2008)

CSP SIGN-UP EXTENDED TO MAY 30 IN SANDUSKY WATERSHED

The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) recently announced an extension of the deadline to apply for the Conservation Security Program (CSP) to Friday, May 30, 2008. Farmers in Ohio’s Sandusky Watershed, encompassing eleven counties in northern Ohio, are encouraged to take advantage of this extension.

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News Release (May 9, 2008)

GRAND LAKE ST. MARYS EQIP DEMONSTRATION PROJECT EXPANDED - More Farmers Have More Time to Sign-up!
 

The $1 million Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) project announced in February by Congressman John Boehner and Senator Sherrod Brown has been expanded to cover the entire Grand Lake St. Marys Watershed, encompassing approximately 60,000 acres. The sign up period has been extended as well, running until Friday, April 11, 2008.

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News Release (March 21, 2008)

CONSERVATION SECURITY PROGRAM SIGN-UP ANNOUNCED
Sign-Up Begins April 18 in the Sandusky Watershed
 

Farmers in the Chickasaw and Barnes Creek watersheds in portions of Auglaize and Mercer Counties can sign-up for a special demonstration project aimed at keeping nutrients and organic material out of area water supplies.  The sign-up period runs from today through March 14, 2008, with priority given to applications received by March 7, 2008.

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News Release (March 21, 2008)

SPECIAL EQIP DEMONSTRATION PROJECT TARGETS GRAND LAKE ST. MARYS

Farmers in the Chickasaw and Barnes Creek watersheds in portions of Auglaize and Mercer Counties can sign-up for a special demonstration project aimed at keeping nutrients and organic material out of area water supplies.  The sign-up period runs from today through March 14, 2008, with priority given to applications received by March 7, 2008.

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News Release (February 25, 2008)

CONSERVATION SECURITY PROGRAM (CSP) INFORMATIONAL MEETINGS SCHEDULED

Agricultural producers in the Sandusky Watershed are invited to attend one of five informational meetings to be held in February 2008 in preparation for the next Conservation Security Program (CSP) sign-up.

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News Release (February 14, 2008)

OHIO PRODUCER RECOGNIZED FOR CONSERVATION ACHIEVEMENTS IN NATIONAL CAMPAIGN 

Scott Stoller and his family were recognized for their conservation commitment as part of a national conservation campaign recently launched by the U.S Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS),  said Terry Cosby State Conservationist for NRCS in Ohio.

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News Release (February 12, 2008)

FOREST OWNERS TO BENEFIT FROM INTERAGENCY COLLABORATION

A pioneering Memorandum of Understanding, the first of it’s kind in the country, was signed by three agencies responsible for forest conservation in Ohio. The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), the USDA Forest Service, and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Forestry will explore ways to provide additional financial and technical assistance to landowners bordering the Wayne National Forest for management of forest resources.

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News Release (January 24, 2008)

CONSERVATION FUNDS AVAILABLE FOR RESEEDING DAMAGED PASTURE

Now through December 7, 2007, livestock producers who used sacrifice pasture lots during the 2007 grazing season can apply for EQIP to receive a $127.56 per acre incentive payment for reseeding sacrifice pastures.

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News Release (October 18, 2007)