USDA News:
ALBUQUERQUE — USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) announces up to $75,000 of funding available in New Mexico for eligible individuals, local and state governments, non-governmental organizations and tribes through Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG).
The deadline to submit an application for the New Mexico CIG is May 23, 2020. The funding announcement seeking proposals is published on grants.gov and is available here.
In addition, the national NRCS is accepting proposals for On-Farm Conservation Innovation Trials (On-Farm Trials), also part of the agency’s CIG program.
The deadline to submit an application for the On-Farm Trials is May 11, 2020. The On-Farm Trials funding announcement seeking proposals is published on grants.gov and is available here.
“Conservation Innovation Grants are critical for developing science, technology and innovative tools to address natural resource concerns on New Mexico’s private working lands,” State Conservationist Xavier Montoya said. “Our CIG partners deliver new approaches and technologies to help farmers, ranchers and private forest landowners implement innovative conservation on their lands.”
About the Program
CIG awards are intended to stimulate the development and adoption of innovative conservation approaches and technologies (in conjunction with agricultural production) while leveraging federal investment in environmental enhancement and protection. CIG generally funds pilot projects, field demonstrations and on-farm conservation research. On-farm conservation research is defined as an investigation conducted to answer a specific applied conservation question using a statistically valid design while employing farm-scale equipment on farms, ranches or private forest lands.
To apply for state CIG, projects must be carried out entirely within New Mexico and may be statewide in scope or focus on a smaller region or watershed. CIG State competitions complement the national CIG competition and enable NRCS to better address natural resource concerns at the local level. The CIG priorities for FY20 in New Mexico are increased biodiversity to control pests, implementing soil health management systems, water conservation, and restoring wildlife and fish habitat.
Applicants submitting proposals may request up to $75,000 of matching federal funds. Applicants must match the Federal award at least 1:1. Matching funds can be cash, in-kind or a combination of both. CIG projects must involve Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) eligible producers.
Applicants must carefully follow the instructions in the announcement of funding to ensure that the State priorities will be met with the proposal. Applications that are incomplete, do not specify the cost-share match, or do not meet the eligibility requirements will not be considered. For more information visit the grants.gov website opportunity number USDA-NRCS-NM-CIG-20-GEN0010756.
For the national On-Farm Trials CIG, NRCS will invest up to $25 million in 2020. This total includes up to $10 million for the Soil Health Demonstration Trials (SHD) priority. A maximum of $5 million can be provided per award. For 2020, NRCS is implementing On-Farm Trials through eligible entities, which in turn work collaboratively with NRCS and agricultural producers to implement innovative approaches on private lands that have a positive conservation effect but which, for any number of reasons, have not yet been adopted by producers. A minimum contribution of 25 percent of the total Federal award requested is required in the form of value-added contributions that leverage and complement the potential NRCS investment in each project. For more information visit the grants.gov website opportunity number USDA-NRCS-NHQ-CIGOFT-20-GEN0010750.
More Information
To learn more about Conservation Innovations Grants, visit the 2020 Announcement of Program Funding or visit the CIG webpage or https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/nm/programs/financial/cig/.
USDA Service Centers are open for business by phone appointment only and field work will continue with appropriate social distancing. While program delivery staff will continue to come into the office, they will be working with producers by phone, and using online tools whenever possible. All Service Center visitors wishing to conduct business with NRCS, Farm Service Agency, or any other Service Center agency are required to call their Service Center to schedule a phone appointment. More information can be found at farmers.gov/coronavirus.