(COLUMBIA, MO) -- The USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is providing $2.4 million for a Missouri Department of Agriculture project to expand the use of cover crops and no-till planting in Missouri. The funding is made available through the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP).
Missouri State Conservationist J.R. Flores said he is pleased that the Missouri Department of Agriculture's proposal was one of those selected by USDA for funding over the next five years.
"Improving the health of Missouri's soil is a critical priority of NRCS," Flores said. "Healthier soils can produce higher yields with fewer chemical inputs, and they soak in rainfall and snow melt, which reduces flooding and provides moisture storage that plants utilize in times of drought. Utilizing cover crops and no-till are the best things farmers can do to improve the health of the soil that supports all life."
The Missouri Department of Agriculture's "Cover Crops for Soil Health and Water Quality" project proposes to help farmers and ranchers plant up to 20,000 acres in cover crops annually on agricultural land.
"Missouri's farmers and ranchers continue to be on the forefront of best-practices for protecting our soil and water, because they know that the sustainability of our natural resources is important to the future of agriculture," Director of Agriculture Richard Fordyce said. "This program funding will help the Missouri Department of Agriculture work with local landowners to plant thousands of acres of cover crops, which are proven to reduce soil erosion and improve soil health."
RCPP draws on local knowledge and networks to fuel conservation projects. Bringing together a wide variety of new partners including businesses, universities, non-profits and local governments makes it possible to deliver innovative projects that improve water quality and quantity, wildlife habitat, soil health and other natural resource concerns on working farms, ranches and forests.
Nationwide, USDA is putting $220 million towards 84 new conservation projects, with proposed partner matches totaling more than $500 million. Combined with the first round of RCPP in 2015, USDA is committing almost $600 million in 199 partner-led projects, leveraging an additional $900 million for conservation activities from partners in all 50 states and Puerto Rico. A full list of projects is available at www.nrcs.usda.gov.
Missouri is also part of two multi-state projects in 2016 that will focus on improving and restoring habitat that is beneficial to honey bees and monarch butterflies. USDA is providing more than $14 million total for those two projects, which will encompass 12 states. Missouri had five RCPP projects in 2015.