The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service is continuing an effort to enhance the adoption of soil health practices through the establishment of Soil Health Management Demonstration Projects. Landowners interested in applying for funding to establish a soil health demonstration project should submit their application to NRCS by Friday, Feb. 18, 2022.

According to NRCS, the purpose of this initiative is to demonstrate and validate soil health management systems applicable across Nebraska. The goal is to support the adoption and continued application of the NRCS Soil Health Principles: 

1. Use plant diversity to increase diversity in the soil.
2. Manage soils more by disturbing them less.
3. Keep plants growing throughout the year to feed the soil.
4. Keep the soil covered as much as possible.

NRCS’s Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) will be used to fund this initiative. Producers selected can receive EQIP funding for three to five years. Funding will compensate producers for conducting strip trials of cover crops vs. no cover crops within a diverse crop rotation using no-till planting and other soil health management techniques. Producers will receive $1,800 per treatment comparison unit, up to a maximum of $7,500 per year, to conduct these strip trials, develop case studies and host field days. 

For more information on Soil Health Management Demonstration Projects, contact NRCS at the local USDA Service Center.