WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, released the following statement today after the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) announced that The Nature Conservancy in Nebraska’s project, “Resilient Futures for Nebraska Soil,” was selected for a Regional Conservation Partnership Project (RCPP) in the amount of $4,419,304. The application was strengthened by the support of Senator Fischer and Representative Don Bacon. 

“I am pleased that The Nature Conservancy’s Nebraska project was selected for this award,” said Senator Fischer. “This is a good conservation win and an example of how public-private partnerships can work to support Nebraska’s farmers and ranchers in their continued efforts to be good stewards of the land. I look forward to seeing how this award created by 2018 Farm Bill will foster partnerships to benefit farmers as they care for the land and implement soil health practices.”

“I’m excited to announce the first RCPP awards under the 2018 Farm Bill,” said NRCS Chief Matthew Lohr. “Through collaboration and aligning our resources toward a common goal, we’re making an impact for natural resource conservation that could never have been realized on our own.”

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The five-year award from NRCS, matched by companies in the agricultural supply chain, will provide farmers in central Nebraska with technical and financial assistance as they adopt soil health practices on an estimated 100,000 acres.  

Eligible producers will have the option of implementing three soil health practices: cover cropping, reduced tillage, and diversified crop rotations. The project will serve as an Ecosystem Services Market Consortium pilot, which connects farmers to private sector payments for soil health practice adoption. The Ecosystem Services Market Consortium, while new, provides a way to scale up practice adoption.