USDA-NRCS Announces Financial Assistance to Landowners and Operators in the Milford Lake Watershed

SALINA, KANSAS, September 27, 2024 ‒ David Doctorian, State Conservationist for Kansas, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), announced that additional financial assistance is available for conservation projects within the Milford Lake Watershed.  These funds are available through the Regional Conservationist Partnership Program (RCPP). The project is funded through the USDA Partnership program, which is locally led by the Kansas Water Office, in coordination with a diverse partnership team of State Agencies, public water suppliers, agricultural organizations, university researchers, non-profit conservation organizations, as well as Conservation Districts in Jewell, Mitchell, Republic, Cloud, Washington, Clay, Riley, Dickinson, and Geary counties.  RCPP provides funding to landowners and operators of property located in this watershed to address water quality and quantity issues to help battle the harmful algal blooms taking place in the lake.

“NRCS devoted over $2 million to apply conservation practices on agricultural lands in the Milford Lake watershed to help reduce nutrients entering the lake and therefore reducing algal blooms,” Doctorian said.  This RCPP project can assist operators in proper nutrient management, no-till and cover crops to reduce agricultural runoff, along with many other practices on crop and grassland to improve the quality of surface water in this specific watershed.

The final date to apply for fiscal year 2025 funding is Friday, November 1, 2024. Applications received prior to the deadline will be planned, assessed, ranked, and submitted for funding, and will be preapproved based on fund availability in ranking order.  Applications received after the deadline will be batched and considered in the next funding period. 

To apply, visit your local USDA Service Center.

To learn more about NRCS programs, producers can contact their local USDA Service Center.  Producers can also apply for NRCS programs, manage conservation plans and contracts, and view and print conservation maps by logging into their farmers.gov account. If you don’t have an account, sign up today.

Kansas WRAPS Partners With Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism

In an effort to combat Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs), the Kansas Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy (WRAPS) program has partnered with the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism (KDWPT) to promote innovative farming practices on Milford Wildlife Area. Through this joint effort, Milford Lake WRAPS and KDWPT aim to reduce nutrient runoff from entering Milford Lake and causing HABs.

The Milford Lake WRAPS program is offering financial assistance to tenant farmers of the wildlife area to promote soil health through the use of soil testing and incorporating cover crops into the crop rotations.

“This is a perfect partnership,” said Adam Bauer, Milford Lake WRAPS coordinator. “The farmed areas of Milford Wildlife Area contribute nutrients to the lake just as the rest of the farmed acres in the Milford Lake Watershed.”

Improving soil health has become an integral practice for improving water infiltration and preventing nutrient runoff. Farming practices that support this effort include reducing soil disturbance, covering bare soil, keeping living plant roots in the ground, promoting biodiversity and utilizing technology to most efficiently manage applied nutrients.

Excess nutrients in surface water not only worsen water quality, but also have damaging effects to local economics, recreation and the health of communities. Working with tenant farmers of the wildlife area will allow land adjacent to the reservoir to help reduce nutrients while also setting a positive example to the remaining area on improved land management techniques.

For more information, visit: www.milfordwatershed.org, www.kswraps.org.

Milford Lake Watershed RCPP Funding Now Available for Producers

The Milford Lake Watershed Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) is a financial assistance program to help improve water quality conditions in the Milford Lake Watershed through implementation of nutrient management conservation practices. Applications for this project are now being accepted on a continuous basis. 

Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) have been an issue in Milford Lake for many years. To help improve nutrient management, producers are encouraged to take advantage of the continued funding opportunity and help reduce nutrient loss and loading of Milford Lake from runoff experienced during heavy precipitation events within the watershed. The Milford Lake Watershed RCPP includes portions of Jewell, Republic, Washington, Mitchell, Cloud, Clay, Riley, Dickinson and Geary Counties. 

During previous sign up periods, RCPP contracts were written in Clay, Cloud, Jewell, Republic and Washington counties covering thousands of acres with conservation practices while allocating over half of the Farm Bill financial assistance available to producers through this program. Project funding is available through the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and non-federal project partners to implement practices such as: nutrient management; residue management; or cover crops to address water quality concerns with the goal to reduce the nutrient loading in the Milford watershed (map below) by 31,000 pounds of phosphorus annually.

Producers considering any of these practices should visit their local USDA Service Center/ County Conservation District office. RCPP program participants have found these resources to help improve their bottom line while maximizing the benefit of their conservation dollars. EQIP can provide a significant funding source for implementing new practices with project “core” practices being eligible for higher payment rates through RCPP partner contributions. Program payment rates can fluctuate on an annual basis so producers are encouraged to take advantage current higher payment rates while the opportunity exists. Program payment rates are available on the Kansas NRCS website or producers can contact their local NRCS office for more information.

Interested individuals can visit MilfordWatershed.org for additional background information on Milford Lake, past HABs, general information about the RCPP as well as all the partners working to improve watershed.   

UPDATE: RCPP Contracts Impact 25,000 Watershed Acres, Funding Now Available for 2020

The Milford Lake Watershed Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) is a financial assistance program to help improve water quality conditions in the Milford Lake Watershed and is entering the second year of availability for producers. To help improve nutrient management, funding is available again this year and producers are encouraged to take advantage of the opportunity and help reduce runoff from precipitation events and nutrient loading in the watershed. The Milford Lake Watershed includes portions of Jewell, Republic, Washington, Mitchell, Cloud, Clay, Riley, Dickenson and Geary Counties.

During the first year of the RCPP, contracts were written in Clay, Cloud, Jewell, Republic and Washington counties covering over 25,000 acres with conservation practices (see map). The map shows all Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and RCPP practices from 2015 -2019 with the light pink dots representing Milford RCPP contracts for 2019.

The funding is available through the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) - EQIP and non-federal project partners to implement practices such as: nutrient management; residue management; or cover crops to address water quality concerns with the goal to reduce the nutrient loading in the Milford watershed by 31,000 pounds of phosphorus annually.

RCPP program participants have found these resources to help improve their bottom line and stretch their conservation dollars. EQIP can provide a significant funding source for implementing new practices with certain core practices eligible for additional funding through RCPP partner contributions.