HARRISBURG, Pa. – Pennsylvania farmers and technical service providers (TSPs) will now have an opportunity to work together to develop Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plans under a new USDA initiative.
Change. Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plans have been developed through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program contracts for many years.
What differs is the incentive for farmers to receive Environmental Quality Incentives Program dollars through a contract that will then be used by the farmer to hire a private industry person to complete the plan rather than a USDA employee.
This initiative is for the planning stages of a Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plan.
Farmers will not only benefit from the value of the content in the plans, but it will also put farmers in a better position to apply for an additional Environmental Quality Incentives Program contract that will go toward incentive payments to apply the practices shown in the plans.
Funding. Funding is limited, so farmers can take this step to make their Environmental Quality Incentives Program applications more competitive in the ranking process.
According to USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service State Conservationist Craig Derickson, “TSPs stand to benefit from this program because it will put more dollars in the hands of the private sector that will do the planning work.
“It will help to build the capacity and expertise for doing conservation work for non-USDA employees.”
Four issues are addressed in a Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plan:
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