IRA Rollout Begins: Conservation Program Application Dates Change
On August 16, 2022, President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) into law. The IRA is a far-reaching health care, tax, and climate bill which makes historic investments in a wide array of federal programs to address the climate crisis and aims to reduce carbon emissions by roughly 40 percent by 2030. Consequently, it represents a meaningful step forward on addressing the climate crisis and reflects key priorities lifted up by the farmers and communities that NSAC’s members serve.
The IRA contains roughly $20 billion worth of funding for agriculture conservation. This generational investment falls within the popular and often oversubscribed traditional U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) working lands conservation programs, or programs that are designed to support producers making changes to their operations that improve conservation outcomes on their farms. The IRA funds four key conservation programs: the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP), and the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP).
