Federal Carbon Resources PDF
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| Policy | Description of Policy | Agricultural System | Implementation | Agency Managing the Program | Verification Process | Is it providing an incentive? | Incentive Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservation Compliance Program | Any producer that wishes to participate in any USDA government agricultural programs must comply with the CCP, which certifies that the producer is not farming in highly erodible land (HEL) or a wetland, or if they are, they have an approved conservation plan. | Crop | Unclear | FSA & NRCS | 1% random site visit of all land tracts by FSA as well as additional verification and compliance checks of land designed as HEL or wetland | No | Unclear |
| Conservation Reserve Program | CRP is a federal program that takes land out of production and provides financial assistance to producers to implement relevant practices. | Crop | CRP participants enroll in contracts for 10-15 years, in exchange for annual rental payments as well as potential cost-share and technical assistance for installation | FSA | 100% of CRP is inspected 2-3 years prior to renewal | Yes | Financial assistance to implement |
| Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) | National and state initiatives offering a cost share program run that aims to assist producers in solving major resource concerns on their land. | Crop & Livestock | EQIP contracts can be up to ten years. | NRCS federal and state | Unclear | Yes | Cost share |
| Conservation Stewardship Program | Financial assistance to implement practices beyond their major resource concerns (e.g. manure or nutrient loss requiring a manure storage facility). These practices are “enhancements” on the land, for farms that have already implemented some conservation measures. | Crop & Livestock | Five year contracts | NRCS | Unclear | Yes | Financial assistance to implement |
| Biomass Crop Assistance Program | Incentives to establish, cultivate, and harvest biomass for heat, power, bio-based products, advanced biofuels and research through a cost share program. | Crop | 1-year matching payments and rental payments | County FSA offices | Unclear | Yes | Cost share |
| Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP) | Cost-share from eligible entities to eligible landowners with the goal of preserving farmland. | Crop & Livestock | Easements | Entity that has the easement | Contracts with verification by the easement entity and reporting to NRCS | Yes | Cost share |
| Regional Conservation Partnership Program | Promotes the implementation of conservation agreements between partners and producers. The Federal RCPP program provides templates for the projects to state NRCS offices, which lead the implementation of conservation agreements and monitoring. | Crop & Livestock | Project Plans | State NRCS offices | Unclear | No | Unclear |
| Conservation Stewardship Program Grasslands Conservation Initiative | Provides financial assistance for grasslands conservation through five-year non-renewable contracts. Eligible land must have been maintained through the Agricultural Risk Coverage/Price Loss Coverage program and managed through a grassland conservation plan. | Crop & Livestock | Five year contracts | NRCS | Unclear | Yes | Financial assistance to implement |
| Agriculture Management Assistance (AMA) | Cost share for water quality improvement to increase carbon sequestration. Available to farmers in 16 states where participation in the Federal Crop Insurance Program is historically low. | Crop & Livestock | Cost-share and incentive payments | NRCS | Unclear | Yes | Cost share |
| Conservation Technical Assistance | Provides technical assistance to promote activities that will increase carbon sequestration. | Crop & Livestock | Unclear | NRCS | Unclear | No | Unclear |
| Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program (FRPP) | Cost share to prevent the development of farmland to encourage continual carbon sequestration | Crop & Livestock | Matching funds to State, Tribal, or local governments and non-governmental organizations with existing farm and ranch land protection programs to purchase conservation easements | NRCS | Unclear | Yes | Cost share |