Description
The purpose is to increase the number of farmers/ranchers participating in conservation planning and programs in order to improve soil health, water quality, and the viability of working lands. The CARE project places an emphasis on assisting socially disadvantaged and veteran farmers/ranchers. Working with this targeted group to expand their knowledge of innovative technology, soil health, and invasive species eradication will assist them in sustaining their farms. The project will build the capacity of participating organizations to develop and implement conservation projects and strengthen the technical capacity of conservation districts to assist in both conservation planning and Farm Bill Conservation Programs.
Elligibility
CARE Champions must be actively engaged with farming/ranching and identify with USDA’s definition of SDFR; minorities and military veterans. In previous years we have partnered with organizations in Texas to replicate the program but for this next lifecycle our efforts will only be focused in Oklahoma. Our organization, OACD, represents the 84 state appropriated and 5 tribal conservation districts which we use to identify, recruit, and enroll the CARE Champions. There is no demonstration of financial need or lack of prior engagement with USDA required to be eligible. We rely on partners at the districts to know their communities best and leverage those personal relationships to serve the producers who may never have stepped foot inside a USDA service center.
Available Funding
-Producers are eligible for up to $2800 to implement a conservation practice on their property which is $70/acre up to 40 acres or if it’s a non-acre based project they qualify up to the $2800 based on project need.
-There is also funding within the budget for continuing education opportunities that include but are not limited to scholarships to attend No-Till on the Plains, National Association of Conservation Districts Annual Meeting, Rural Coalition Winter Forum, Oklahoma Grazing Land Coalition workshops. We work closely with Champions to identify opportunities they would like to engage with and we provide scholarships. We have found that removing certain financial barriers helps producers feel more empowered to enter into these spaces and places not originally built for them, filled with people that don’t necessarily look like them.
-Organizational funding: OACD funding source for the next iteration of the program is made possible through an NRCS Equity Agreement.
Length of Contracts
-While contracts are for two year, year one for planning with a certified conservation planner and year two for implementation, you really never phase out of the CARE family. While providing technical assistance and facilitating the financial means to implement a practice is the deliverable, the program is really about empowering underserved producers to more effectively participate in USDA programs both NRCS and FSA.
Cost-share requirements?
-As a farmer and rancher myself, we recognize $2800 does not go a long way in such a capital intensive business. We consider this an initial investment in the start or continuation of their regenerative ag journey. We do not require CARE Champions to come out of pocket and cost-share but are very transparent about the real world cost of practices.
Required Documentation (prove ownership/lease arrangements)
-Producers sign a cooperative agreement with the association and a 1099 at the end of the year, but that is all the documentation associated with the program. I’m happy to share the agreement but it is essentially a straightforward statement of work with objectives and deliverables for both parties.
-Our producers are disproportionately affected by heirs property and highly fractionated land issues that have prohibited them from participating in USDA programs so we don’t require farm numbers, deeds, leases, etc. to remove those systemic barriers.
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