Soil and Water Conservation Assistance (SWCA)

In 2001, a new conservation tool was added to the USDA conservation toolbox: The Soil and Water Conservation Assistance (SWCA) Program.  SWCA was authorized under the Agricultural Risk Protection Act of 2000, Title II, Section 211 (b) (Public Law 106-224).  The program was only funded in 2001.

SWCA is available nationwide, but only in areas that are not part of EQIP priority areas, WRP priority areas, or CRP national priority areas.  SWCA provides cost-share and incentive payments to farmers and ranchers to voluntarily address threats to soil, water, and related natural resources, including grazing land, wetlands, and wildlife habitat.  SWCA also helps landowners comply with Federal and State environmental laws and make beneficial, cost-effective changes to cropping systems, grazing management, nutrient management, and irrigation.  Fifty-nine agricultural producers expressed interest in enrolling 87,900 acres into the new SWCA program.  They requested $602,000 in financial assistance for the installation of conservation practices on private lands.  Forty applicants realized their conservation objectives on 47,100 acres through North Dakota's $265,500 SWCA allocation.

For more information, email Jennifer Heglund, Program Manager, or http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/swca/

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