By TIM ALEXANDER
Illinois Correspondent

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — More than $800,000 in Grassland Preserve Program (GRP) funds are available to Illinois landowners through the USDA’s Illinois Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). To help promote the existence of healthy, working grasslands in Illinois, the NRCS will distribute 2010 GRP funds through permanent easements and multi-year rental agreements with landowners.
Interested parties must be willing to implement a USDA-approved grazing management plan during the term of their agreement.
Illinois state conservationist Bill Gradle said that the first cut-off for GRP consideration was April 9, though additional batching periods will be held every two weeks after that date until all GRP funds have been allocated.

“GRP works a lot like CRP, but the land doesn’t sit idle,” explained Gradle. “As grazers know, good, healthy grasslands feed profitable and healthy livestock herds. With productive land, a good grazing management plan in place, sound technical advice and some good weather, that’s a recipe for success.”

Gradle said that land eligible for GRP funds include grassland, rangeland and pastureland. NRCS processes requests using established 2010 GRP Ranking Criteria. Landowners must provide clear title on privately owned lands.

To learn more about grazing land options and related conservation management tools, visit www.il.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/grp, or call your local NRCS office.

In addition, the NRCS has made available $61.2 million in financial assistance funding for the Agriculture Water Enhancement Program (AWEP). Producers who file a Request for Proposal will be eligible for the funds, which can be used for practices aimed at conserving surface and ground water and improve water quality on farmland.
“By working with our partners, we will see more water conservation on working lands and more opportunities to improve water quality,” Gradle stated.

NRCS enters into partnerships with eligible entities such as agricultural associations, local governments, producers’ groups and others to help landowners plan and implement conservation practices in established project areas. After eligible entities submit funding proposals and are approved, an AWEP project area is established and individual producers are cleared to apply for program benefits through their local NRCS office.

The deadline for partner organizations to submit proposals is May. To apply or learn more about the program, go to www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/AWEP/