The Official Newspaper for Foster County
The Official Newspaper for Foster County
On February 23, Foster County Soil Conservation District held a roundtable discussion on the Alliance to Advance Climate-Smart Agriculture in collaboration with North Dakota Farmers Union and North Dakota Grain Growers Association.
The Alliance is a pilot program that will pay farmers and ranchers $100 per acre or animal unit for adopting high-value conservation practices such as cover crops, no-till, minimum till, prescribed grazing and more. Enrollment in the program is now open but there is a very short application window, ending in mid-March.
The project is limited to 160 acres or animal units per producer for a maximum payout of $16,000 annually. Producers will receive 50% up front, 25% after implementation and verification, and then the final 25% after reporting is complete.
Producers who use the program in 2024 are eligible in 2025 as well. Producers can come back and receive funding the next year, but they can't enroll the same acres for the same practice.
Early adopters of most high-value conservation practices are also eligible to receive funding.
Forty percent of the project's nationwide enrollment must come from under-served, socially disadvantaged or limited-resource farms.
North Dakota is one of four states participating in the program, joining Arkansas, Minnesota and Virginia. The project is funded by a USDA grant and will pay up to $57 million to roughly 4,000 producers in 2024 and 2025. The eight counties selected are Billings, Cass, Foster, McKenzie, Mercer, Rolette, Stark and Ward.
Nationally, the program is led by Virginia Tech, with NDFU serving as the pilot lead for North Dakota. The North Dakota Conservation District Employees Association and soil conservation districts are providing technical assistance for growers, while the North Dakota Grain Growers Association is assisting with producer outreach.
The enrollment period began on February 21 and ends on March 21. Enrollment is done through an online portal. To learn more about the program, visit allianceforcsa.org. A link to this can be found on the soil conservation district's homepage, fosterscd.com.
Please contact Dionn or Easton at Foster County SCD for more information or assistance enrolling in the program. Stop in to our office at 6720 Hwy 200 in Carrington, or call 701-652-2551, ext. 3.
