New York farmers and landowners have until February 17, 2012 to apply for 2012 conservation program funding. This deadline includes the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Initiative (CBWI), and the Agricultural Management Assistance Program (AMA).

The USDA-NRCS gives notice that it will hold its Local Working Group meetings across New York State in January. These local working groups are subcommittees of the USDA-NRCS State Technical Committee. Local working groups provide recommendations to New York NRCS on local natural resource priorities and criteria for Farm Bill conservation activities and programs. These meetings are open to the public.

A growing dairy farm, in Stafford, has been named the Genesee County’s “Conservation Farm of the Year,” in recognition of its many environmental initiatives to protect the creek and watershed. The Totten family has operated Hy-Hope Farms since 1948, when Fay Totten started milking cows.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced an important package of disaster assistance to help farmers, landowners, communities and others recover and rebuild after the natural disasters of Irene and Lee. In New York, the Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) program has $31.5 million available to local units of government for addressing public safety and restoration efforts on public, private and Tribal lands.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has announced a funding opportunity that will bring states, USDA and other stakeholders together to enhance the effectiveness of water quality credit trading. USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service is providing up to $10 million in Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) for these projects, with up to $5 million focused on water quality credit trading in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Proposals for projects are due March 2, 2012.