Ohio agricultural producers with land in the Western Lake Erie Basin may qualify for funding for conservation practices from USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service. Applications are being accepted through Jan. 15.

The WLEB special project targets funding to obtain the greatest environmental benefits in two ways:

Ohio WLEB producers in Allen, Ashland, Auglaize, Crawford, Defiance, Erie, Fulton, Hancock, Hardin, Henry, Huron, Lorain, Lucas, Marion, Mercer, Ottawa, Paulding, Putnam, Richland, Sandusky, Seneca, Shelby, Van Wert, Williams, Wood and Wyandot counties may apply. Some counties have only a small area in the basin.

This project will use funding from the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, which is a voluntary conservation program that helps agricultural producers protect the environment while promoting agricultural production. With EQIP, NRCS experts provide technical assistance to implement environmentally beneficial conservation practices on working agricultural land.

Individuals interested in applying for the WLEB special project should contact their local NRCS conservationist as soon as possible. Be sure to check the status of your service center when reaching out.

For offices with restrictions on in-person appointments, they are available by phone, email and through other digital tools. Your service center’s status is available at farmers.gov/coronavirus/service-center-status.

Applications signed and submitted to NRCS by the Jan. 15 deadline will be evaluated for fiscal 2021 funding. Visit the Ohio NRCS website under “EQIP Funding Categories” for more details.

To learn more about EQIP or other technical and financial assistance available through NRCS conservation programs, visit Get Started with NRCS or contact your local USDA service center.

Source: USDA NRCS, which is solely responsible for the information provided and is wholly owned by the source. Informa Business Media and all its subsidiaries are not responsible for any of the content contained in this information asset.