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Regional Conservation Partnership ProgramComing Together for Conservation

Montana

Putting Partners in the Driver’s SeatCreated by the 2014 Farm Bill, the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) is a partner-driven, locally-led approach to conservation. The program offers new opportunities for USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to harness innovation, welcome new partners to the conservation mission, and demonstrate the value and efficacy of voluntary, private lands conservation.

With RCPP, partners are in the driver’s seat with technical and financial help from NRCS. Partners develop projects that deliver solutions to natural resource challenges in selected project areas. RCPP empowers local organizations and communities to pitch their own projects.

NRCS works side-by-side with conservation partners and agricultural producers to conserve natural resources, leading to cleaner and more abundant water, healthier soil, enhanced wildlife habitat and many other benefits.

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Proposal Evaluation CriteriaSolutions Investing in projects that generate near-

term results that are measurable from environmental, economic, and social perspectives.

Contributions Leveraging the Federal Resources to at least double the total investment in conservation projects.

Innovation Promoting innovative projects that integrate multiple conservation approaches to deliver comprehensive and measurable solutions.

Participation Maximizing the number of partners and participants, including those with a proven track record and those new to NRCS-administered conservation programs, to participate in and contribute to projects.

Eligible PartnersUnder RCPP, eligible producers and landowners of agricultural land and non-industrial private forestland may enter into conservation program contracts or easement agreements under the framework of a partnership agreement.

Eligible partners include agricultural or silvicultural producer associations, farmer cooperatives or other groups of producers, state or local governments, American Indian tribes, municipal water treatment entities, water and irrigation districts, conservation-driven nongovernmental organizations and institutions of higher education.

Partners are responsible for:• Defining the scope of the project (accomplished through

the project proposal and agreement);• Conducting outreach and education to eligible

producers for potential participation in the project;• Assisting landowners and producers with NRCS

applications;• Leveraging financial or technical assistance provided by

NRCS with additional funds to help achieve the project objectives;

• Conducting and providing an assessment of the project costs and conservation effects; and

• Other duties as specified in the partnership agreement.

Successful RCPP ProposalsMissouri Headwaters and Lower Gallatin BasinA partnership of agricultural and conservation groups in the Gallatin Valley of Montana dedicated to delivering conservation assistance to producers and landowners to compensate landowners for conservation easements on important agricultural properties and to implement farming

and ranching practices to protect and enhance water quality, soil health and water quantity.

The NRCS investment of more than $3.8 million in the proposal area will be doubled through significant partner contributions. The project emphasizes improvement of impaired waterways on permanently conserved private lands.

Upper Clark Fork River Drought Resiliency ProjectThe Upper Clark Fork River Drought Resilience Project is a partnership to improve water quantity in the Upper Clark Fork by restoring water resources and aquatic habitat on a basin-wide scale while benefitting agricultural operations with diverse water-saving practices. This project will implement major water conservation projects such as piping three leaky canals, constructing six new diversions, doubling the flow in a critical reach of the Clark Fork River, preventing entrainment of native fish, and addressing the impacts of drought on forest and grazing lands in the upper watershed. The NRCS investment of more than $1.7 million in the proposal area will be increased nearly four-fold through significant partner contributions.

Frequently Asked QuestionsIs RCPP a grant program?No. RCPP is a voluntary financial assistance program offered to eligible landowners and agricultural producers to help manage natural resources in a sustainable manner. Through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP), Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), Healthy Forests Reserve Program (HFRP), and, in Critical Conservation Areas (CCAs) only, watershed authorities, approved contracts provide financial assistance to help plan and implement conservation practices that address resource concerns or opportunities to help save energy, improve soil, water, plant, air, animal and related resources on agricultural lands and non-industrial private forest land.

Can NRCS technical assistance be used for administrative costs? No. Per statute, NRCS funds may not be used to pay the administrative costs of a partner. Administrative costs are defined in Appendix A of the announcement of program funding as the costs beyond the costs of direct services. These are also known as indirect costs/overhead. Examples include: rent, utilities, space used by staff, copies, phones, IT support, salaries not associated with implementing a conservation practice, etc., that are used by all staff and not directly related to the project. However, administrative costs can be used as partner contributions and should be documented in the full proposal budget in Section V, B, 1.

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Do projects have to conform to ACEP, EQIP, and other covered programs, or can they be cross-cutting?Proposals may request funding from one or more of the eligible programs (EQIP, ACEP, CSP, HFRP, and, in CCAs only, watershed authorities) depending on the needs of the project. NRCS financial assistance must be used within the existing rules and policy for each program unless an application requests an adjustment of terms to the program for the RCPP project.

Which RCPP funds go to a partner for distribution? Which funds are paid directly to producers?Partner agreements can include financial assistance, technical assistance or a combination of both. Financial assistance funds may go directly to producers through contracts with NRCS or to partners with approved alternative funding arrangements. Technical assistance funds may go to NRCS field offices or directly to partners, depending on the project proposal and subsequent partner agreement. Technical assistance funding can be provided to implement contracts and agreements with producers, landowners, and (for agricultural land easements under ACEP) eligible entities to carry out the purposes of the program.

Can salary be covered under technical assistance for RCPP projects?RCPP can be used for salary expenses related to technical assistance implementing conservation practices. However, NRCS technical assistance is not permitted for administrative activities by the partners.

Is outreach and education considered technical assistance?No. Technical assistance is defined in the announcement for program funding as “technical expertise, information, training, education, and tools necessary for a producer to be able to successfully implement, operate, and maintain the conservation of natural resources on land active in agricultural, forestry, or related uses. The term includes: (1) technical services provided directly to farmers, ranchers, and other eligible entities, such as conservation planning, technical consultation, and assistance with design and implementation of conservation practices; and (2) technical infrastructure including activities, processes, tools, and agency functions needed to support delivery of technical services, such as technical standards, resource inventories, training, data, technology, monitoring, and effects analyses. Information regarding technical assistance can be found at http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/cta/. Technical assistance does NOT include administrative (food, travel, clothing), research, outreach and education.” Administrative costs and outreach and education are further defined in the announcement of program funding.

Can partners provide incentives to entice landowners to participate in the program?Yes. Partners are required to leverage non-Federal financial or technical resources (direct or in-kind) as their portion of the overall cost of the project, and further incentives for practices is one acceptable way to leverage resources.

For financial assistance included in a selected project with a signed partnership agreement, will partners have final decision on contracts or will program contracts still need to rank out in normal state ranking processes?Producer contracts will go through the established state ranking process, unless there is an approved alternative funding arrangement. Partners are encouraged to work with NRCS to help develop evaluation criteria for the ranking process used for their projects.

Does a landowner apply to NRCS directly if they are located in an approved-project area? Yes. Landowners can apply directly to NRCS for program funds (EQIP, CSP, ACEP-WRE, and HFRP) as identified in the approved project proposal, unless alternative funding arrangements have been made. ACEP-ALE applications must come from an eligible entity. Partners may also facilitate the application process. Landowner contracts under the RCPP agreement will follow normal NRCS contracting policies. If the partner is providing additional financial assistance, the partner would need to establish their unique funding mechanism.

What is considered a significant partner contribution? How much “match” is required? RCPP does not require a match. However, the statute requires an eligible partner to make a “significant contribution” to the overall cost of the project. A significant contribution can include financial or technical assistance, monitoring, and administrative services. The contribution can be cash or in-kind. Priority will be given to those applications that significantly leverage non-Federal financial and technical resources. NRCS has a goal of leveraging an amount equal to the NRCS investment. Therefore, partner applications that meet or exceed the amount requested from NRCS (direct or in-kind) will be the most competitive.

Does a partner have to provide cash or can other resources be used to meet the significant contribution?The significant contribution that partners must bring to selected projects can include in-kind contributions, such as monitoring, conservation planning, and producer assistance. Partners may also include administrative services that they provide in the calculation of their contribution to the project. Partners should consider the total benefit they expect to bring to the project.

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

MT-2017 • Jan. 2017

Will the Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) rules affect the eligibility of large farms?Yes, AGI applies to RCPP participants. However, the Secretary may waive AGI requirements if needed to fulfill the purposes of the program. Partners who anticipate making a waiver request should indicate that in their proposal as an adjustment of terms.

In the new Farm Bill, what is the AGI limitation requirement? The AGI limitation is $900,000 for both conservation and commodity program payments and benefits. This is a single, total limit, and not subject to the previous flexibility in cases where two thirds of the income was from farm income.

Can non-NRCS funding that is already being expended on a component of a proposed project count as the contribution to the overall accomplishment of the project? No. Partner contributions that are expended prior to the award and execution of a partnership agreement may not be considered a partner contribution. Partner contributions provided pursuant the RCPP partner agreement must be implemented after the execution of the partnership agreement. A proposal may build upon an existing project but the significant contribution from the partner must be implemented after the signing of the partnership agreement.