Chad Volkman, Acting Kansas State Conservationist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), announced that producers in the South Fork Republican River (SFRR) watershed in Cheyenne County are now eligible for financial assistance through the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP). This initiative is funded by USDA and locally led by the Cheyenne County Conservation District and the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks.

The RCPP-SFRR project provides targeted funding to landowners to address plant pest pressure, groundwater depletion, and water quality concerns. Eligible conservation practices include brush management—specifically the removal of Russian olive, salt cedar, and eastern red cedar trees from rangeland along the river—as well as support for alternative water sources for livestock, prescribed grazing, and other practices needed to achieve conservation goals.

Applications are accepted year-round. Using the ACT NOW funding process, applications may be preapproved as soon as NRCS completes ranking and review, allowing for a faster contract process. The final deadline to apply for fiscal year 2027 funding is Friday, July 2, 2027. Applications submitted before the deadline will be assessed and ranked in the order received, with preapproval based on fund availability and a threshold score of zero points for this batching period. Applications received after the deadline will be considered in the next batching period.

For more information, producers should contact their local USDA Service Center. Applications, conservation plans, contracts, and maps are available at farmers.gov. Producers without an account are encouraged to sign up.

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