Release No.: 02.26

Athens, GA – Sept. 9, 2026 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Georgia established an October 9, 2026, batching deadline for the first funding round of key conservation programs. This batching date ensures Georgia producers have a clear timeline for participating in Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP), and Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP). This sign-up once again includes NRCS’ Regenerative Pilot Program, which provides targeted Farmer First assistance through EQIP and CSP.

“Our NRCS team in Georgia continues its commitment to keeping our working lands in working hands,” said NRCS State Conservationist Terrance O. Rudolph. “I encourage all of our great state’s producers to come in and see if one of our programs is right for you.” 

ACT NOW for EQIP
Georgia NRCS will be utilizing ACT NOW to process EQIP applications for Conservation Plan Activities (CPA), Design and Implementation Activities (DIA), and Conservation Evaluation and Monitoring Activities (CEMA) ranking pools to deliver conservation faster. 

ACT NOW allows NRCS to immediately approve and obligate a ranked application that meets a minimum score threshold of 1.6 for CPA, DIA, and CEMA applications. This means no longer having to wait for all applications to be reviewed and preapproved for these contracts to be awarded and get started. Applications selected through ACT NOW will be batched and processed in the order received.

NRCS programs are continuous sign-up programs. This batching date announcement is also for all conservation easement programs, including the ACEP – Wetland Reserve Easement (WRE), ACEP – Agricultural Land Easement (ALE) and RCPP easements via two separate projects (see below). Producers should discuss these sign-up options with their local conservationists or identified RCPP partners to see if any are right for them.

Georgia RCPP Projects with Conservation Easements:

1. Gopher Tortoise Conservation Initiative with the US Endowment for Forestry and Communities, Inc., Project 2574
   • Summary: This project offers U.S.-held easements on private forest land, with the goal to protect forestlands in longleaf pine ecosystems that have viable gopher tortoise populations, building on the existing Gopher Tortoise Conservation Initiative established in 2015.
   • Focal Area: Lands within the Gopher Tortoise priority area, with sandy soils
   • Contact: Ernest Cook, US Endowment (Contractor), Land/Water Associates | 617-697-7758 or landwaterassoc@gmail.com 
2. West Georgia Conservation Corridors Project with the US Endowment for Forestry and Communities, Inc., Project 3823
   • Summary: Offering both U.S.-held and entity-held easements on private working forest land across west Georgia, from the mountains to the fall line, this project identifies critical working forest corridors that are essential to the forest products industry and that also safeguard critical ecological values.  
   • Focal Areas: Cumberland Plateau, Dawson Forest/Upper Etowah River, Paulding County/Dugdown Corridor, and the Chattahoochee Fall Line/Upper Flint/Columbus Corridor around Fort Moore, Georgia
   • Contact: Ernest Cook, US Endowment (Contractor), Land/Water Associates | 617-697-7758 or landwaterassoc@gmail.com
      

How to Apply for a Conservation Easement Program
Questions, applications, or other correspondence regarding easement programs can be submitted to the easements email inbox at GA.EasementApp@usda.gov.

• ACEP-WRE: Landowners must submit a Conservation Program Application (NRCS-CPA-1200) at their local USDA Service Center. 
• ACEP-ALE: Landowners must first coordinate with an eligible entity. The entity then applies via Entity Application (NRCS-CPA-41) and Parcel Sheet (NRCS-CPA-41a) to the USDA NRCS State Office via GA.EasementApp@usda.gov. 
• RCPP easements: Landowners should coordinate with the project’s respective point of contact listed above before reaching out to NRCS. The landowner would then submit a Conservation Program Application (NRCS-CPA-1200) at their local USDA Service Center.

More Information
For more than 90 years, NRCS has helped farmers, ranchers and forestland owners make investments in their operations and local communities to improve the quality of our air, water, soil, and wildlife habitat.  NRCS uses the latest science and technology to help keep working lands working, boost agricultural economies, and increase the competitiveness of American agriculture. NRCS provides one-on-one technical advice and financial assistance and works with producers to help them reach their goals through voluntary, incentive-based conservation programs.

For more information, please visit nrcs.usda.gov or contact your local USDA Service Center.