A total of 49 projects have been awarded grant funding to help support conservation on grazing lands. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing $12 million as part of the effort. Funding provided through USDA’s Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) will expand access to technical assistance and increase the use of conservation practices on grazing lands. Grant awards are being made possible through NRCS’s Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative (GLCI).
“In selecting projects for cooperative agreements, NRCS looked for partners with knowledge and expertise in working with livestock producers, advancing climate-smart agriculture, and supporting underserved producers.” NRCS Chief Terry Cosby said in a press release. “Privately owned grazing lands cover nearly 30 percent of the national landscape, which means we have a tremendous opportunity to better reach underserved producers while addressing climate change and conserving natural resources through voluntary, private lands conservation.”
GLCI cooperative agreement projects focus on several key areas. Projects are aimed at addressing local natural resource concerns through the use of climate-smart agriculture and forestry approaches. Projects also help to identify and implement methods for quantifying, monitoring, and verifying the benefits associated with grazing management systems. Some of the common practices for conservation on grazing land include brush management, fencing, pasture and hay planting, among others.
A California project is being spearheaded by the California Rangeland Conservation Coalition. The project will help with the development of strategies for providing assistance on ecologically and economically beneficial grazing strategies. A California Grazing Lands Coalition will collaborate with entities in the promotion of climate-smart management of grazing lands. The Coalition will work to implement a multi-year strategy for bolstering rancher relationships, technical resources, and on-the-ground projects.
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