Funds support innovative efforts to address variety of environmental
issues
USDA Announces Recipients of Conservation
Innovation Grants in 43 States
WASHINGTON, August 12,
2010—Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced
the winning proposals for the 2010 Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG).
CIG invests in innovative, on-the-ground conservation technologies and
approaches, with the eventual goal of wide-scale adoption to address water
quality and quantity, air quality, energy conservation, and environmental
markets, among other natural resource issues.
“Creative solutions that help producers conserve natural resources and reduce
costs are an important part of our efforts to improve the quality of our air,
water and soil,” Vilsack said. “The Conservation
Innovation Grants announced today will produce far-reaching results on a wide
range of issues, including conservation management and bio-energy production,
by facilitating the development and adoption of new approaches and
technologies.”
USDA's
Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) administers CIG as part of the
Agency's Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). Grants are
awarded to state and local governments, federally-recognized Indian tribes,
non-governmental organizations and individuals.
NRCS received
230 full proposals and awarded nearly $18 million in Conservation Innovation
Grants for 61 projects representing 43 states and U.S. territories of the
Pacific. Grant recipients provide matching funds to CIG bringing the
total value of the approved projects to more than $35 million. In
addition to addressing traditional natural resource issues such as water
quality, grazing lands, and forest health, projects receiving awards also address
emerging natural resource issues, including agricultural air emissions, energy
conservation and market-based approaches to conservation.
A summary of
all selected proposals awarded a 2010 Conservation Innovation Grant is
available at www.nrcs.usda.gov. Some examples include:
Arkansas - $60,000 to the
East Arkansas Enterprise Community for assistance to beginning farmers,
socially disadvantaged farmers and limited resource farmers with implementation
of best management practices for nutrient control in the Mississippi River Basin.
California – $111,692 to
Western United Dairymen to support development of a water balance approach for
seepage measurements from liquid dairy manure storage ponds.
Colorado – $750,000 to the
Meridian Institute for a comprehensive standard and national certification
program for sustainable production of cellulosic biomass and bio-energy.
Illinois – $524,970 to
American Farmland Trust to support development of a multi-faceted approach to
achieving nutrient reductions in Champaign
County.
Maryland - $1 million to the
University of Maryland Eastern Shore for a project to
reduce soluble phosphorous (P) losses from P-saturated soils on poultry
operations.
North
Carolina
- $659,655 to North Carolina
State University
for development of a manure belt collection system and energy recovery system.
Texas - $1 million to
Genesis Industries LLC for a biomass sustainable energy demonstration project.
Washington - $750,000 to Washington State University
for an integrated nutrient recovery, fiber production process, and scrubbing
system that works with dairy manure anaerobic digesters.
Wisconsin - $362,233 to Great
Lakes Ag Energy, LLC to demonstrate the use of wetlands and algae to complement
methane-digester technology in managing dairy farm runoff.
2010
represents the 75th year of NRCS “helping people help the land.” Since
its inception in 1935, the NRCS conservation delivery system has advanced a
unique partnership with state and local governments and private landowners
delivering conservation based on specific, local conservation needs, while
accommodating state and national interests. For more information about
NRCS conservation programs online, visit: http://www.nrcs.usda.gov, or visit the nearest USDA Service
Center in your area.