The United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service in South Dakota (SD) is accepting applications for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), and Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP) statewide. For the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP), eligibility is limited to land associated with the Moore, Sipalla, Town Site, Sorenson, Anderson, Gregory, and Meade Laterals within the Belle Fourche Irrigation District, as well as the Irrigation Efficiency and Soil Health project.
All applications for these programs are due by September 29, 2026.
While applications are accepted year-round, September 29, 2026, is the final date by which an operator or landowner must sign an application at their local NRCS office for Fiscal Year 2027 (FY27) funding consideration. Applications made after that date will be considered in the next application period.
All programs (EQIP, CSP, ACEP, and RCPP) are voluntary programs that offer financial and technical assistance for participants to install or manage conservation practices on eligible agricultural land.
The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) provides financial and technical assistance to help farmers and ranchers voluntary implement conservation practices to improve natural resources on working agricultural lands. Assistance is provided for a variety of practices to address natural resource concerns such as water quality, grazing land health and productivity, soil erosion, and soil quality, and wildlife habitat development. Other areas of focus include Agricultural Waste Management, Specialty Production, the National Water Quality Initiative, National Water Quality Initiative, and the Regenerative Pilot Program.
The Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) is for working lands and is the largest conservation program in the United States. Thousands of people voluntarily enroll in the program to help them improve natural resources and enhance their operation. Participants are seeing real results with the benefits of enhanced resiliency to weather and market volatility, decreased need for agricultural inputs, and improved wildlife habitat conditions.
The Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP) funds the protection of water resources, wildlife habitat, and encourages private landowners to maintain land for farming. Streamlining the process, ACEP is available in two primary components— a wetland reserve component, where the NRCS works directly with landowners to restore and protect their agricultural wetlands, and a working lands component, where the NRCS aids partners with farmland protection programs to purchase agricultural land easements.
Wetland Reserve Easements (WRE) allow landowners to successfully restore, enhance, and protect habitat for wildlife on their lands, reduce damage from flooding, recharge groundwater, and provide outdoor recreational and educational opportunities. Eligible landowners can choose to enroll in a perpetual or 30-year easement with an option to reserve grazing rights while following an NRCS-approved grazing management plan.
Agricultural Land Easements (ALE) not only protect the long-term viability of the nation’s food supply by preventing conversion of productive working lands to non-agricultural uses, but they also support environmental quality, wildlife habitat, historic preservation, and protection of open spaces.
State and local governments, nongovernmental organizations, individual landowners, and Native American Tribes that have farmland or grassland protection programs are eligible to partner with NRCS to protect agricultural land through easements. To learn more about ACEP and other technical and financial assistance available through the SD NRCS ACEP webpage.
The RCPP Project for Irrigation Efficiency and Soil Health is a partnership between the SD NRCS, Belle Fourche Water Restoration Project, and the SD Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources. The goal of the project is to convert acres from being flood-irrigated to sprinkler systems and earthen ditches to buried pipelines. Beyond efficiency, the overall objectives of the project are improvement of the following: water conservation, degraded plant conditions, field sediment, efficiency, and the retention of nutrients/ pathogens. These improvements will increase the land’s productivity and overall soil health.
The NRCS offers free one-on-one consultation with producers to complete a full resource concern assessment, learn about their current management activities, and understand their operational goals and objectives. Based on this information, NRCS can then develop a tailored conservation plan with the producer, which can potentially be implemented through RCPP, EQIP, or CSP programs.
To learn more and apply for RCPP, EQIP or CSP, please contact your local USDA Service Center.
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