USDA-NRCS Announces Financial Assistance for Cheyenne County Landowners and Operators Along the South Fork Republican River

SALINA, KANSAS, January 23, 2026 ‒ Chad Volkman, Acting Kansas State Conservationist, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), has announced producers in the South Fork Republican River (SFRR) watershed in Cheyenne County are eligible to receive financial assistance under the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP). The project is funded through a USDA regional program which is locally led by the Cheyenne County Conservation District and the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks. RCPP-SFRR will provide funding to landowners in the watershed to address plant pest pressure, groundwater depletion and water quality issues and will utilize the ACT NOW funding process for fiscal year (FY) 2026.

"The resource concerns can be addressed by implementing brush management, specifically by removing Russian olive, salt cedar, and eastern red cedar trees from rangeland along the river.," said Volkman. "This RCPP project can also offer funding for alternative water sources for livestock, prescribed grazing, and other practices as needed to achieve these goals."

Applications for RCPP-SFRR are accepted year-round, and by following the ACT NOW funding process, applications can be preapproved for funding as soon as NRCS staff completes the application ranking and review. This facilitates a quicker turn-around to enter a contract for participants.

The final date to apply for FY 2026 funding is Thursday, July 2, 2026. Applications received prior to the deadline will be planned, assessed, ranked, and submitted in the order received. These applications will be preapproved based on fund availability and if a ranking score above the threshold level has been met. The threshold score for this batching period will be zero points. Applications received after the deadline will be batched and considered in the next batching period.

"The ACT NOW funding process will allow applicants with high-ranking scores to avoid the long processing time typically associated with conservation programs," said Volkman. "This will enable interested and qualified applicants to begin implementing the needed conservation practices sooner and reduce the wait time to receive an obligated contract."

To learn more about NRCS programs, producers can contact their local USDA Service Center. Producers can also apply for NRCS programs, manage conservation plans and contracts, and view and print conservation maps by logging into their farmers.gov account. If you do not have an account, sign up today.

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