Water Bank Program Enrollment Open to Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota

The purposes of WBP include preserving and improving major wetlands as habitat for migratory waterfowl and other wildlife, conserving surface waters, reducing soil and wind erosion, contributing to flood control, improving water quality, improving subsurface moisture, and enhancing the natural beauty of the landscape.

NRCS will prioritize applications as follows:
• High - Cropland impacted by flooding.
• Medium - Pasture, hay and range lands impacted by flooding.
• Low - Forest and other lands impacted by flooding.

The State-established ranking criteria will emphasize the project's environmental benefits, cost, availability of matching funds, and significance of wetland functions and values.

Eligible applications from the High category will be funded first followed by the Medium and Low categories.

WBP payment rates include:
1. $50/acre/year for cropland
2. $35/acre/year for pasture and range land (grazing lands)
3. $20/acre/year for forestland

WBP contracts are non-renewable, 10-year rental agreements. Rental payments are made annually.

Important Dates:
• Each State is to provide signup data on the number of applications and acres requested for enrollment in WBP to National Headquarters (NHQ) by (May 22, 2026).
• States to obligate funds to agreements by (July 31, 2026).
• States are to make FY 2026 agreement rental payments by (November 20, 2026).

A WBP agreement shall be executed for each farm or ranch and the agreement will become effective on January 1 of the calendar year in which the agreement is approved. For this sign-up period, agreements will be considered effective on January 1, 2026.

Other Eligibility Considerations:
Financial assistance will not be available for conservation practices through WBP. The WBP participants who wish to establish or maintain conservation practices may apply for financial assistance through other NRCS or state financial assistance programs where available. NRCS will assist participants with developing a conservation plan of operations (CPO) for the enrolled land and associated adjacent land when applicable.

Land enrolled in WBP may not be cropped. NRCS may authorize haying under limited circumstances, such as severe drought. NRCS may authorize grazing where necessary to enhance the wetland functions and values of the land under agreement.

WBP agreements are not subject to the Farm Bill payment eligibility requirements including the highly erodible land and wetland conservation provisions or the adjusted gross income limitations.

More Information:
For more information about this program or other NRCS programs, producers can contact their local USDA Service Center at:

https://www.farmers.gov/working-with-us/USDA-service-centers

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 don't have an account, sign up today.

For 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, personalized advice and financial assistance and works with producers to help them reach their goals through voluntary, incentive-based conservation programs. For more information, visit nrcs.usda.gov.

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