NRCS North Carolina Sets Fiscal Year 2026 Application Deadline Date for Conservation Programs

RALEIGH, N.C -The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is now accepting applications for enrollment for the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) and Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2026. While applications are accepted on a continuous basis, NRCS establishes application "cut-off" or submission deadlines for evaluation, ranking and approval of eligible applications. To be considered for current available funding, applicants should have their applications in the local field office by Nov. 7, 2025.

CSP offers technical and financial assistance to help agricultural and forest producers take their conservation efforts to the next level. The program is designed to compensate agricultural and forest producers who agree to increase their level of conservation by adopting additional conservation activities and maintaining their baseline level of conservation.

Through EQIP, NRCS provides agricultural producers with one-on-one help and financial assistance to address natural resource concerns and deliver environmental benefits such as improved water and air quality, conserved ground and surface water, increased soil health and reduced soil erosion and sedimentation, improved or created wildlife habitat and mitigation against drought and increasing weather volatility.

How To Get Started

The first step is to contact your local NRCS office. An NRCS conservation planner will schedule a site visit to determine landowner objectives for their operation, assess the farm to identify resource concerns, and make recommendations of best management practices to address the identified resource concerns.

More Information

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 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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