The conservation provisions in the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (2008 Farm Bill) will provide conservation opportunities for farmers and ranchers for years to come. The new provisions build on the conservation gains made by farmers and ranchers through the 1985, 1996 and 2002 Farm Bills. They simplify existing programs and create new programs to address high priority environmental goals.
Under the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008, authority to enroll new participants or enter new contracts for several conservation programs expired on September 30, 2012, including the Grassland Reserve Program (GRP) and the Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP).
Beginning in Fiscal Year (FY) 2013, while NRCS will continue to service prior-year contracts and enrollments for these two programs, NRCS is not accepting applications for new contracts or enrollments at this time.
Conservation programs under the 2008 Farm Bill that are available in Rhode Island are:
2008 NRCS Farm Bill Documents and Additional Information
Conservation Program Documents
At-a-Glances are one-page overviews of 2008 NRCS Farm Bill conservation programs and related topics.
Fact Sheets are detailed documents about 2008 NRCS Farm Bill conservation programs.
Civil Rights Impact Analyses (CRIAs) are detailed documents about potentially disproportionate adverse civil rights impacts on NRCS producers who are minorities, women or people with disabilities.
Benefit Cost Analyses discuss the benefits and costs of 2008 NRCS Farm Bill conservation programs.
