The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Texas has funded five agreements through its Texas Partners for Conservation Program to leverage NRCS resources, address local natural resource issues, encourage collaboration, and develop state and community level conservation leadership.
The agreements are listed below:
South Texas Advancement Resource
South Texas Advancement Resource (STAR) will provide community outreach to Hispanic, historically underserved and socially disadvantaged producers in a six-county region (Duval, Jim Hogg, Jim Wells, LaSalle, Webb, and Zapata counties). STAR will conduct conservation outreach and technical assistance workshops and provide direct assistance to participants through conservation plan development.
Texas Small Farmers and Ranchers CBO
Texas Small Farmers and Ranchers CBO (TSFR/CBO) will provide outreach, education, and direct assistance to historically underserved producers. TSFR/CBO will conduct outreach meetings, field days, develop online video trainings and directly assist historically underserved producers with NRCS technical and financial assistance applications.
Texas Agricultural Land Trust
Texas Agricultural Land Trust (TALT) will promote the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program as well as other NRCS conservation programs, such as Conservation Technical Assistance and Environmental Quality Incentives Program. Utilizing on-the-ground regional stewards that cooperate with NRCS, TALT will work to reach NRCS field staff and landowners along with the families whose ownership and stewardship is consequential for the long-term sustainability of fragile ecosystems.
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service
Texas A&M AgriLife is partnering with the Texas Wildlife Association to increase the number and diversity of landowners who are interested in restorative land management and conservation practices, with special emphasis on small-acreage properties. AgriLife will host workshops that give participants an in-person view of wildlife management on small acreages and develop durable, high-quality outreach and educational material that serves as a resource for landowners to best support conservation.
Gillespie County Soil and Water Conservation District
The Gillespie County Soil and Water Conservation District will provide targeted one-on-one conservation technical assistance to private lands managers. Gillespie County Soil and Water Conservation District will build greater capacity to NRCS field staff in conservation planning, conservation financial assistance application, and conservation application to private landowners in the Texas Hill Country.
For more information about NRCS and its conservation programs, visit www.tx.nrcs.usda.gov.
