USDA Requesting Public Input on its Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Conservation Practice Standards.

[November 13, 2024]    CHAMPAIGN, IL – November 12, 2024 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is seeking public input by December 23, 2024, on how to improve conservation practice standards to maximize climate change mitigation and adaptation benefits, as supported by peer-reviewed scientific literature.

Conservation practices providing climate benefits are delivered through existing USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) conservation programs popular with producers, like the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP), and Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) as well as NRCS technical assistance. The Inflation Reduction Act, part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, and Farm Bill provide funding for these programs.  

 “Agricultural producers are on the front lines of climate change, and we want to hear from the public how we can improve our conservation practice standards to best serve our producers in climate mitigation and adaptation in the years to come,” said NRCS Chief Terry Cosby.  

 Specifically, NRCS is asking for public input on improvements that can be made to conservation practice standards for: 

Mitigation: to maximize climate benefits for practice standards currently considered Climate-Smart Agriculture and Forestry Mitigation Activities as well as on any other practices and innovations; and to support the agency’s estimation of the mitigation benefits associated with the practice standards; and 

Adaptation: to assist producers in adapting to and building resilience to current and future climate changes, such as seasonal temperature shifts and extremes, drought, increasing wildfire hazards, sea level rise, movement of invasive species and other issues. 

While NRCS welcomes comments on all practices through this request for information, as a priority, the agency is requesting input on several conservation practice standards that are at the beginning of their five-year review process, including:  

• Waste Storage Facility; 
• Brush Management; 
• Herbaceous Weed Treatment; 
• Soil Carbon Amendment; 
• Prescribed Burning; 
• Roofs and Covers; 
• Fuel Break; 
• Wildlife Habitat Planting; 
• Drainage Water Management; 
• Nutrient Management; 
• Feed Management; 
• Waste Separation Facility; 
• Restoration of Rare or Declining Natural Communities; and  
• Forest Stand Improvement. 

The agency also asks for input for the following practices up for review but not currently on the Climate-Smart Agriculture and Forestry Mitigation Activities list:

• Animal Mortality Facility; 
• Waste Facility Closure; and 
• Denitrifying Bioreactor. 

NRCS will use information to identify and prioritize improvements that can be made to the conservation practice standards or associated technical guidance. NRCS will look to identify immediate changes that can be implemented for funding available for fiscal year 2026 and will continue to identify and adopt additional changes in future years. 

Comments and Questions 

Public comments should be submitted through this Federal Register notice (or through one of the methods listed below) by December 23, 2024.  

 Comments may also be submitted through one of the following methods:  

Federal eRulemaking Portal:  
• Go to regulations.gov and search for Docket ID: NRCS-2024-0015. 
• Follow the online instructions for submitting comments .
Mail or Hand Delivery:  
• Address your comments to: Ms. Sara del Fierro, Climate Change Mitigation Lead, NRCS Climate Office, Office of the Chief, NRCS, USDA, 1400 Independence Avenue, South Building, Room 4613, Washington, DC 20250.  
• In your comment, please specify the Docket ID: NRCS-2024-0015. 

All comments received will be made publicly available on regulations.gov. 

Anyone with questions may contact Dana Ashford-Kornburger, National Climate Coordinator, at 202-205-9434, or email at [e-mail]. Individuals who require alternative means for communication may contact the USDA TARGET Center at (202) 720–2600 (voice and text telephone (TTY)) or dial 711 for Telecommunications Relay service (both voice and text telephone users can initiate this call from any telephone).   

More Information

National conservation practice standards contain information on why and where each practice is applied and set forth the minimum planning criteria that must be met during the implementation of that practice for it to achieve its intended purpose. State conservation practice standards are available through the Field Office Technical Guide. If no state conservation practice standard is available in the guide, you should contact the appropriate NRCS State Office or your local USDA Service Center. More information is available about the information contained in conservation practice standards.

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 more than 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. Now, with additional funding from the Inflation Reduction Act, NRCS is working to get even more conservation practices on the ground while ensuring access to programs for all producers. For more information, visit nrcs.usda.gov.

USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. Under the Biden-Harris administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to safe, healthy and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit usda.gov.