Rice federation, DU submit initial conservation partnership proposals

On October 1 the USA Rice Federation and Ducks Unlimited submitted their first national Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) proposal outlining the planning, design, and installation of conservation practices on working rice lands across 380,000 acres. Funding for the $33.7 million effort includes $20 million from the National Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) and $13.7 million in matching funds, both cash and in-kind, from USA Rice-DU Stewardship Partnership members.
"The participation both from companies and organizations that are part of the rice production supply chain and end users was significant," said USA Rice President and CEO Betsy Ward. "We appreciate the support of the 44 contributors to this effort and also want to thank those folks who worked tirelessly to put the RCPP proposal together."
The RCPP, created in the 2014 Farm Bill, is a new conservation program under which qualified organizations may develop proposals that pair private contributions with existing federal conservation dollars and programs to create new conservation opportunities.
The USA Rice-DU plan is a unique, two-year proposal that preserves critical wildlife habitat and enhances water quality and irrigation efficiency while maintaining working rice lands on the landscape. If approved by NCRS, the project will be offered in all rice producing counties in the six major rice producing states of Arkansas, California, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, and Texas.
Successful RCPP candidates will be notified the week of November 17.