Natural Resources Conservation Service 1

Program Summary

Conservation Technical Assistance

Technical assistance is simply about helping people. NRCS employees

provide conservation options, recommendations, planning, or application

assistance to individual farmers, ranchers, local governments, and even

individual homeowners.

During Fiscal Year 2004, NRCS and its partners in Missouri helped land

users apply conservation systems on 586,997 acres and plan conservation

measures that, when applied, would protect another 887,451 acres. 

They helped establish irrigation management systems on 25,064 acres

in southeastern Missouri, helped establish prescribed grazing systems on

157,147 acres in the state’s grassland areas, assisted with pest management on 61,267 acres, assisted with nutrient management on 65,819

acres, and helped landowners improve wildlife habitat on 96,918 acres

throughout the state. 

Missouri’s natural resources conservation team also provided technical

assistance to install 81 animal waste management systems.

Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP)

EQIP promotes agricultural production and environmental quality as

compatible goals. EQIP provides financial and technical help to install

or implement structural and management conservation practices on

agricultural land.

NRCS in Missouri

United States Department of Agriculture

Natural Resources Conservation Service

2004

October 1, 2003, to September 30, 2004 
Natural Resources Conservation Service 2

In Fiscal Year 2004, Missouri farmers received more than $18 million

in EQIP financial assistance. It funded 1,520 of the 1,936 Missouri

EQIP applications. This financial assistance will help install conservation practices that will reduce soil erosion, use water more efficiently,

and improve grazing land, wildlife habitat and water quality.

Watershed Program (PL-566)

The Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act authorizes NRCS

to provide assistance to local organizations in planning and implementing watershed projects.

In Fiscal Year 2004, Missouri’s $4.6 million allotment of PL-566

watershed implementation funds was used to award 11 contracts in 12

watersheds. The contracts are for constructing 38 floodwater retarding

structures, two pumping plants to prevent flooding in Willow Creek,

improving the Neosho city park along Hickory Creek, and for streambank stabilization along McKenzie Creek in Piedmont.

Through an agreement with the Missouri Department of Natural

Resources’ Division of State Parks, NRCS awarded a contract to rehabilitate the Williams Creek Watershed dam in Watkins Woolen Mill

State Park and Historic Site. The dam is being updated to meet current safety requirements. It is the first watershed rehabilitation project

in Missouri.

Wetlands Reserve Program

(WRP)

WRP helps landowners restore

wetlands on agricultural and nonagricultural lands. Restored wetlands provide wildlife habitat for

migratory birds, threatened and

endangered species and other

wetland wildlife. WRP started as

a pilot in Missouri in 1992. To

date, 717 applications have been

funded statewide encompassing

104,303 acres. During Fiscal Year

2004, NRCS enrolled 53 applications covering 10,079 acres. 

Cooperative Soil Survey

Program

In Fiscal Year 2004, the Missouri

Cooperative Soil Survey continued to be a leader in maintaining

the initial soil survey information

and in delivering this information

to the public. The state’s partnership continues to be proactive,

and is a national leader in both

progress and innovation.

Last year, this partnership effort

provided customers with updated

soils information about more

than 2 million acres (about 5 percent of Missouri’s land area). 

Missouri soils information has

been distributed on the National

Soil Data Mart, http://soildatamart.nrcs.usda.gov, and on the

state-supported CARES web site:

http://soils.missouri.edu/surveys/soildata.html.

Current activities are focused on

bringing the soils information for

the state to a consistent and more

Conservation Security Program (CSP)

CSP supports ongoing stewardship

of private, agricultural lands by 

providing payments for maintaining

and enhancing natural resources.

CSP identifies and rewards landowners and farmers who are meeting

the highest standards of conservation

and environmental management.

During Fiscal Year 2004, CSP funded 106 contracts in Missouri, in the

Little River Ditches Watershed, the

only Missouri watershed selected 

to participate during the initial year 

of the program. The contracts provided more than $2.5 million.
Natural Resources Conservation Service 3

usable format. A state legend for

soil symbols has been adopted,

resulting in a uniform set of soil

symbols that will join across

county boundaries.

Farm and Ranch Land

Protection Program (FRPP)

FRPP provides an opportunity

for USDA to purchase development rights from private

landowners to keep productive

farmland in agricultural use and

to protect historical sites on agricultural land. USDA provides

matching funds to organizations

with existing farmland protection

procedures to help them acquire

permanent conservation easements from landowners interested in maintaining their current

farming enterprise.

In Fiscal Year 2004, Missouri

NRCS received funding to help

organizations protect 481 acres of

privately owned, prime farmland

from development.

Grassland Reserve Program

(GRP)

GRP offers landowners an opportunity to restore and protect

grassland and pastureland rather

than converting it to cropland or

other uses. In FY 2004, $3.4 million in financial assistance was

available in Missouri.

These funds were used for permanent easements on 668 acres

of remnant native prairie, and to

enter into rental agreements with

producers on more than 13,000

grassland acres.

Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D)

The premise of the RC&D program is that local people know what is

best for their communities. Because of this, local people create and

organize their own RC&D areas, define their own goals, and work

with a broad range of public and private entities to achieve their

objectives. 

Missouri’s eight, multi-county RC&D areas completed 164 projects

during Fiscal Year 2004. Those activities improved water quality, provided information and education assistance, resolved waste utilization

issues, and supported rural tourism. They also benefited fish and

wildlife, economic development, forestry, cultural resources, and local

natural resources.

Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP)

WHIP is designed to maintain ecosystem diversity by improving habitats of reduced or declining wildlife populations within agricultural

systems. Missouri obligated more than $600,000 with 96 contracts

during Fiscal Year 2004.

Conservation Partnership Initiative (CPI)

CPI targets watersheds of special significance and other geographic

areas of environmental sensitivity. It funds projects that focus technical

and financial resources on conservation priorities in those areas. 

During Fiscal Year 2004, the Missouri Department of Conservation

received a $138,000 matching grant from USDA to develop a plan to

improve habitat for bobwhite quail. The project is one of six awarded

by USDA. It is sponsored by MDC in partnership with the University

of Missouri, Quail Unlimited and NRCS.

Plant Materials Program

The Elsberry Plant Materials Center (PMC) primarily serves

Missouri, Illinois and Iowa. It researches plants to determine their

possible uses in preventing soil erosion and protecting other natural

resources. Suitable plants are released from the PMC 

and made available through nurseries and 

commercial seed growers.

During Fiscal Year 2004, the Elsberry 

PMC released three new plants for 

conservation uses. It has released 77 

plants during its 70-year history. The retail value of the quantities of

those 77 plants sold by private nurseries and commercial seed growers

in Missouri, Illinois and Iowa in 2004 was $4.3 million. 
The Natural Resources Conservation Service 

provides leadership in a partnership eff ort to 

help people conserve, maintain, and improve 

our natural resources and environment.

601 Business Loop 70 West, Suite 250, Columbia, Missouri 65203

(573) 876-0901 • www.mo.nrcs.usda.gov

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large

print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at 202-720-2600 (voice and TDD).

To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326W, Whitten Building, 14th and Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (202) 620-5964

(voice or TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.