Interview with USA Rice Stewardship Partnership Coordinator
Josh Hankins
USA Rice Daily: What’s new in the RCPP program?
Josh Hankins: The 2014 Farm Bill authorized the U.S. Department of Agriculture to create the conservation program known as the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP). Since its inception, the RCPP has had four rounds of funding opportunities available for public and private entities. Acquiring this funding is a very competitive process, and to be successful requires a partnership willing to invest money, manpower, and materials in an innovative initiative to expand voluntary, private lands conservation.
USA Rice, through the USA Rice-Ducks Unlimited Rice Stewardship Partnership, had initial success with a 2015 RCPP project,
Sustaining the Future of Rice, across all six major rice-growing states. The Partnership is in the process of completing that $10 million-project with hundreds of rice farmers expected to sign Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) contracts throughout the three-year life of its funding.
The most recent funding round brought in $15 million for two projects, one led by the Lower Colorado River Authority in Texas, and another led by USA Rice in the Mid-South. Both are incentivizing the implementation of working lands conservation programs targeting ricelands and neither would have been possible without the work of the Stewardship Partnership.
The USA Rice led program will have two application periods for funding across four states in the Mid-South. The first will be an EQIP offering, with the application process beginning later this year. The second will be a CSP offering, which will begin rolling out in 2018.
Daily: Can you share a success story or two?
JH: Our programs have three core areas of focus: water management, nutrient management, and winter habitat for wildlife. On the water management side, participants are encouraged to actively manage irrigation water, challenging them to rethink how they’ve irrigated in the past and facilitating the adoption of new techniques - something as simple as monitoring water depth on the fields with a float, recording pump duration and flow rates, and monitoring and recording rainfall during the irrigation season.
In most states participating in the program, we have implemented the program for one irrigation season. A rice farmer from Louisiana reports that the voluntary monitoring program allows him to take irrigation data he’s never had before, compare it to fuel and energy costs for moving water, and have a benchmark to improve upon for this coming irrigation season to help save money, something that would not have occurred without the voluntary program.
On the wildlife habitat side, an Arkansas rice farmer captured rainfall on a field that has never been flooded during the winter months to provide migratory bird habitat, and recently sent photographs and
video of the field covered in ducks all thanks to RCPP.
Daily: Where will the next big farmer success story come from?
JH: The new irrigation technology being deployed can efficiently measure all inputs during the growing season, decrease the risk of mismanaging water and nutrients, and lower input costs and management time – but none of it has spent much time in rice fields. Our RCPP team of field staff is helping farmers navigate the implementation of this new technology, and as more farmers adopt it, more companies will begin manufacturing it, which will lead to lower prices and more options available. When that occurs we will start to see major changes across the Mid-South on how crops are irrigated. Our RCPP is a much needed shot in the arm to help expedite this process.
Daily: How can farmers learn about the different programs available to them?
JH: Your local Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) field offices are vital to the success of RCPP projects. My suggestion is get to know your local District Conservationist and the office staff; stop in and ask about their Conservation Planning services, that’s a great place to start. They are often very familiar with the RCPP offerings in their areas, and can also help educate producers on other available programs. Our USA Rice and DU team is another great resource. We have worked hard to make these partnership programs a success, and that’s something rice farmers can get excited about and participate in.