Arkansas

The Arkansas pilot will be led by Arkansas Department of Agriculture, with support from The KKAC Organization, Arkansas Rice Federation and the Agricultural Council of Arkansas.

To enroll in the Alliance, farm must be located within one of the following counties:

• Arkansas County
• Cleveland County
• Drew County
• Jefferson County
• Lincoln County
• St. Francis County

The Alliance is open to agricultural producers within the participating counties listed above.

Producers may apply with up to two FSA numbers per designated operator. Payments will go to the FSA-designated operator, or be divided between the primary operator and up to (1) co-applicant per FSA number.

Eligible producers will:

• Enroll a minimum of (10) acres or animal units at an operation located within one of the approved participating districts;
• Have a verified Farm Service Agency (FSA) number;
• Confirm that the land enrolled and the practice(s) requested will not also be enrolled in a USDA conservation program or other program associated with the USDA’s Partnerships for Climate Smart Commodities sponsored grant program;
• Confirm that the land enrolled and the practice(s) requested will not be dually enrolled in a cost-share program;
• Confirm that the producer will have control of the land for the term of the producer agreement, and
• The producer must consent to report total greenhouse gas benefits using COMET, Fieldprint and/or RUSLE2.

Applications will be at www.allianceforcsa.org during the open enrollment period. Hard copies will be available at district offices.

Qualifying practices have been selected from the USDA-NRCS list of conservation practices, linked below.  Enrolled producers will self-verify the planning and implementation of practices using the Alliance Practice Worksheets, which have been adapted from NRCS standards.  Click here to view the Practice Worksheets for each state.

Conservation Crop Rotation (328)
Residue and Tillage Management, No Till (329)
Cover Crop (340)
Residue and Tillage Management, Reduced Till (345)
Silvopasture (381)*
Riparian Herbaceous Cover (390)*
Riparian Forest Buffer (391)*
Nutrient Management (590)
Tree/Shrub Establishment (612)*
Irrigation Water Management, Alternative Wetting and Drying (449)
Pasture and Hay Planting (512)*
Prescribed Grazing (528)

*This practice requires a CPA-52 Environmental Evaluation Worksheet.  Please contact your State Implementer for assistance completing this form.

This project will pay producers $100 per acre or animal unit per year. Only one practice can be applied per acre or animal unit. Producers will be able to install as many practices as they choose, as long as each practice occurs on different acres or animal units across the farm.

Producers will receive 50% of the payment upfront, 25% after implementation and verification, and 25% after final reporting. Underserved producers may be eligible for a 100% upfront payment. All payments will be issued by Virginia Tech.

If you are an eligible producer interested in participating in the pilot, please contact:

Megan Perkins
Arkansas Department of Agriculture
[email protected]
(501) 682-3968