Partnership will help farmers, ranchers fund conservation practices

A partnership among conservation districts is providing $3.2 million to help Oklahoma farmers and ranchers implement conservation practices.

The Comanche County Conservation District is partnering with the Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts, the Oklahoma Conservation Commission, Choctaw Nation Conservation District, the Oklahoma Black Historical Research Project and the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Conservation District for the program.

Agriculture producers may be eligible for up to $23,000 of financial assistance to help implement conservation practices that create health soils, improve rangeland and protect water quality. Examples of conservation practices that producers may be eligible for include cover cropping, rotational grazing, native grassland planting, brush management, no-till, and prescribed grazing. Producers will sign up for a three-year program that includes conservation planning and technical assistance to better understand the capabilities of their land and build resiliency in their operation, Comanche County Conservation District officials said.

The effort is a pilot program in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture — Natural Resources Conservation Service. Implementation of these practices directly tie to regenerative agriculture and conservation, known in this project as a “climate smart” commodity that will create greater market access and potential value-added profitability for producer, officials said.

Applications for the program will be available in early 2025, district officials said.

Information is available by visiting www.okconservation.org/csc or by contacting the Comanche County Conservation District Office, (580) 353-1564.

The Comanche County Conservation District’s mission is to provide leadership and administer programs to help people conserve, improve and sustain our natural resources and environment of Comanche County.