Items Tagged with 'IRA'

The chief of USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service expressed confidence that the agency could hire the staff it needs to handle a sharp increase in climate-related funding, despite many applicants for soil conservationist positions lacking a key job requirement – a class in soil science.

Congressional Republicans who opposed the Inflation Reduction Act, the main funding mechanism for President Joe Biden's climate policy, would like to move the IRA's funding for climate-related farming practices into the farm bill, which could permanently boost funding for conservation programs.

USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service is updating the processes for its Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP) around appraisals, land surveys and certifying eligible entities that help NRCS and producers enroll land into easements.

The department has opened the first round of staff positions to implement $19.5 billion in Inflation Reduction Act funding over five years.