July 29, 2022
USDA will invest $25 million this year in the Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) On-Farm Conservation Innovation Trials program. Through CIG, partners work to address our nation's water quality, air quality, soil health, and wildlife habitat challenges, all while improving agricultural operations. The On-Farm Trials component of CIG supports widespread adoption and evaluation of innovative conservation approaches in partnership with agricultural producers. This year's funding priorities are climate-smart agricultural solutions, irrigation water management, nutrient management, and soil health. On-Farm Trials projects feature collaboration between NRCS and partners to implement on-the-ground conservation activities and evaluate their impact. In addition, incentive payments are provided to producers to offset the risk of implementing innovative approaches. Partners must propose robust scientific approaches to their On-Farm Trials, resulting in data and analyses of the environmental, financial, and, to the extent possible, social impacts of the trials. "Through On-Farm Trials, partners can work directly with farmers and ranchers to test and adopt new strategies on agricultural lands, accelerating the development and application of conservation that works for producers and the land," said Terry Cosby, Chief of USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).