Announcement for Program Funding for NRCS’ Conservation Innovation Grants On-Farm Conservation Innovation Trials for Federal fiscal year (FY) 2019 | USDA NRCS NHQ ON FARM TRIALS 19 GEN00101

Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA NRCS NHQ ON FARM TRIALS 19 GEN00101

The FY 2019 NRCS Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) On-Farm Conservation Innovation Trials funding opportunity is a discretionary federal grant program aimed at speeding up real-world adoption of new conservation ideas by putting them directly on working farms and ranches. Instead of funding research that stays on paper, this program is built around practical, field-based trials carried out on private agricultural lands in close partnership with producers. The basic goal is to help agricultural operations try promising conservation practices, systems, or approaches that could deliver meaningful environmental benefits, but that have not yet been widely taken up due to cost, uncertainty, learning curves, or perceived risk.

NRCS structured the 2019 On-Farm Trials model so that awards go to eligible entities that then coordinate with both NRCS and a network of producers. In other words, the grantee acts as the organizer and implementer: recruiting enough producer participants, arranging technical support, and helping run the trials across multiple private-land sites. Funding is specifically intended to provide technical and financial assistance that reduces barriers for producers, including compensation for risks associated with trying new practices or systems. This is important because many conservation innovations come with short-term uncertainty (for example, potential yield impacts, equipment changes, or management complexity) even when the long-term conservation outcomes look strong.

A defining feature of this opportunity is that evaluation is not optional; it is central to the program. Projects are expected to measure and document outcomes so that the impacts of the innovative approaches can be captured and shared. NRCS emphasizes assessing environmental outcomes and also encourages capturing financial and social impacts to the extent feasible. The idea is to generate credible, usable evidence from real operating conditions, then disseminate those results so other producers, advisors, and agencies can learn from them. NRCS also signals that it wants to use the findings to improve how it does business, potentially influencing future NRCS guidance, technical tools, conservation practice standards, and other program policies. In practice, that means successful trials could help move a new approach from “interesting but uncommon” into something that NRCS programs more formally support.

When it comes to what kinds of projects are favored, NRCS gives priority to innovative conservation approaches that can apply across a broad range of farm and ranch sizes and production types. That preference pushes applicants toward approaches that are scalable and transferable, rather than niche solutions that only work in a narrow context. The opportunity also highlights a specific component called the Soil Health Demo Trial (SHD). SHD projects focus exclusively on conservation practices and systems that improve soil health, and recipients of SHD awards must agree to use consistent soil health assessment protocols. This requirement is meant to make results more comparable and credible across different trial locations and project partners.

Eligibility for the On-Farm Trials track is narrower than “any organization.” Under the statute described in the announcement, eligible entities are limited to three categories: private entities whose primary business is related to agriculture; nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) with experience working with agricultural producers; and non-federal government agencies. A practical requirement is that these entities must be able to reach and enroll a sufficient number of producers to carry out trials on private lands, since the program’s value depends on real participation and multiple on-the-ground implementation sites.

Key administrative details in the posted opportunity include the funding opportunity title, “Announcement for Program Funding for NRCS’ Conservation Innovation Grants On-Farm Conservation Innovation Trials for Federal fiscal year (FY) 2019,” with the funding opportunity number USDA NRCS NHQ ON FARM TRIALS 19 GEN00101. The agency is the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). The instrument type is a grant, and the activity categories span agriculture, environment, natural resources, and research and development. The CFDA number listed is 10.912. The original closing date for applications was 2019-07-15, and the posting lists an award ceiling of $5,000,000. The opportunity record shows a creation date of 2019-05-14.

• The Natural Resources Conservation Service in the agriculture, environment, natural resources, science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Announcement for Program Funding for NRCS’ Conservation Innovation Grants On-Farm Conservation Innovation Trials for Federal fiscal year (FY) 2019" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 10.912.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2019-05-14.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2019-07-15. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $5,000,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted.

Apply for USDA NRCS NHQ ON FARM TRIALS 19 GEN00101

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