FY25 Sign-UP Coming Soon

     TWO Cost Share Programs to choose from this program year:           Traditional VA Ag BMP Cost Share Program

OR

Whole Farm Approach Program  

Details are provided for each program below. CLICK HERE to view a comparison chart

of the two programs in regards to cover crop rates.

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Please call or email the District to schedule a Cost share Sign-Up appointment:

Carmie S. Ross- District Manager, (757) 302--4431 / carmie.savage@esswcd.org  

Bill Savage- Conservation Specialist, (757) 302-4437 / bill.savage@esswcd.org

Palmer Smith- Conservation Technician, (757) 302-4421 / palmer.smith@esswcd.org

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       Traditional VA Ag BMP Cost Share Program:

CLICK HERE to view cost share information on FY25 Best Management Practices (BMPs)

(practices, dates, rates, ​seed types, etc.)

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• NEW - Annual participant cap- $300,000 per participant for new program year 

• NEW - Increased rates for Cover Crops

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A Nutrient Management Plan must be prepared and certified

by a Virginia certified Nutrient Management Planner; and

must be on file with the District before any cost-share payment

is made to the participant.

 

Cost Share funding for Nutrient Management Planning (NM-1a)

is available.  Please sign-up during the cost share period listed above.

  NM-1a  Nutrient Management Plan Writing  and Revisions 

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    Several different Cover Crop BMP cost share options available!

     Cover Crop BMP Specification Sheets:

• SL-8B Small Grain Cover Crop  

• SL-8H Harvestable Cover Crop

• SL-8 Protective Cover for Specialty Cropland

• SL-8A Protective Cover for Agricultural Cropland

• SL-8M  Small Grain Cover with Fall Manure Application

• WQ-4 Legume Cover Crop

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Cover Crop Cost Share Rates: The cost share rates for implementation of the cover crops above vary between practices along with planting dates and other requirements. CLICK HERE for a quick breakdown chart of FY25 BMP cost share payment rates and dates. 

         

VA Tax Credits: As set forth by VA Code 58.1-339.3 and 58.1-439.5, VA currently provides a tax credit for implementation of certain BMP practices.  The current tax credit rate, which is subject to change in accordance with the Code of VA, is 25% of out of pocket expenses not to exceed $25,000.00. For those BMPs on tracts that have a Resource Management Plan, the tax credit  is 50% of the out of pocket expenses not to exceed $50,000.00

Whole Farm Approach Cost Share Program:

This is a pilot program the District is participating in . These practices encourage participants to consider a whole farm approach where cost share stacks upon which components are completed. The more practices implemented, the more cost share funding will be received.

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• No Participant Cap

• No Ranking 

• Allows changing of practices instead of having to cancel if changed. ex- burn down cover to harvest wheat

• Open to both Bayside and Seaside Acres

• Resource Management Plan is not required to participate

 

Practices are separated into two contracts:

           1.  Whole Farm Approach Nutrient Management Bundle (WFA-NM):

The WFA-NM practice is intended to offer financial assistance to agricultural producers to ensure implementation of core nutrient management requirements and support multiple enhanced nutrient management components such as precision nutrient management. Participants are provided an incentive to annually revise nutrient management plans to accurately reflect field conditions so that farmers can maintain eligibility for other cost share practices.   View practice specifications:  WFA-NM  

 2.  Whole Farm Approach Cover Crop Bundle (WFA-CC):

The WFA-CC practice is intended to offer financial assistance to agricultural producers to provide an incentive to keep cover on agricultural land, increase biomass and promote biological diversity while providing water quality benefits.  The Chesapeake Bay Program Watershed Model separates cover crops into independent sets of practice elements, which stack onto a required core set of management elements known as Core Requirements; this practice is intended to enable reporting for each of these practice elements. To participate in the WFA-CC those acres are required to be signed up in the WFA-NM

View practice specifications:  WFA-CC

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The above video was shot during a farm tour that was hosted by the Peter Francisco SWCD. It focuses on cover crop and nutrient management practices that were put in place with the help of funds from the Virginia Agricultural Cost Share Program.

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Cover Crops Webinar Series

The following webinars are from the American Society of Agronomy:

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• Cover Crops, Soil Health Principals, and Maximizing Yield

• Combining Livestock, Manure and Cover Crops

• Cover Crop Seed Selection and Planting

• Cover Crop Management and Termination

 

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