Athena Rayne Anderson

Easements, Cost Shares, Rental Payments, Cash Incentives

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Download the entire list as a free PDF here: Potential Financing for Pollinator Habitat on NC Farms.

Note to farmers: These websites are for financing options that MIGHT cover creation of pollinator habitat on your farm in North Carolina. Quotations were taken from the financing source website’s description of eligible projects. Please let me know if you discover that any of these financing options DO NOT cover pollinator habitat creation so I can remove them from this list (athena.rayne.2015@gmail.com). Information in parentheses are the agencies that administer or control the financing options. Financing options that include a note of “(check service area)” have a restricted service area. Good luck!

Easements, Cost Shares, Rental Payments & Cash Incentives for Financing Pollinator Habitat on NC Farms

  • Accelerating Appalachia Implementation Incentive – (only available in Central & Southern Appalachian region and rural southeastern U.S.) “…an innovative program to support underserved farmers and expand regenerative farming across Central/Southern Appalachia and the rural Southeast…. Helps with the cost of implementing a new practice, we’ve set aside a fund to help cover, or offset that cost. The amount available per acre depends on the practice(s) you implement.”
  • Accelerating Appalachia Participation Incentive –  (only available in Central & Southern Appalachian region and rural southeastern U.S.) “…Farmers/Growers must sign up for the duration of the program incentives (3 to 5 years). Farmers must be able to show that they have control over the land tracts entered into the program, either as land owners or a 3 to 5 year lease. Growers must agree to take a yearly soil sample. The Participation Incentive will cover the cost of soil testing and reporting, and other costs associated with program compliance.”
  • Accelerating Appalachia Travel Incentive – (only available in Central & Southern Appalachian region and rural southeastern U.S.) Program mentioned but not described on website; contact Accelerating Appalachia for information.
  • Agricultural Conservation Easement Program: Wetland Reserve Easement (USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service)– “restores, protects, and enhances wetland values and functions on farmed or converted wetland habitat”
  • Conservation Reserve Program (USDA Farm Service Agency) – “conserve and improve soil, protect water quality, and provide wildlife habitat by establishing long-term cover on highly erodible land or land in need of conservation buffers that has previously been in row crop production”
  • Conservation Stewardship Program (USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service) – “…improve, manage, and maintain existing conservation systems… provide increased… wildlife and pollinator habitat”
  • Environmental Quality Incentives Program (USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service) – “incentivizes agriculture and forestry producers to conserve and enhance soil, water, air, plants, animals, energy, and related natural resources”

Vegetable row photo by Mark Stebnicki on Pexels.com