Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack announced this week that $ 328 million dollars nationally have been awarded for projects through the agricultural conservation easement program. South Dakota NRCS ACEP Coordinator Ben Bigalke says the ACEP program has been very popular in South Dakota. He says this year’s funding will include 15 projects in the state.
Bigalke says all applications are ranked before funding is awarded.
Bigalke says ACEP projects will benefit all wildlife and particularly pheasants which are important to South Dakota.
Three former NRCS easement programs are consolidated into ACEP including the Farm and Ranch Lands Protection, Grasslands Reserve and the Wetlands Reserve programs .