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Technical and Financial Assistance Programs — USDA provides a number of technical and financial 

 assistance programs to assist in protecting water resources. 



• The Agricultural Conservation Program (ACP), initiated in 1936, provides financial assistance to 

 farmers for implementing approved soil and water conservation and pollution abatement practices. 

 Cost-share payments may not exceed $3,500 per year for 1-year agreements, or an average of 

 $3,500 for multi-year agreements. Except for Water Quality Special Projects, conservation 

 priorities are set by states and counties based on local soil and wzter quality problems. 



• The Conservation Technical Assistance (CTA), initiated in 1936, provides Soil Conservation 

 Service (SCS) technical assistance through conservation districts to farmers for planning and 

 implementing soil and water conservation and water quality improvement practices. 



• The Rural Clean Water Program, initiated in 1980 and ending in 1995, is an experimental 

 program implemented in 21 selected projects under the authority of the Clean Water Act. It 

 provides cost-sharing and technical assistance to farmers voluntarily implementing BMPs to 

 improve water quality. Cost-sharing is limited to $50,000 per farm. 



• The Extension Service provides information and recommendations, in cooperation with SCS and 

 conservation districts, on soil and water quality practices to landowners and operators. 



• The Farmers Home Administration (FmHA) provides loans to farmers and associations of farmers 

 for soil and water conservation, pollution abatement, and building or improving water systems that 

 serve several farms. 



• The Rural Conservation and Development Program, initiated in 1962, assists multicounty areas 

 to enhance conservation, water quality, wildlife habitat and recreation, and rural development. 



• The Great Plains Conservation Program, initiated in 1957, provides technical and financial 

 assistance in Great Plains states to fanners and ranchers who implement total conservation 

 treatment of their entire operation. Cost-sharing assistance is limited to $35,000 per contract. 



• The Small Watershed Program, initiated in 1954, provides technical and financial assistance to 

 local organizations for flood prevention, watershed protection, and water management. 



• The Water Bank Program, initiated in 1970, provides annual payments for preserving wetlands 

 in important migratory waterfowl nesting, breeding, or feeding areas. 



• The National Agriculture Library collects and distributes information on all aspects of U.S. 

 agriculture, and has received special funding to develop a new information program on agriculture 

 and water quality. 



USDA Research Programs — One of the objectives of USDA's Research Plan for Water Quality is to 

 improve existing and develop new cost-effective agricultural systems to address water quality problems. 

 USDA's Agricultural Research Service (ARS), Cooperative State Research Service (CSRS), and Economic 

 Research Service (ERS) conducts research on agriculture and water quality. ARS conducts research on 

 new and alternative crops and agricultural technology to reduce the impacts of agricultural production on 

 soil and water. CSRS coordinates soil conservation and water quality research conducted by State 

 Agricultural Experiment Stations and land grant universities. CSRS allocates funds appropriated by 



