Montgomery County Soil & Water Conservation District

In cooperation with the UT TSU Montgomery County Extension, Clarksville Tree Board and Clarksville Master Gardeners, we are proud to offer Montgomery residents tree seedlings in honor of Arbor Day! In person only, first come, first served basis.

Clarksville-Montgomery County Arbor Day-Free Seedlings  March 3rd, 2023

Time:  9:00 am – 12:00 pm (or until all trees are gone)

Location:  The drive-through event is open to the public and will take place at Liberty Park near the Freedom Point Building.

250 Marina Way, Clarksville, TN 37040

Directions:https://www.cityofclarksville.com/Facilities/Facility/Details/Liberty-Park-Clarksville-Marina-36

*Once inside of Liberty Park, follow the signs to the boat dock. 

• Follow the signs toward the marina (keep right) and you will be greeted and directed by Master Gardeners, Tree Board Members, Montgomery Conservation District and other volunteers.
• You will be given a color coded sheet of paper with the tree names.
• Pick 5 species/family (you can mix and match species).
• Stay in your vehicle.
• Pull forward and a volunteer will take your color coded sheet and get your trees for you.

 The trees will also be painted to match the color coded sheet.  There will be approximately 2300 trees to be given away on a first come, first served basis.

NASHVILLE, February 10, 2023 – NRCS Tennessee State Conservationist Sheldon Hightower announced the fiscal year 2023 Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) Classic application deadline. Tennessee agricultural producers who wish to be considered for funding this fiscal year should apply by Thursday, March 23, 2023. 

“Through CSP, NRCS helps farmers and ranchers earn payments for maintaining their current level of conservation across their entire operation,” said Hightower. “CSP also provides the opportunity for farm operators to expand their conservation activities by adopting new technologies and management techniques.”

CSP provides many benefits, including increased crop yields, decreased inputs, wildlife habitat improvements, and increased resilience to weather extremes. The program is for working lands including cropland, pastureland, rangeland, nonindustrial private forestland, and agricultural land under the jurisdiction of a tribe. Farmsteads and other associated agricultural lands are also included. CSP also provides specific support for organic and transitioning to organic producers.

To be eligible, contract participants must meet Farm Bill Program eligibility in conjunction with the Farm Service Agency, which includes meeting the Highly Erodible Land and Wetland Compliance requirements and the Adjusted Gross Income limits.

Applicants must also:

• Control or own eligible land;
• Develop an NRCS CSP plan of operations;
• Provide a map(s) that identifies and delineates the boundaries of all eligible land uses and acres included in their operation; and
• Identify any ineligible land that is part of their operation.

While applications are accepted throughout the year, interested producers IN MONTGOMERY COUNTY should submit applications to this office by the deadline to ensure their operations are considered for FY 2023 funding.

For more information about the CSP program, contact our office at 931-368-0252 x 3.

You may also visit the NRCS Tennessee website here. 

USDA and the Montgomery County Soil & Water Conservation District are an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender.

The deadline for applications of the David Hinton Memorial Scholarship for students majoring in  Agriculture and related majors and attending (or will attend) Austin Peay State University, in ANY grade level, is June 1, 2023.  Applications and more information can be found on our educational information page.  Please direct all questions to Nancy Holt, NLHolt@mcgtn.net.

The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has announced an additional application opportunity for fiscal year 2023 funding for the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP), which includes special emphasis projects through NRCS partnerships with the Wetland Reserve Enhancement Partnership (WREP) and Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP). Private landowners or entities are encouraged to apply by Friday, February 10, 2023.

ACEP-Wetland Reserve Easements can be enrolled as 30-year or perpetual, based on the landowner(s) desired management for the offered property. Thiry-year easements are valued at 25 percent less than perpetual easements and landowners are responsible for 25 percent of restoration costs whereas perpetual easements are eligible for a 100 percent restoration cost-share.  Alternatively, landowners have the option to offer their property at a reduced purchase and/or restoration cost to improve application ranking.

ACEP-Agricultural Land Easements are enrolled for perpetuity to protect the long-term viability of the nation’s food supply by preventing conversion of productive working lands to non-agricultural uses. Applications for the ACEP-Agricultural Land Easement will only be accepted from eligible sponsoring entities, not individual landowners. Eligible entities include State or local units of government, Indian Tribes, or nongovernmental organizations, such as a conservancy or a land trust.

Through ACEP-Agricultural Land Easement, NRCS provides financial assistance to eligible partners for purchasing agricultural easements that protect the agricultural use and conservation values of eligible land. In the case of working farms, the program helps farmers keep their land in agriculture.

Applications received after the designated cutoff date of Friday, February 10, will be considered in the next program year or in subsequent application periods, if announced. If a landowner is applying for ACEP on multiple parcels of land, any non-contiguous parcels must be submitted as separate applications. Contiguous multiple parcels may be submitted as one application, provided the ownership is identical for each parcel.

Entities and landowners interested in applying for ACEP-WRE funding ON MONTGOMERY COUNTY, TN land should visit the NRCS ACEP webpage or contact our office, 931-368-0252 x 3.

Contact Robert Boettcher, robert.boettcher@usda.gov or 615-277-2576, for more information about the ACEP program in Tennessee.

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender.