NEBRASKA NRCS CONSERVATION INNOVATION GRANT FOR SOIL HEALTH

The Nebraska NRCS will accept applications under this notice for single or multi-year projects, not to exceed 3 years, submitted by eligible entities from NEBRASKA. Eligible entities include Federally recognized Indian Tribes, State and local units of government, and non-governmental organizations and individuals.

Nebraska component CIG projects must take place in Nebraska; multi-state projects will not be considered.

Applications will be screened for completeness and compliance with the provisions of this notice. Incomplete applications will be eliminated from competition, and notification of elimination will be mailed to the applicant. Complete applications received by applicable deadlines will be evaluated by a technical peer review panel based on the Application Evaluation Criteria identified in the application instructions in section V.B.

Applications, along with their associated technical peer review, will then be forwarded to the NEBRASKA Review Committee. The NEBRASKA Review Committee which can also include members of the State Technical Committee will make recommendations for project approval to the NRCS State Conservationist who will make the final selections.

C. Innovative Conservation Projects or Activities
For the purposes of CIG, the proposed innovative project or activity must encompass the development, demonstration, evaluation, implementation, and monitoring of:
• Conservation adoption approaches or incentive systems; or
• Promising conservation technologies, practices, systems, procedures, or approaches; or
• Environmental soundness with goals of environmental protection and natural resource enhancement.

To be given priority consideration, the innovative project or activity must comply with all federal, state, and local regulations throughout the duration of the project and should:
• Make use of a proven technology or a technology that has been studied sufficiently to indicate a high probability for success;
• Demonstrate and verify environmental (soil, water, air, plants, energy, and animal) effectiveness, utility, affordability, and usability of conservation technology in the field;
• Adapt conservation technologies, management, practices, systems, procedures, approaches, and incentive systems to improve performance and encourage adoption;
• Introduce conservation systems, approaches, and procedures from another geographic area or agricultural sector; or
• Demonstrate transferability of knowledge.

D. State Component
For FY 2014, NRCS Nebraska will consider offering CIG in the Soil Heath area. Proposals that demonstrate the use of innovative technologies and/or approaches to address at least one bulleted topic listed below will be considered. Proposals must identify the most appropriate bulleted topic the innovation/technology is addressing.

Soil Health
 Priority Need: Provide advanced comprehensive soil health training to both NRCS employees and producers. A minimum of four sessions will need to be provided in order to provide statewide coverage. The training will need to cover all aspects of soil health including; benefits of cover crops, seed mixes for each soil health resource concern, soil microbiology, and economics of cover crops.

 Priority Need: The effects of cover crops on soil organic matter levels and soil bulk density (soil compaction). This proposal would demonstrate the changes related to SOM and Bulk Density with and without cover crops. Outcomes will provide information on bulk density and organic matter levels as basic building blocks of soil health.

 Priority Need: The effects of cover crops on available soil moisture.
The proposal would demonstrate the impacts of cover crops as a part of a typical commodity crop rotation on non-irrigated cropland. Outcomes should provide insight as to whether or not cover crops positively or negatively affect soil moisture.

 Priority Need: The effects of cover crops on soil erosion, including both sheet-rill and ephemeral erosion. With the decreasing popularity of structural soil erosion conservation practices there is a need to know how effectively cover crops can control sheet-rill and ephemeral erosion on highly erodible cropland. Outcomes should demonstrate innovative erosion control methods using vegetative rather than structural practices
 Demonstrate the effects of grazing management of cover crop mixes on soil chemical, physical and biological properties health and water quality.
 Demonstrate and quantify differences in nutrient and available water holding capacity of a soil system resulting from long-term no-till with cover crops compared to systems using tillage or rotational tillage.
 Demonstrate and quantify the amount of available nitrogen following a legume cover crop.

II. FUNDING AVAILABILITY

NRCS anticipates that the amount available for support of this program in FY 2014 will be
$150,000. CIG will fund single and multi-year projects, not to exceed 3 years (anticipated project start date of September 1, 2014). Funds will be awarded through a nationwide competitive grants process. The maximum award amount for any project will not exceed
$75,000 in FY 2014.

The Nebraska NRCS will accept applications under this notice for single or multi-year projects, not to exceed 3 years, submitted by eligible entities from NEBRASKA. Eligible entities include Federally recognized Indian Tribes, State and local units of government, and non-governmental organizations and individuals.

Nebraska component CIG projects must take place in Nebraska; multi-state projects will not be considered.

Applications will be screened for completeness and compliance with the provisions of this notice. Incomplete applications will be eliminated from competition, and notification of elimination will be mailed to the applicant. Complete applications received by applicable deadlines will be evaluated by a technical peer review panel based on the Application Evaluation Criteria identified in the application instructions in section V.B.

Applications, along with their associated technical peer review, will then be forwarded to the NEBRASKA Review Committee. The NEBRASKA Review Committee which can also include members of the State Technical Committee will make recommendations for project approval to the NRCS State Conservationist who will make the final selections.

C. Innovative Conservation Projects or Activities
For the purposes of CIG, the proposed innovative project or activity must encompass the development, demonstration, evaluation, implementation, and monitoring of:
• Conservation adoption approaches or incentive systems; or
• Promising conservation technologies, practices, systems, procedures, or approaches; or
• Environmental soundness with goals of environmental protection and natural resource enhancement.

To be given priority consideration, the innovative project or activity must comply with all federal, state, and local regulations throughout the duration of the project and should:
• Make use of a proven technology or a technology that has been studied sufficiently to indicate a high probability for success;
• Demonstrate and verify environmental (soil, water, air, plants, energy, and animal) effectiveness, utility, affordability, and usability of conservation technology in the field;
• Adapt conservation technologies, management, practices, systems, procedures, approaches, and incentive systems to improve performance and encourage adoption;
• Introduce conservation systems, approaches, and procedures from another geographic area or agricultural sector; or
• Demonstrate transferability of knowledge.

D. State Component
For FY 2014, NRCS Nebraska will consider offering CIG in the Soil Heath area. Proposals that demonstrate the use of innovative technologies and/or approaches to address at least one bulleted topic listed below will be considered. Proposals must identify the most appropriate bulleted topic the innovation/technology is addressing.

Soil Health
 Priority Need: Provide advanced comprehensive soil health training to both NRCS employees and producers. A minimum of four sessions will need to be provided in order to provide statewide coverage. The training will need to cover all aspects of soil health including; benefits of cover crops, seed mixes for each soil health resource concern, soil microbiology, and economics of cover crops.

 Priority Need: The effects of cover crops on soil organic matter levels and soil bulk density (soil compaction). This proposal would demonstrate the changes related to SOM and Bulk Density with and without cover crops. Outcomes will provide information on bulk density and organic matter levels as basic building blocks of soil health.

 Priority Need: The effects of cover crops on available soil moisture.
The proposal would demonstrate the impacts of cover crops as a part of a typical commodity crop rotation on non-irrigated cropland. Outcomes should provide insight as to whether or not cover crops positively or negatively affect soil moisture.

 Priority Need: The effects of cover crops on soil erosion, including both sheet-rill and ephemeral erosion. With the decreasing popularity of structural soil erosion conservation practices there is a need to know how effectively cover crops can control sheet-rill and ephemeral erosion on highly erodible cropland. Outcomes should demonstrate innovative erosion control methods using vegetative rather than structural practices
 Demonstrate the effects of grazing management of cover crop mixes on soil chemical, physical and biological properties health and water quality.
 Demonstrate and quantify differences in nutrient and available water holding capacity of a soil system resulting from long-term no-till with cover crops compared to systems using tillage or rotational tillage.
 Demonstrate and quantify the amount of available nitrogen following a legume cover crop.

II. FUNDING AVAILABILITY

NRCS anticipates that the amount available for support of this program in FY 2014 will be
$150,000. CIG will fund single and multi-year projects, not to exceed 3 years (anticipated project start date of September 1, 2014). Funds will be awarded through a nationwide competitive grants process. The maximum award amount for any project will not exceed
$75,000 in FY 2014.