Locally Led Conservation
2025-26 NRCS EQIP Local Fund Pool
$1.5 million in NRCS EQIP funding is available for farmstead and infrastructure improvements in Franklin County. This funding is intended to support infrastructure improvements that are critical to water quality, regulatory compliance, and long-term farm viability—such as manure and waste storage, clean water diversion, runoff controls, and heavy-use area protection.
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Applications are due August 22, 2025. For assistance or more information, contact Agricultural Programs Manager Kate Wettergreen and/or District Conservationist Sarah Larose.​​
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Eligible NRCS practices include: ​​​
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Access Road (560)
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Animal Mortality Facility (316)
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CNMP Design and Implementation Activity (101)
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Composting Facility (317)
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Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plan (102)
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Critical Area Planting (342)
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Diversion (362)
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Fence (382)
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Heavy Use Area Protection (561)
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Livestock Pipeline (516)
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Livestock Shelter Structure (576)
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Mulching (484)
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Nutrient Management (590)
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Nutrient Management Design and Implementation Activity (157)
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Obstruction Removal (500)
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Pond Sealing or Lining, Compacted Soil Treatment (520)
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Pond Sealing or Lining, Concrete (522)
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Pond Sealing or Lining, Geomembrane or Geosynthetic Clay Liner (521)
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Pumping Plant (533)
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Roof Runoff Structure (558)
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Roofs and Covers (367)
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Spring Development (574)
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Stormwater Runoff Control (570)
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Stream Crossing (578)
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Structure for Water Control (587)
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Subsurface Drain (606)
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Trails and Walkways (575)
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Underground Outlet (620)
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Waste Facility Closure (360)
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Waste Separation Facility (632)
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Waste Storage Facility (313)
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Waste Transfer (634)
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Waste Treatment (629)
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Wastewater Treatment - Milk House (627)
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Water Well (642)
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Watering Facility (614)​​​​
To learn more about NRCS conservation practice standards, view the NRCS Vermont Field Office Technical Guide (Section 4: Practice Standards and Supporting Documents). The 2025 Guide to Assistance for Agricultural Producers may also be helpful in understanding available resources and application steps.
We want to hear from you!
The Franklin, Grand Isle, and Lamoille County Natural Resources Conservation Districts, in partnership with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), are seeking your ideas to focus our work and programming for the future in the Northwest Zone of Vermont via a Locally Led Conservation Survey and Public Locally Led Conservation Meetings!
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We plan to incorporate the goals and needs of residents into developing priorities for program direction and funding. We need your help in deciding which natural resource concerns, along with their appropriate solutions, are most important in each of our counties.
The survey above is open to all residents, farmers, farm workers, forest owners, loggers, recreators, and resource professionals. Your feedback will be considered by regional professionals in natural resources management and agriculture, and incorporated into the NRCS's ranking system for awarding financial assistance to producers.
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From the shorelines of our lakes and ponds, to the rolling fields dotting mountain roads, to your backyard, every space matters. We want to hear about your natural resource priorities and what we can do to help.
WHAT IS LOCALLY LED CONSERVATION?
Locally Led Conservation is a collaborative approach where communities, organizations, and individuals at the local level take an active role in planning, implementing, and managing conservation efforts. It empowers local stakeholders to be the decision-makers and drivers of conservation initiatives.
During the process, your Northwest Conservation Districts and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will hold community meetings, survey their communities, and develop a Conservation Action Plan to identify solution-based approaches to resource concerns.
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Documents from the FY26 Locally Led Conservation Process:
FUNDING
This process informs how funds from the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) will be spent on local resource problems in this region. In 2024, this process led to the creation of a $1.5 million funding pool for Franklin, Grand Isle, and Lamoille Counties.
RESOURCE CONCERNS
Resource concerns addressed include:
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Wildlife Habitat and Biodiversity
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Field-Based Runoff: Sediment, Nutrients, and Pathogens
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Sustainable Livestock Production
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Soil Health and Erosion
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Weather Resilience on Farms
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...and more!
ELIGIBILITY
Producers, ranchers, and forest landowners who own, lease, or have an interest in operating agricultural land are eligible to apply for funds in the Local Funding Pool. Contact your local Farm Service Agency (FSA) office to register.