CSP Application Ranking

Deadline: May 01, 2026. NRCS CSP application ranking period. Check your state NRCS for exact dates.

CSP is competitive and detailed, but it may cover a portion of real conservation work on your farm. Only worth pursuing if you're genuinely interested in the practices. Confirm your state's ranking window with your local NRCS office.

REAP sounds worth exploring if you run an agricultural operation and have a specific energy project in mind. The award range ($1,500–$500,000) is wide, so details matter. Confirm award likelihood and timeline with your state energy coordinator.

Hard to tell if this is worth your time without knowing current deadlines and your area's designation status. The program exists but details are vague in this notice. Contact your county Rural Development office right away to learn if you can still apply.

Worth pursuing if you manage a public facility, run a nonprofit, or are part of a tribe in a designated disaster zone. The 75 percent cost-share is solid. Get your application moving—call your Rural Development office to confirm details and deadlines.

Details are sparse in the program description, so this could be worth exploring if you have forest acreage—but don't expect a straightforward application. Confirm details with your local Forest Service office.

If you're at a college or university with an ag program, this is worth exploring—$140 million available, awards up to $10 million, clear deadline. If you're a farmer, this won't help your operation directly. Confirm institutional eligibility with NIFA before investing time.

Texas A&M Forest Service received $15.7M for community wildfire defense work—both writing new wildfire protection plans and funding projects described in existing plans that are less than ten years old. Relevant if you farm or ranch in a high-risk Texas wildfire zone; your community may access implementation funding. Contact your county Extension office to learn if your area is developing or has a current community wildfire protection plan.

Boll weevil eradication in South Texas cotton got $8.0M to fund malathion aerial sprays and staff in the Lower Rio Grande Valley—the last U.S. region where the pest still runs loose. Relevant if you grow cotton in that quarantine zone; otherwise, this won't touch your operation. Check with your local FSA office if you're in LRGV.

Prairie View A&M Extension in Texas counties received $7.4M to deliver research, education, and outreach on natural resources, food security, and community resilience. Probably doesn't write checks to farmers directly—this funds Extension staff and programming. Confirm what services are available in your county through your local Extension agent.

California's agriculture department received $6.2M to detect and control glassy-winged sharpshooter and Pierce's Disease, primarily in established problem areas. Relevant mainly to wine grape growers and other vineyards in affected regions. Contact your county agriculture commissioner if GWSS or Pierce's Disease is a concern on your land.