Agricultural News
Oklahoma Joins USDA StrikeForce Initiative in Addressing Persistent Rural Poverty
Tue, 12 May 2015 11:39:52 CDT
Oklahoma has been added to the list of 21 states to be participating in the recently expanded USDA StrikeForce for Rural Growth and Opportunity initiative. USDA's StrikeForce Initiative was established in 2010 to address specific challenges with persistent rural poverty. The initiative will provide additional Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) funds for 32 counties in Oklahoma, as well as provide economic benefit to these areas. NRCS, collaborators and partners will be focusing additional outreach efforts and assistance in accelerating the delivery of NRCS' available technical and financial assistance to farmers, ranchers and communities in these counties. StrikeForce funds will be allocated to counties with Pre-approved applications to address existing National, State, and Local resource concerns for FY2015. Implementation of the Oklahoma StrikeForce multiagency team will conduct outreach efforts in the coming months to address more specific resource concerns in the affected counties for future funding cycles.
"Producers in the 32 counties who are interested in this opportunity should visit their local NRCS office as soon as possible," said Gary O' Neill, NRCS State Conservationist in Oklahoma. "EQIP StrikeForce funding will help farmers and ranchers implement conservation practices that will benefit their land."
All practices available under regular EQIP are available in the StrikeForce initiative. Applications for EQIP funding are accepted on a continuous basis throughout the year. However, to be considered for the targeted 2015 StrikeForce funding, applications must be received by the close of business on June 19, 2015.
Below is a list of counties that this initiative covers in Oklahoma:
Adair
Atoka
Bryan
Caddo
Cherokee
Choctaw
Cimarron
Coal
Delaware
Garvin
Greer
Harmon
Haskell
Hughes
Johnston
Kiowa
Latimer
LeFlore
Marshall
Mayes
McIntosh
Muskogee
Okfuskee
Okmulgee
Ottawa
Pittsburg
Pontotoc
Pushmataha
Seminole
Sequoyah
Tillman
For more information and StrikeForce successes, visit the NRCS StrikeForce webpage or your local NRCS office. To get started with NRCS, visit your local USDA Service Center or click here. Learn more about the Farm Bill by clicking here.
For more information about StrikeForce in NRCS or if you have any questions please contact Dr. Carol Crouch or by phone at 405-612-9331
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