Mississippi Conservation Technical Assistance (CTA) | USDA NRCS MS CTA 17 01

Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA NRCS MS CTA 17 01

The Mississippi Conservation Technical Assistance (CTA) opportunity is a USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) cooperative agreement program focused on expanding conservation participation and long-term capacity among Historically Underserved Farmers and Ranchers in Mississippi. The central goal is to increase awareness of, access to, and enrollment in USDA conservation programs and practices, while also strengthening the practical skills and resources these producers need to remain economically viable and environmentally sustainable. In this opportunity, "Historically Underserved" is explicitly framed to include beginning farmers, limited resource producers, socially disadvantaged landowners, and veterans, with an emphasis on helping these groups navigate and successfully use NRCS and broader USDA programs.

A major theme of the grant is outreach paired with hands-on technical assistance. Projects funded under these agreements are expected to do more than share information; they are meant to actively help underserved producers build the knowledge and confidence needed to participate in conservation and production-related processes. The description highlights education and support in areas that commonly block participation, including risk management, computer literacy, financial literacy, and understanding legislative or program processes that affect agriculture and conservation. In practical terms, an applicant could propose workshops, one-on-one application assistance, field demonstrations, or other structured support that helps farmers and landowners identify relevant NRCS programs, meet eligibility requirements, complete paperwork, adopt conservation practices, and maintain compliance over time.

The opportunity also stresses economic outcomes alongside conservation benefits. NRCS indicates that these cooperative agreements should help create or increase revenue for the targeted producers, suggesting that successful projects will connect conservation participation to improved farm resilience, reduced risk, and better market or operational outcomes. The program language points toward building self-sufficiency by providing skills tied to crop production and farm management, so that participants can move from initial engagement into sustained, independent participation in conservation systems and USDA assistance programs.

Geographically, the primary focus is on Mississippi's 66 StrikeForce Counties, which are typically prioritized due to persistent poverty and elevated need for coordinated federal support. While the program notes that the focus is "but not limited to" these counties, applicants are clearly expected to concentrate effort where NRCS is trying to expand both the number of landowners served and the depth of their engagement. Proposals should anticipate being judged in part on their ability to document results, since the description calls for reporting on outcomes achieved. The scope can also include case studies, scientific research elements, and pilot agricultural community projects, including efforts relevant to rural and semi-rural communities, indicating NRCS is open to a range of approaches as long as they credibly support conservation adoption and producer capacity.

Administratively, this is a discretionary funding opportunity offered by USDA NRCS under CFDA 10.902, using a cooperative agreement instrument, which typically implies substantial federal involvement or collaboration during the project period compared to a standard grant. The opportunity number is USDA NRCS MS CTA 17 01. Eligible applicants are broad and include state, county, and local governments; special district governments; federally recognized tribal governments; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (as long as they are not institutions of higher education under the listed category); and individuals. The posting indicates an expected 15 awards, and the award ceiling is listed as 0, which usually means the ceiling was not specified in the notice rather than implying no limit in practice. The opportunity was originally posted on April 6, 2017, with an original closing date of May 5, 2017.

Overall, this CTA opportunity is designed for organizations or individuals that can credibly reach underserved producers, provide practical and culturally competent assistance, and measurably increase participation in NRCS conservation programs across Mississippi, especially within the StrikeForce Counties. Strong applications would logically emphasize established community trust, clear outreach plans, concrete technical assistance activities, and a realistic evaluation plan that tracks enrollment, adoption of conservation practices, capacity gains (such as improved computer or financial literacy), and tangible outcomes for participating landowners and producers.

• The Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service in the agriculture, environment, natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Mississippi Conservation Technical Assistance (CTA)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 10.902.
• This funding opportunity was created on Apr 06, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by May 05, 2017. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 15 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Individuals.

Apply for USDA NRCS MS CTA 17 01

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