Assistance for Grazing and Pasture Management
Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative

What is the Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative?
 

Through the Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative (GLCI), NRCS offers a variety of technical assistance to landowners and operators interested in grazing.

Privately owned grazing land makes up one third of the land base our Nation's lower 48 states. Taking good care of these lands is critical to environmental, social, and economic stability. GLCI was established to provide guidance on conservation issues to those who own private grazing lands. It is not a cost share program, although some conservation practices related to grazing may be eligible in other NRCS conservation programs.
 

The development of a conservation plan for your entire agricultural operation can help you effectively deal with the challenges on your farm and assist you in taking advantage of new opportunities.

A prescribed grazing plan is a tool used to manage your livestock and forages to maximize productivity for long-term sustainable use.

How We Can Help
 

Access to good quality water is essential to an effective grazing system. NRCS can help you fence livestock out of surface water and wetlands, plant riparian buffers and install fencing and alternative livestock watering facilities for prescribed grazing. An essential part of keeping pastures and livestock productive is managing your soil fertility and forage quality.

NRCS assistance can include nutrient management, pest management (including control of invasive species), pasture and hay land planting, composting and manure utilization.

Additional grazing and pasture management practices could include: animal trails and walkways, transition to organic production, heavy use area protection, feed management, and manure storage facility.
 

NRCS also offers a variety of conservation practices to enhance upland and wetland wildlife habitat.

Financial Assistance
 

There’s a great deal of funding available to New Hampshire producers through programs like the Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP) and the Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program (WHIP).

You need to work with your local NRCS office to determine your eligibility and to find out specific details about programs and practices that will work on your farm.

Cost-Share Programs
 

NRCS cost-share programs are available to all farmers that meet basic eligibility requirements. This includes all landowners and operators:

• Who are engaged in crop or livestock production on eligible land (pasture, cropland, hay land, forested land, farmstead, etc.) may participate;

• Must own or control the land and agree to install and maintain specific eligible conservation practices;

• All grazing land applications are evaluated against each other to determine the environmental benefits of the proposed work. Funding is competitive statewide; and

• Applications with the greatest environmental benefits are funded first.

Granite State Graziers
 

The Granite State Graziers is the GLCI Steering Committee in New Hampshire. They exist to strengthen the viability and sustainability of New Hampshire’s farms through forage and grazing based agriculture.
 

The Granite State Graziers (GSG) are an advisory group of New Hampshire farmers that plan educational activities about grazing and pasture management.
 

For more information about GSG please call the NRCS State Office, 603-868-7581, and speak with the GLCI State Coordinator.

Grazing technical assistance includes opportunities for:

• Better grazing land management
• Protecting soil from erosive wind and water
• Using more energy-efficient ways to produce food and fiber
• Conserving water
• Providing habitat for wildlife
• Sustaining forage and grazing plants
• Using plants to sequester greenhouse gases and increase soil organic matter
• Using grazing lands as a source of biomass energy and raw materials for industrial products

Helpful Grazing and Pasture Links

• NRCS Grazing Lands Technology Institute
• National NRCS Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative site
• Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative
• NRCS Plants Database
• Forage Species Selection Tool
• New Hampshire Horse Council
• Horses for Clean Water
• New Hampshire Sheep and Wool Growers Association