NRCS 2026: Step-by-Step Instructions to Apply

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USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) can provide substantial conservation support, most notably through “EQIP” or “CSP” cost-share assistance, for a multitude of enhancements, or “practices,” on cropland, pasture, rangeland, forests, small water bodies on farms, and other farm-adjacent land. However, the application process is often difficult to understand, the level of advice from agents can vary, the wait for funding can feel long, and some farmers have had bad experiences with the agency in the past. 

We are here to offer you individualized, one-on-one support to help you better understand NRCS, feel confident with your application and required materials, and what to do if you are not selected for funding in the competitive process. 

Didn’t know NRCS financial assistance is a competitive process? Wondering what a batching deadline is?

NRCS uses batching and ranking dates to review, approve, and fund applications at several points throughout the year. Ranking is competitive because funding for conservation contracts is limited each year. NRCS accepts applications on a continual basis, and applications received after the batching date will automatically be considered during the next funding cycle. However, funding for the more popular conservation practices (e.g., high tunnels) or those with limited funding can run out, so an application for that type of financial assistance may never be considered until the following fiscal year. 

  • That’s why it’s important to contact NRCS with your interest and/or apply before your state’s batching date. Treat the batching date as a deadline to apply! For 2026, the batching date for the 50 states is January 15, 2026. (It is unclear if the U.S. Caribbean will use the same deadline. The Caribbean Islands deadline is usually in January of every year.) 
  • Read the rest of this blog to get step-by-step assistance applying to NRCS. If you have experienced difficulty in the past or the process does not feel clear, please don’t hesitate to request RAFI’s free, one-on-one assistance. Contact: Jaimie McGirt at jaimie@rafi.gameflow.design or complete this intake form.

Application Instructions

If any of the instructions are unclear or you need to talk through your conservation ideas or plans with someone before contacting NRCS, please reach out to Jaimie McGirt at jaimie@rafi.gameflow.design.

STEP 1: NRCS accepts producer applications for its conservation programs year-round, but producers interested in funding during the current fiscal year should apply by their state’s published batching date. (In 2026, January 15 for all 50 states.)

STEP 2: Have you applied in the past, or is this your first time applying? If you’ve applied in the past, skip to the section “For second-time applicants.”

STEP 3: Do you have a farm number? A farm number is required to apply, and an up-to-date farm record is required for further NRCS eligibility. If you do not have a farm number, scroll down to “How to quickly get a farm number,” and once you have the number, you can proceed with the steps below.

STEP 4: Know the contact information and location for your local NRCS and FSA staff. Look them up by state and county here.

STEP 5: You should have a sense of what you are applying for, and if you suspect you don’t know the full range of available assistance, please contact Jaimie McGirt at jaimie@rafi.gameflow.design for free technical assistance.

STEP 6: Apply based on whether you are a first-time applicant or a second-time applicant, following either set of instructions below.

For second-time (or multiple times) applicants

STEP 1: Do you have a good relationship with NRCS?

  • If no, please get in touch with Jaimie at jaimie@rafi.gameflow.design or 984.282.6047.
  • If yes, contact your NRCS agent with guidance in Step 2, just below:

STEP 2: Contact your agent and ask whether your prior-year application will be “rolled over” to the current cycle for funding consideration. If it rolls over, ask them to review your application with you. If you are changing the type of assistance you request for 2026 or changing where the assistance is requested, you should ask NRCS how they will revise your prior application form or whether you should submit a new one.

NOTE: Producers who have applied and not been selected for cost-share assistance in the past *may* get priority consideration this coming year, depending on rules in your state, and your application might not be allowed to change in order to get this priority. Discuss this with your agent! Tell them if your farm infrastructure or landscape improvement needs have changed since you last applied. Ask them if keeping your application as-is would benefit your chances for assistance, or if you would better benefit by revising your application to request assistance for slightly different practices? In some cases, a revised application may have a better outcome than a prior application that gets priority consideration. It will depend, and discussing this with your agent is important.

STEP 3: If submitting a new application for 2026 assistance, follow your agent’s instructions or utilize the instructions below. 

For first-time applicants

STEP 1: Have both your farm and your tract/parcel numbers as well as your SSN or business EIN number on hand for application materials. Both farm and tract numbers can be found on the “Farm Record” that FSA issued to you when you received your farm number. 

  • If you do not know your farm number, you will need to contact your local FSA office to request it to complete your NRCS application form. You may need to update your contact information while you are on the phone with FSA.
  • The name on your NRCS application must match the name used in your farm records and on your FSA eligibility forms.

STEP 2: Email or call your local USDA Service Center NRCS Soil Conservationist to inform them of your intent to apply and that they should look for your application soon. Look up your Soil Conservationist contact by state and county here.

  • In your email, you should state your name, county, farm number, and how you will submit your application (by email, mail, or in person).
  • PRIVACY NOTE: If you do not want to submit anything with your social security number over email, ask if you can submit with everything filled in EXCEPT the SSN, and if they can fill it in for you over the phone once they have your documents in hand. They may tell you to email your application to a specific person handling the paperwork.
To complete your NRCS Application (if you have a farm number)

STEP 1: Complete the Conservation Program Application form CPA-1200 by hand or electronically (click link and then download the form, save the blank copy, then edit and re-save with your name in the title). Print if you are able for your records. See specific instructions for this form below.

NOTE: The CPA-1200 form serves as an official application form, but it is also a way to declare your interest in assistance with NRCS staff, create a paper trail, and get you consideration for this year’s NRCS cost-share funding. This form is not contractual and does not guarantee you financial support. It will, however, hold your place for consideration for conservation assistance and funding in the current fiscal year until an agent contacts you to schedule a site visit and conducts the required conservation planning with you. If this site visit or conservation planning never happens after you submit an application, contact Jaimie McGirt at RAFI.

  • Instructions for CPA-1200 (the “application”)
    • In the blank “Location where assistance is requested,” write: Farm Address, County, your farm number, your tract number
    • In the blank “Assistance requested” write: EQIP and/or CSP assistance for _____ practices to address _____ concerns/problems on ____ part of my farm.
    • If you are applying a practice that is a part of the Regenerative Pilot Program, then write “Regenerative pilot program” in this blank, too.

EXAMPLE 1: “EQIP or CSP assistance for the practice ‘Establishing Wildlife Habitat’ and any other relevant practices to address insufficient terrestrial habitat for pollinators and beneficial insects on my cropland.”

EXAMPLE 2: EQIP assistance for High Tunnel, Cover Crop, Conservation Crop Rotation, and No-Till practices to address crop vigor and soil health issues on my cropland.

NOTE: Because this isn’t a contractual form, nothing you put on here will lock you into a practice, but it will or should make the agent do their research and be more prepared, or bring the right people with them for a later scheduled farm visit.

If you are not sure of what exactly you are applying for, please contact Jaimie at jaimie@rafi.gameflow.design for further guidance and free technical assistance.

STEP 2: If applicable, complete the Historically Underserved/ Socially Disadvantaged/ Beginner/ Limited Resource/ Veteran Farmer /Rancher form CCC-860. See the specific instructions below for this form, which could give you access to additional advantages in the application process.

  • Instructions for CCC-860:
    • For field 1A. enter the location of your USDA service center, found here: https://offices.sc.egov.usda.gov/locator/app
    • For 1B enter the phone number of your USDA service center (found in the same place as above)
    • For 1C enter the application year you are applying for: 2026
    • For Parts A-D, check the boxes that apply to you. Read the official form instructions on the last page because the rules for checking these boxes are not necessarily intuitive.

STEP 3: Save both forms to a computer or paper file titled “NRCS Application 2026”

STEP 4: Submit the two forms by email, mail, or in-person to your NRCS agent or to anyone else you’re instructed to send it to by your state deadline by 5:00 p.m. You are welcome to copy Jaimie at jaimie@rafi.gameflow.design in your email to NRCS. If you email it, state the following in your email:

  • Who you are
  • Your county
  • State why you need NRCS support (state your resource concern(s)) and any practices you know you want to implement and where on the farm, plus anything else you need to learn more about during an agent’s future visit to your farm.
  • State that you are applying by the January 15 ranking date for Fiscal Year 2026 consideration and to be contacted ASAP if anything in your application or eligibility is missing or incorrect.
  • Request a copy of your Producer Farm Data Report and Subsidiary Print Report for 2026 from your local FSA office to verify your farm records and eligibility file are up to date.
  • If not already on file, submit the following USDA payment eligibility forms:
    • Customer Data Worksheet AD-2047
      • A full legal name, mailing address, phone number, and Tax ID number are required.
      • Demographic information must be completed for CCC-860 benefits to be fully read in the software.
      • Form instructions can be found here.
    • Adjusted Gross Income Form (AGI) CCC-941
      • A full legal name, address, and Tax ID number (SSN or EIN) are required
      • A legible wet signature that matches your legal name is preferred by IRS
    • Highly Erodible Land and Wetland Conservation Form (HELCWC) AD-1026
      • Form instructions can be found here.
    • Farm Operating Plan Form CCC-902
      • This form is best completed over the phone or in person with your local FSA staff, as it is an automated form generated after the AD-2047 Customer Record and farm number have been loaded into the software.
      • When completing the CCC-902, participants may elect not to respond to some contribution questions, such as capital sources, custom services, labor, or management, because an “actively-engaged determination” is not required for NRCS program purposes.
      • Land information and equipment contributions must be completed.
      • *Labor contributions must be identified when foreign persons are members of the farming operation.
      • If you are having trouble completing the automated form with FSA, you may submit a manual form: 902-I for Individual or 902-E for Entity; just one, depending on what your farm record is under. 
      • If you are applying as a legal entity, then you will need a CCC-901 Member Information Form. Member’s percent share is required and must total 100%. Form instructions can be found here. 
    • Please note that if you are applying as a legal entity, then each entity member will also need to submit the above forms (AD-2047, CCC-941, and AD-1026)
    • More details with form instructions can be found here.
How to quickly get a farm number 

If you don’t have a farm number, it is not necessarily too late to receive one and apply to NRCS by the January 15, 2026 batching date. FSA’s ability to help you depends on the office’s current staff capacity at the time of your request. But to make it most efficient, be prepared with your photo ID, your SSN, proof of ownership or lease agreement, and an AD-2047 Customer Data Worksheet form described below.

STEP 1: Call your local Farm Service Agency (FSA) agent to notify them of your need to apply to NRCS by January 15 date and thus your immediate need for a farm number and they will provide further instructions. Or, if you are a confident email user, see the alternative Step 1 below.

The agent may ask for your email and send you the “AD-2047 Customer Data Worksheet” to complete and sign. This form, combined with proof of ownership or lease agreement, is like an application for a farm number. 

  • Proof of ownership may include the following: a copy of the deed, land purchase contract, county ownership record, or certification of an heir that may not be able to provide legal documentation to confirm ownership of the property (real estate tax assessment or bill, will, or affidavit of ownership. More information on Heirs’ Property and USDA can be found here.)
  • A Tax parcel ID number, plat number, or situs address will be needed to locate the land in the farm record software.
  • The lease agreement will need to be signed by both the lessee and lessor, and include location of the farmland.
  • FSA may request an AD-2047 Customer Data Worksheet be completed for all listed landowners. Landowners (if not participating with USDA) do not need to provide their SSN, only their legal name and address to be added to the farm record database. 
  • Applicants may be listed on a farm as an operator, owner, or other tenant.
    • An operator is an individual, entity, or joint operation who is determined by COC as being in general and primary control of the farming operations on the farm for the current year.
  • FSA will try to match your farmland boundaries to the legal land boundaries associated to the parcel as best as possible. Farm boundaries and acreage listed on your FSA-156EZ Farm Record and Map are for USDA purposes only and do not affect your legal land designations. 

STEP 2: For an in-person visit to get a farm number, bring your photo ID, proof of ownership or farm/land lease agreement, and your Social Security card or other tax ID.

STEP 3: Complete the AD-2047 Customer Data Worksheet with FSA. Save a copy of this form and any other forms you submit to FSA (they can copy them for you). Request a Receipt of Service before you leave!

  • A full legal name, mailing address, phone number, and Tax ID number are required on the AD-2047. Only one person or entity name can be listed on the form. If there are multiple members or applicants, they will each need to submit their own form.
  • An “electronic signature” on the AD-2047 is allowed.
  • PRIVACY NOTE: If you do not want to submit anything with your social security number over email, ask if you can submit with everything filled in EXCEPT the SSN and if they can fill it in for you over the phone once they have your documents in hand. They may tell you to email your application to a specific person handling the paperwork.

ALTERNATIVE
STEP 1:

  • Email both your local service center’s FSA agent and the NRCS Soil Supervisor with your name, desire to apply for NRCS assistance by January 15 date, your county, farm/forestland address, and attach the following documents:
    • A completed Customer Data Worksheet
    • A copy of your photo ID
    • Proof of ownership, like a copy of the land’s deed or county clerk ownership record, or lease agreement with your legal name apparent. A Tax parcel ID, platt, or situs address will be needed to locate the land in the farm record software.
    • FSA may request an AD-2047 Customer Data Worksheet be completed for all listed landowners. Landowners (if not participating with USDA) do not need to provide their SSN, only their legal name and address, to be added to the farm record database. 
  • Request that they call you on the phone to receive your SSN. 
  • Request that they provide a receipt of service with their reply.

If you provide sufficient documents and if the agent can easily locate your farm in their mapping system, some agents will create a farm record and issue you a farm number within the week. We don’t like to say it, but others can take up to three months or, in some cases, more.

STEP 2: Save the Customer Data Worksheet and a copy of the email to your computer.

STEP 3: After they have replied and indicated whether they can provide a farm number within the time you’ve requested, monitor your email or look out for a call from their office. 

Receiving a farm number or “farm record” means you will be provided a multi-page document (FSA-156EZ Farm Record or Producer Farm Data Report) with information about your acreage and a farm map. Your farm number will be located in the top-right corner of the first page. If you have applied to NCRS in the past, been denied, or have other questions about applying for NRCS assistance, or want support in preparing for an NRCS agent to visit your farm or forest land, please reach out to Jaimie McGirt at jaimie@rafi.gameflow.design.