The Delaware River WRAPS (Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy) provides cost share funds for installation of best management practices on agricultural lands in designated priority areas of the Delaware River watershed. The WRAPS cost share program helps landowners meet their conservation goals while reducing sediment, nutrient and bacterial pollution of streams and lakes in the watershed. The Delaware WRAPS works closely with NRCS, FSA and local Conservation Districts to leverage available conservation program resources and promote similar conservation goals.

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  Establishment of cover crops for cropland or livestock forage. A cover crop is a crop planted to provide seasonal cover for conservation purposes such as improvement of soil health, erosion control, nutrient management, weed suppression or to provide supplemental forage for livestock. This cost share is offered to reduce the financial risk of experimenting with cover crops for producers who have not yet adopted cover crops as part of their regular cropping program.  

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  The cost-share rate is 75% up to a maximum of $45/acre and $4500 per producer per year

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  Funding for cover crops is targeted for use in priority areas of the watershed for cropland and livestock best management practices

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  Grassed waterways. Grassed waterways protect water quality by capturing soil and filtering nutrient run-off from crop fields. Even with regular maintenance, waterways eventually silt in and cease to function properly.

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    Delaware WRAPS will cover 90% of the cost to build or re-build a grassed waterway (based on NRCS EQIP payment rates) located within a cropland priority area of the watershed

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    Cost of tree removal for waterways is not eligible for cost-share

Application Information:

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  Applications are reviewed every 6-8 weeks and will be accepted until all of the funding has been allocated

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  Funding decisions are made by a Stakeholder Leadership Team, comprised of area landowners, producers and natural resource professionals (next meeting is March 30, 2016)

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  Delaware WRAPS does not fund projects on sod-busted fields

Interested landowners should act quickly to take advantage of this program. Contact Kerry Wedel, Delaware River WRAPS Coordinator at 785-284-3422 or kwedel@delawarewraps.com, or visit the Delaware River WRAPS website at www.delawarewraps.com to get more information and to obtain an application form. Information and application forms are also available at conservation district offices in Atchison, Brown, Jackson, Jefferson and Nemaha counties.