Kaʻū News Briefs Nov. 20, 2024

Jane Ancheta, mother of four, pursues a degree in nursing with a scholarship from Kaʻū Hospital Charitable Foundation.

    Jane Ancheta received her scholarship in July. The Foundation describes her: "Jane is a proud mother of four and works at Kaʻū Hospital as a nurse's aid. She is attending Hawai'i Community College pursuing her degree in Nursing. Her passion for nursing has been ignited by her first-hand experiences as a nurse's aid contributing to patients' well-being."

    Ancheta states: "I'm determined to use my education to inspire others, proving that it's never too late and age should never hold you back from achieving your goals." She feels that earning her nursing degree represents a profound commitment to serving others and making a positive impact in her community."  
   Angelica Felipe received her scholarship in November. "Angelica is a sophomore at the University of Hawai'i Hilo. She is studying kinesiology and exercise science. Her career goals are to become a physical therapist. Angelica has volunteered at Hilo Life Care Center and was able to assist and shadow nurses and physical therapists to help patients recover from injuries. She believes that community service is a way to give back to others and make a difference in her community," says the Foundation statement.

    See more at www.kauhospitalcharity.org and www.facebook.com/kauhospitalcharity.  

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FUNDING FOR LOCAL FARMERS, RANCHERS AND FORESTERS is available through the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service, which has asked this publication to spread the word. The support is for Hawai'i and the rest of the Pacific Islands Area and applications for fiscal year 2025 assistance programs have a deadline of Jan. 31. The funding is for technical and financial assistance through NRCS'Agricultural Conservation Easement Program, Agricultural Management Assistance program, Conservation Stewardship Program, Environmental Quality Incentives Program, and Regional Conservation Partnership Program.
    While NRCS accepts applications year-round, applications submitted after the program ranking will automatically be considered during future funding cycles. Applications and more information are available at local USDA Service Centers and online at https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/getting-assistance/get-started-with-nrcs.

Agricultural Conservation Easement Programs is one of the USDA's National Resource Conservation Service inititives. \ See www.nrcs.usda.gov.

    Funding is available from both the Farm Bill and Inflation Reduction Act, which provides additional resources to help producers expand conservation efforts that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase storage of carbon in their soil and trees. In many cases, applications for eligible practices meeting or exceeding state-determined minimum ranking thresholds will automatically be considered for priority funding when applying for EQIP and CSP because of additional flexibilities.

Conservation Innovation Grants are available for Hawai'i and the Pacific Islands Area. See www.nrcs.usda.gov.

    Act Now: In 2025, NRCS-Pacific Islands Area will utilize Act Now minimum ranking thresholds to expedite contract obligation. States determine their respective Act Now minimum ranking thresholds, fund pools and eligible practices. The process enables states to pre-approve a ranked application in a ranking pool designated for Act Now when an application meets or exceeds a state's pre-determined minimum threshold ranking score. The state minimum thresholds for ACT Now will be published on the NRCS PIA website soon.
    Producers do not need to apply separately to Act Now and will be considered for priority funding when applying to an eligible practice through EQIP and CSP. Applications are processed in the order they are received, and applications that rank at or above the state-established threshold ranking score will be preapproved, as long as funds are available. When the available Act Now funding limit has been reached, remaining applications may be considered in other relevant ranking pools or rolled over to the next funding cycle.
    Once a producer's application is pre-approved, they must still meet eligibility requirements including establishing a farm tract number with USDA's Farm Service Agency if they have not previously utilized USDA programs. After establishing eligibility, producers must complete the planning process and receive notice of approval from NRCS prior to beginning work. Projects started before final contract approval are ineligible for cost-share assistance unless the producer has been granted an early start waiver.

Agricultural Management Assistance is available in Hawai'i and the Pacific Islands Area. See www.nrcs.usda.gov.

    Agricultural Management Assistance Program: NRCS helps agricultural producers manage financial risk through diversification, marketing or natural resource conservation practices. Producers eligible for AMA can apply for financial and technical assistance to voluntarily address resource issues such as water management, water quality and erosion control by 
incorporating conservation into their farming operations.
    Agricultural Conservation Easement Program: NRCS can offer to purchase an easement on land with two options – as an Agricultural Land Easement or a Wetland Reserve Easement. Agricultural Land Easements, or ACEP-ALE, offer easement opportunities for agricultural lands that are under threat of conversion to non-agricultural uses, protects cultural resources, and preserves unique and productive soils. To be considered for ACEP-ALE, agricultural operations must work with an approved land stewardship partner in order to apply. Approved land stewardship partners include the Hawaiian Island Land Trust and Moku O Keawe Land Conservancy.
    Wetland Reserve Easements, or ACEP-WRE, help private landowners protect, restore and enhance farmed or converted wetlands which have been previously degraded due to agricultural uses. NRCS administers ACEP-WRE through purchase agreements with eligible landowners in a similar application process as other NRCS programs and prioritizes applications based on the easement's potential for protecting and enhancing habitat for migratory birds and other wildlife.
   

Conservation Stewardship Programs  are available in Hawai'i and the Pacific Islands Area. See www.nrcs.usda.gov.

.      Conservation Stewardship Program: NRCS offers rewards to producers for maintaining high stewardship standards and incentivizes them to take their efforts even further. The CSP program is a five-year program that requires producers to meet a minimum number of resource concerns while improving the resource concerns over the course of the contract. CSP offers the same conservation practices as EQIP but pays producers annually for both maintaining their existing benchmark conservation and implementing new activities.
   Environmental Quality Incentives Program: NRCS provides agricultural producers with one-on-one help and financial assistance to plan and implement conservation practices to address a variety of issues such as water quality degradation, soil erosion, soil quality degradation and inadequate habitat for fish and wildlife.
Special initiatives include: National Water Quality Initiative – open to producers and land operators in Hilo and Kawaihae watersheds wishing to address water quality concerns in nationally-identified impaired watersheds.
    Regional Conservation Partnership Program: A partner-driven approach to conservation. NRCS seeks to co-invest with partners to implement projects that demonstrate innovative solutions to conservation challenges and provide measurable improvements and outcomes tied to the resource concerns they seek to address. On this island management projects include:

Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention are available in Hawai'i and the Pacific Islands Area.  See www.nrcs.usda.gov.

Ainapreneur Rural Farmer Conservation Collective Biochar Initiative - Lead partner Changemakers Hawaiʻi works with producers on the Big Island to increase the adoption and application of biochar and other soil health related conservation practices. Interested participants should contact their local NRCS Service Center or Changemakers Hawaiʻi.
    Conservation Incentive Contracts: Conservation Incentive Contracts, an option available through EQIP, offer producers financial assistance to adopt conservation management practices on working landscapes. Producers may use incentive contracts as a "stepping stone" for correcting resource issues on specific land units through EQIP to achieving sustainable stewardship on their entire operation. Conservation Incentive Contracts are available nationwide and help producers address priority resource concerns, like sequestering carbon and improving water quality in high-priority areas.