Conservstion Funding Sign-Up (2026 CPA-1200 Form)
Bennington County Conservation District is helping farmers, foresters, and landowners across the county apply for USDA conservation funding — applications are due September 25.
Every application does two things at once: it puts your operation in line for this round of funding, and it tells the NRCS that Bennington County wants these resources.
Do you grow food or manage land in Bennington County? There's USDA conservation funding open right now. Applications are due September 25, and the form takes about fifteen minutes.
Apply
1. Get your form
→ Download the CPA-1200
Or pick one up at your town clerk's office:
- Pownal, Bennington, and Shaftsbury residents — copies are available to pick up and fill out at your town clerk's office.
- North Bennington residents use either the Bennington or Shaftsbury town clerk's office.
2. Fill it out
- Select EQIP as the program: the Environmental Quality Incentives Program.
- Under "Assistance Requested," describe in a sentence what you'd like to do on your land. It doesn't need to be technical or final — a conservation planner will work through the details with you.
3. Submit it
We coordinate pickup and delivery of applications to the NRCS office in Rutland, so you don't have to make the trip yourself. Leave your completed form at your town clerk's office, or contact us to arrange collection.
You're welcome to deliver or mail your completed CPA-1200 directly to the Rutland NRCS office, if you prefer.
Deadline: September 25.
Applications are accepted year-round, but September 25 is the cutoff to be considered in this funding round. Anything after that rolls to the next one.
What the funding covers
It cost-shares real things on your land, like livestock fencing and watering systems, high tunnels, hedgerows and windbreaks, streambank plantings, erosion and soil health work. The stuff you've been meaning to get to, or paying for out of pocket. Most of it does more than one job: a watering system that saves you two hours a day is also keeping sediment out of the stream.
Most of this funding comes through EQIP — the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, the NRCS's flagship working-lands program. It's cost-share assistance: NRCS helps offset the cost of putting a practice in place, and what's covered is determined when your application is processed.
A few things to understand up front:
- Applying costs nothing and commits you to nothing.
- Applications are ranked competitively. Applying is the necessary first step, not a guarantee.
- Don't start the work before a contract is signed — practices begun beforehand aren't eligible for payment.
Who can apply
EQIP is a working-lands program, so eligibility depends on your land, not just on ownership. You may be eligible if you own or operate:
- Farmland — cropland, pasture, hayfields, or land producing any agricultural product, including maple and sugarbush
- Non-industrial private forestland, including wooded acreage
- A homestead or small operation with qualifying agricultural or forest land
- A market garden, community garden, CSA, or other food-production site
- Rented or leased qualifying land — renters and operators can apply with the landowner's written permission
Small acreage counts. Leased land counts. First-season operations count. Most people who assume they don't qualify have never asked.
Do I have to be a farmer? Not exactly. Your land generally needs to qualify as agricultural land or private forestland, and you need to be producing something on it. NRCS makes the final call. Many rural Vermont properties qualify without the owner thinking of themselves as a "farmer." If you're not sure whether yours does, that's exactly the kind of question we can sort out with you before you apply.
Do I need an FSA farm number? You'll need records established with USDA's Farm Service Agency before a contract can be approved — but not having one yet doesn't stop you from applying. Question 1 on the form simply asks whether you have an FSA customer record. If you answer no, NRCS works out what's needed. We can walk you through it.
Why this matters here
The money stays local. Resilience here is economic as much as agricultural: what comes into our county gets spent here — local contractors, local suppliers, local labor, farms that stay in business.
What nobody applies for goes somewhere else in Vermont.
The Bennington County Conservation District works with farmers, foresters, and landowners across Bennington County to get federal conservation funding onto the ground here. Since we began working with the NRCS through Vermont's locally led process in 2022, [$____] has come into the county's working landscape. The process is straightforward: residents tell us what matters through surveys and working group meetings, we bring those priorities to the NRCS, and funding follows demonstrated need.
That's why applications matter. Filling one out puts your operation in line for this round of funding, and it tells the NRCS that Bennington County wants these resources. The form is a vote for the county.
We're here to help
Bennington County Conservation District can assist you at every step:
- Filling out the CPA-1200
- Understanding whether your land is eligible
- Getting an FSA farm number
- Obtaining landowner permission (for renters and operators)
- Figuring out which practices fit your operation
- Connecting with the right NRCS staff
- Answering any questions along the way
How long does the application take? About fifteen minutes. It's one form, and most of it is basic information about you and your land.
What happens after I apply? NRCS reviews your application and confirms that both you and your land are eligible. A conservation planner typically follows up to walk your property and discuss which practices fit. If your application is approved and funded, you'll be offered a contract. Timelines vary depending on funding availability and demand.
Does applying guarantee I'll get funded? No. Applications are ranked competitively and subject to funding availability. Applying is the necessary first step — and it's also what builds the case for more resources coming to Bennington County, which is how more applications get to yes.
Is there a cost to apply? No. Applying is free and commits you to nothing. If you're offered a contract, EQIP is cost-share assistance — NRCS covers a share of the practice cost at rates set when your application is processed. Historically underserved producers (including beginning, veteran, and limited-resource farmers) may qualify for higher rates and for advance payments.
I'm in my first season. Is it worth applying? Yes. Beginning farmers are a priority category for NRCS, not an afterthought. Being early in your operation is one of the better times to apply, since infrastructure decisions are still ahead of you.
What if I rent the land? Renters and operators can apply with written permission from the landowner. NRCS may require a written landowner agreement, and we can help you put that in place.
Can forestland apply? Yes. Non-industrial private forestland is eligible, and forest landowners can apply for practices on wooded acreage.
Can homeowners apply? It depends on the land. EQIP is for agricultural producers and private forest landowners, so eligibility comes down to whether your property qualifies — as farmland, a homestead operation, or private forestland — rather than simply owning a home. Many rural Vermont properties qualify. A purely residential lot with no agricultural or forest use generally won't.
Do I have to drive to Rutland to submit my form? No. We coordinate pickup and delivery of completed applications to the Rutland NRCS office. Pick up and fill out a CPA-1200 at your town clerk's office (Pownal, Bennington, and Shaftsbury; North Bennington residents can use the Bennington or Shaftsbury clerk), leave it there, and we'll get it where it needs to go. You're also welcome to submit directly to NRCS if you prefer.
What if I miss September 25? Applications are accepted year-round. Missing the cutoff means your application is considered in the next funding round rather than this one, so it's still worth submitting — but this round is the one that's open now.
Can I apply for more than one thing? Yes. Describe what you're interested in, and a conservation planner will help sort out which practices and programs fit your operation.
Why are applications so important? Because demand is what unlocks funding. Every application is a documented request that shows NRCS the need here is real and widespread. The more of us who apply, the stronger the justification for directing more resources to Bennington County — for you and for your neighbors.