USDA website adds conservation features

INDIANAPOLIS — The U.S. Department of Agriculture added new features to farmers.gov that were created to help farmers and landowners manage and request assistance from the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

Jerry Raynor, state conservationist for the Indiana Natural Resources Conservation Service, said individuals can now download documents, electronically sign paperwork and request assistance to help manage and implement conservation practices through the website.

Raynor said farmers and landowners will be able to manage documents and applications related to conservation, including ones that involve other state and federal agencies.

"Farmers.gov will encompass a lot of U.S. Department of Agriculture information," Raynor said.

The new features on the website are designed to combine the functionality from NRCS’s Conservation Client Gateway, while helping to enhance its functionality and improve user experience at the same time.

“It puts all information in one place and one location to help with conservation and agriculture management,” Raynor said.

Raynor said the website also has videos that individuals can use as reference for conservation practices on their land.

“This was in the works prior to COVID-19, but it’s been a tremendous help since we can’t have customers in office,” Raynor said.

Raynor said the site ties all systems together, along with the location in a particular county that the landowner lives in and directs them to the right agency.

To access the new features, producers and landowners will need a USDA eAuth account to log in to the website.

For more information about the new features, visit www.farmers.gov.