Area ranchers mull conservation grants

With a Jan. 15 deadline looming, Jefferson County ranchers have been mulling applying for a trio of federal grants that seek to encourage land and resource conservation. 

New applications for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) and Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), as well as its new regenerative farming program, must be submitted by that date. 

Darby Minow Smith, who helps run the Smith ranch in the Boulder Valley, expressed interest in the new federal program. “We are starting to explore regenerative ranching – been to a couple conferences – but very much in the early stages,” she said via email. “I’d like to look more into the programs soon.”