The Hyde Soil & Water Conservation District has received its initial allocation of $46,026 for the North Carolina Agriculture Cost Share Program for the 2016-2017 year.

The signup for applications is now available and will continue through Jan. 31, 2017, on best management practices such as nutrient management, water control structures and three-year continuous, no-till crop rotation.

The limit for nutrient management acreage is 250 acres, and applicants must agree to carry out the practice for three years on the same land. The incentive payment for this practice is $6 per acre.

The acreage limit on conservation tillage is 100 acres. The incentive payment for this practice is $60 per acre. The District is offering land smoothing at $150 an acre with a 40-acre cap.

The purpose of the cost share program is to reduce the amount of nutrients entering surface and groundwater through best management practices, such as nutrient management.

The Hyde Soil & Water district has received an initial allocation of $7,500 for the Agricultural Water Resources Assistance Program, which is part of the North Carolina Agriculture Cost Share Program. This program is designed to identify opportunities to increase water-use efficiency, implement best management practices to conserve and protect water resources and increase water storage and availability for agriculture purposes.

If interested in these programs, please contact the Hyde Soil & Water Conservation District office, located at 30 Oyster Creek Road, Hyde Government Center, suite 117, Swan Quarter, or call the office at 252-926-4195 or 252-926-7253.