Deadline for
Environmental Quality Incentives Program applications in
Washington set for November 2
SPOKANE, Wash., (September 18, 2007) – USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation
Service (NRCS) in Washington today announced the application deadline –
November 2 – for Washington producers interested in participating in a
popular cost-share program called the Environmental Quality Incentives
Program (EQIP).
According to NRCS Assistant State Conservationist for Programs, Dave Brown,
the deadline is two weeks earlier than last year’s, and has been moved up to
help complete as many contracts as possible before the current programs
expire under the existing Farm Bill.
“In discussions with national, regional, and state leaders,” Brown said, “we
believe it would serve the people of Washington best by obligating any new
EQIP funds as early in the fiscal year as possible. Therefore,” he said,
“producers will need to submit a completed application by November 2 to be
considered in this round of EQIP contracting.”
EQIP is a voluntary, cost-share assistance program that funds conservation
practices including those aimed at helping farmers improve irrigation
efficiency; manage run-off nutrients and/or animal waste; improve the health
of native plant communities; and reduce soil loss. In 2006, Washington
agricultural producers qualified for more than $16 million in cost-share
assistance through the program.
Brown is urging producers to visit their local NRCS service center right
away – and not to wait until the deadline to apply. “We will only be ranking
those applications that are deemed ‘eligible’ in the FSA/NRCS database,” he
said. “If producers have out-dated or missing information in that database,
it can take some time to make those changes or updates – so producers need
to ensure their eligibility status is current.”
Applicants who have not initiated the eligibility process by November 2, he
said, will not be included in this round of contract development.
Brown said information on ranking questions, eligible practices lists, etc,
will be available on the NRCS web site on October 8. “We will be focusing on
conservation plan development with the highest ranking applications first in
an attempt to complete plans as soon as possible,” he said.
Over the years, EQIP has become the primary USDA program for helping
landowners apply critical conservation practices to their land. “The program
provides key technical and financial tools to help producers get practical
conservation measures on the ground,” Brown said. “Those conservation
practices and activities, in turn, protect soil, water, and wildlife
resources for all of Washington’s residents.”
The program is guided by a coalition of local government groups with ties to
conservation using a locally led process known as the Local Work Group or
LWG. “The LWG identifies priority resource concerns and recommends which
resource treatment or conservation practices will best fit local needs;
recommends cost-share rates; and provides recommendations to the NRCS state
conservationist on how the federal dollars should be allocated,” Brown said.
Interested producers can apply at any of the local NRCS field offices. For
the location of a local NRCS office, producers are encouraged to visit the
NRCS web site at www.wa.nrcs.usda.gov or call 509-323-2900.
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