2012 Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) in Washington
Updated
02/28/2013
Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) is a voluntary conservation
program administered by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS),
as re-authorized in the
2008 Farm Bill. The program supports production agriculture and
environmental quality as compatible goals. Through EQIP, farmers may receive
financial and technical help with structural and management conservation
practices on agricultural land.
NRCS administers EQIP based on locally identified natural resource needs
consistent with national EQIP priorities. Local Work Groups (LWG) convened by
the Conservation Districts provide advice to NRCS about local
priorities within their local area. With this advice, NRCS evaluates
applications for funding EQIP contracts consistent with these local, state and national
priorities.
EQIP offers contracts with a maximum term of ten years.
These contracts provide financial assistance payments to implement selected
conservation practices. Eligible applicants who are engaged in livestock, agricultural or forest
production on eligible land may participate in the EQIP program. EQIP activities
are carried out according to a conservation plan developed in conjunction with
the participant that identifies the appropriate conservation practice or practices
to address the resource concerns. The practices are subject to NRCS technical
standards adapted for local conditions.
Sign-up for EQIP is open on a continuous basis, with periodic ranking and
funding of eligible applications on file.
Application ranking cut-off date for FY 2012 EQIP was December 2, 2011.
Additional ranking dates may be offered in FY2012.
2012 EQIP Programs available for Washington producers
| Program |
Application Cutoff Date |
Description |
Additional Information |
General EQIP
Keeping Your Forest Healthy |
12/2/ 2011
|
Owners of land in agricultural or forest production or
persons who are engaged in livestock, agricultural or forest
production on eligible land and that have a natural resource
concern on the land may participate in EQIP. |
Optimize
and protect your natural resources brochure
(PDF; 823 KB)
CSP - Forestry Option |
| National EQIP Initiatives |
Application Cutoff Date |
Description |
Additional
Information |
| Energy |
2/3/2012
3/30/2012
6/1/2012 |
The EQIP On-Farm Energy Initiative enables the producer to
identify ways to conserve energy on the farm through an
Agricultural Energy Management Plan (AgEMP), also known as an
on-farm energy audit; and by providing financial and technical
assistance to help the producer implement various measures and
practices recommended in an on-farm energy audit. |
|
| Organic Initiative
Program |
2/3/2012
3/30/2012
6/1/2012 |
Offered by the USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service
(NRCS) for the fourth year, the EQIP Organic Initiative is a
special pool of money offered in all 50 states for farmers who
are organic, transitioning to organic, or organic exempt with
unique practices and payments determined by each individual
state. A new organic provision targets organic producers and
producers transitioning to organic production. Producers are
required to develop and carry out an Organic System Plan (OSP)
or carry out practices consistent with an OSP. |
EQIP Organic Initiative
Organic Ag Web Resources |
|
Seasonal High Tunnel Initiative |
2/3/2012
3/30/2012
6/1/2012 |
A Program available to agricultural producers, designed to
strengthen local and regional food markets and increase the use
of sustainable conservation practices that will improve plant
and soil quality, reduce nutrient and pesticide transport and
reduce energy inputs. |
|
| State EQIP Initiatives |
Application Cutoff Date |
Description |
Additional
Information |
CAP
Conservation Activity Plans |
2/3/2012 |
All Conservation Activity Plans are developed by a certified
Technical Service Provider (TSP) to help agricultural
producers and forest owners address specific natural resource
concerns on their land. EQIP payments are made directly to
program participants for development of a CAP by a certified
Technical Service Provider. |
CAP Plans
TSP Providers
Become a TSP |
|
WA Component
Conservation Innovation Grants
|
6/15/2012 |
Washington's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)
is participating in the 2012 Conservation Innovation Grants
(CIG) State Component. CIG is a voluntary program intended to
stimulate the development and adoption of innovative
conservation approaches and technologies while leveraging
Federal investment in environmental enhancement and protection,
in conjunction with agricultural production. Under CIG,
Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) funds are used
to award competitive grants to eligible entities including
Federal recognized Indian Tribes, state and local units of
government and nongovernmental individuals and organizations. |
Application Package |
National Water Quality Initiative
NWQI |
6/15/2012 |
Through the NWQI focused efforts, producers in the South
Fork Palouse River watershed will invest in voluntary
conservation practices to help provide cleaner water for their neighbors and
communities. Using funds from the EQIP, NRCS will provide financial and
technical assistance to producers for implementing conservation
practices such as riparian buffers, conservation tillage,
irrigation water management, soil moisture monitoring. |
South Fork Palouse River watershed
Map
Factsheet |
WA Sage-Grouse Initiative
SGI |
5/18/2012
|
NRCS developed the Sage-grouse Initiative to help private
landowners voluntarily conserve sage-grouse populations and
habitat on their working lands. In Washington, NRCS identified
potential threats to sage-grouse and their habitat and
determined specific conservation practices to reduce those
threats. Technical and financial assistance through EQIP is available for implementing the specific practices. |
Sage-grouse Initiative
Priority Zone map
Fact Sheet
|
| WA Wildfire Special Initiative |
2/3/2012 |
Washington NRCS developed this EQIP funding opportunity to
assist landowners who have grazing lands impacted by wildfire.
EQIP financial assistance is available for landowners who will
exclude livestock from those burned areas for up to two years.
This period of non-use will allow native vegetation to
reestablish on the affected areas. EQIP funds could be used to
purchase alternative feed sources. |
|
National Initiatives and Statue
Supported Programs in Washington which are not apart of the EQIP
program:
AWEP -
Agricultural Water Enhancement Program
CIG -
Conservation Innovation Grants
CCPI - Cooperative Conservation Partnership Initiative
Washington State's goals and objectives of the Environmental Quality Incentive
Program are to assist eligible applicants in complying with Federal, State,
local and tribal environmental regulations in an environmentally safe and cost
effective manner through a locally led process.
The Environmental Quality Incentive Program is administered by NRCS in
Washington through consultation with the
State Technical Committee and multi-county Local Work Groups (LWG). Through
the use of the State Technical Committee and Local Work Groups priority resource
concerns and treatment areas have been identified. The 2009 and 2010 LWG process
resulted in LWG resource assessments containing narratives and
locally identified resource concerns.
The following documents require
Adobe Reader.
Many publications have been made available in a .PDF format. Alternative text is not available for these publications as they cannot be depicted in a narrative format. We apologize for any inconvenience.
For any accessibility issues, please contact 509.754.3023 ext. 1123.
This partnership has prepared a formal document describing the
State Resource Assessment 2011: Priority Resource Concerns, Washington
State, August 2011.
2012 EQIP Implementation in
Washington State
|
|
 |
|
 |
The application process is a continuous process.
Eligible applicants may apply for EQIP, utilizing NRCS-CPA-1200 application form
and appendix, at any USDA Service Center
by phone, email, fax, or letter.
Application process for first time applicants
NRCS-CPA-1200 Application and Appendix
(PDF; 38 KB)
OMB 0578-0013 expiration 9/30/2012
Annually, NRCS establishes a cutoff date for applications to be
evaluated and ranked for current year funding. The evaluation cutoff date
for Fiscal Year 2012 is December 2, 2011. Any applications received after
December 3, 2011 will be held for evaluation in a future ranking period.
The application ranking criteria for Washington State was developed in
consultation with the 10 Local Work Groups (LWG) and the Tribal Work Group (TWG), based on National, state and
local priorities and priority resource concerns. The same application ranking criteria is used to evaluate all Tribal applications
in the state. All other applications are ranked using the application ranking criteria for the LWG
covering that geographic area.
View NRCS Local Work Group,
Organic Initiative and Tribal
Application Ranking Criteria
Applicants selected for funding are not authorized to begin the installation of a conservation practice until they
have a NRCS-CPA-1202, Conservation Program Contract, signed by the NRCS Contracting Officer.
Each Local Work Group and Tribal Work Group developed a list of conservation practices in the
Field Office Technical Guide (FOTG) that are needed to treat priority resource concerns identified by the LWG or TWG. These practices will
be eligible for EQIP financial assistance. These practices may be subject to payment hold-down.
View Local Work Group EQIP Eligible Practices
The EQIP payment schedule includes the conservation practices that are
available for financial assistance in Washington State. Payments will be made at
the established payment rate per unit for each component within the practice. A
contract may or may not include all components identified for a practice.
Payment rates for eligible applicants who qualify as a
Socially Disadvantaged, Beginning Farmer/Rancher
or Limited Resource Producer will be increased.
Some practices in the payment schedule may not be available in every LWG or Tribal application. Refer to
the specific LWG or Tribal eligible practices list for the practices selected for that location or purpose.
- The conservation plan is the basis for the contract.
(For FY13, it is likely that a plan will need to be in place prior to applying
for FY13 EQIP.)
- Applicants selected for funding work with their local NRCS office to develop
a conservation
plan and EQIP contract.
- EQIP contracts will include all practices necessary to
address the resource concerns identified in the application ranking.
- Contracts are effective the date they are signed by the NRCS Contracting Officer and expire 1 year after the date of
the installation of the last scheduled practice.
Implementation occurs after the NRCS Contracting Officer signs the NRCS-CPA-1202. Participants have the option of
obtaining technical assistance from either NRCS or a certified
Technical Service Provider (TSP) to design,
install, inspect and certify conservation practices scheduled in their EQIP
contract.
The distribution of EQIP financial assistance funds in
Washington State will be accomplished by allocating funds to (10
Local Work Groups, 1 Tribal Work Group). The allocation to each Work
Group was determined by the conservation needs in each Local or Tribal Work
Group, national and state priorities and the time required to address the Local
Work Groups conservation needs as well as national and state priorities.
The NRCS has allocated funds in FY2012 for the EQIP Organic
Initiative, Wildfire Special Initiative, On-Farm Energy, Seasonal High Tunnels, Sage Grouse
Initiative, Conservation Activity Plans and WA Conservation Innovation Grants
(CIG).
Contact
Your local
NRCS Field Office for assistance.
Alan Fulk,
NRCS Program Liaison
2145 Basin St. SW, Suite D
Ephrata, WA 98823-9451
(509) 754-3023 ext. 1123
E-mail:
alan.fulk@wa.usda.gov Back to ... Farm Bill Programs | 
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