Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) Cutoff Date Announced

"Producers interested in applying for EQIP should start the process very soon if they haven't done so already," said Harold L. Klaege, state conservationist for the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).

"EQIP, or the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, is a valuable tool to help our state’s agricultural producers meet the significant environmental regulations they face while continuing to be good stewards of the land. EQIP helps them implement conservation practices that improve and protect our natural resources," said Klaege.

Cutoff Date Set to Evaluate EQIP Applications

"We have now set a date of March 12, 2004, as a cutoff date to begin evaluation of applications received by NRCS in Kansas. These applications will be considered for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2004 funding allocation we receive for Kansas," explained Klaege.

Kansas Identifies Priority Natural Resource Concerns to Address

"The objective of EQIP is to address natural resource concerns through the application of improved conservation systems. EQIP is an environmental enhancement program," said Klaege.

EQIP—one of the largest programs in the 2002 Farm Bill-is a voluntary conservation program that promotes environmental quality and assists producers to meet local, state, and federal regulations.

In Kansas, EQIP funds will help farmers and ranchers install conservation practices that improve and protect Kansas’s priority natural resource concerns. They are:

• Air Quality—Objectionable Odors (Livestock Management)
• Soil Erosion—Wind
• Sedimentation of Federal Reservoirs (Soil Erosion—Streambank; Water Quality—Excessive Suspended Sediment and Turbidity in Surface Water)
• Grazing Lands Health (Plant Condition—Productivity, Health, Vigor; Plant Condition— Noxious, Invasive Weeds)
• Water Quality—Excessive Organics in Ground and Surface Water (Concentrated, Non-confined Animal Waste)
• Water Quality—Excessive Organics in Ground and Surface Water (Confined Animal Waste)
• Water Quality—Nutrients and/or Pesticides in Ground and Surface Water; Excessive Suspended Sediment and Turbidity in Surface Water
• Water Quantity—Inefficient Water Use on Irrigated Land; Aquifer Overdraft

EQIP Funds to Address Drought-Impacted Natural Resource Concern

Five percent of the FY 2004 Kansas EQIP regular allocation will be used to address the Grazing Lands Health resource concern in the drought-impacted area.

This assistance will be offered in 31 western Kansas counties determined to be affected by moderate-to-extreme drought according to the US Drought Monitor Index. Counties where this targeted assistance is available are: Cheyenne, Rawlins, Decatur, Norton, Phillips, Smith, Jewell, Republic, Sherman, Thomas, Sheridan, Graham, Rooks, Osborne, Mitchell, Wallace, Logan, Gove, Trego, Ellis, Greeley, Wichita, Scott, Lane, Ness, Hamilton, Kearny, Finney, Stanton, Grant, and Morton.

Applicants in the drought-impacted counties will be offered 70 percent cost share to treat the Grazing Lands Health resource concerns by implementing conservation systems that may include: deferred grazing, planned grazing system, livestock water development, prescribed grazing, use exclusion, and fencing.

Ground and Surface Water Conservation Available Statewide

Producers across the state may apply for assistance through the ground and surface water conservation provisions of EQIP. Assistance to a producer will be provided only to facilitate a conservation measure that results in net savings in ground or surface water resources in the agricultural operation of the producer.

Conservation systems will be installed to promote ground and surface water conservation by improving irrigation systems, enhancing irrigation efficiencies, converting to the production of less water intensive cropping systems, or improving water storage.

Apply at Local NRCS Office

Agricultural producers interested in participating in EQIP can apply at any time at their local NRCS office or USDA Service Center. NRCS will evaluate each application and give higher priority to those applications that use cost-effective conservation practices; treat multiple resource concerns; address national, state, or local priorities; and provide the most environmental benefits.

Information about EQIP is available on the Web site www.ks.nrcs.usda.gov/programs, scroll to EQIP or available at your local USDA Service Center from the NRCS or conservation district staff. Information is also available at NRCS national Web site at www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/eqip.

By mid-January, FY 2004 application information for each state will be available by going to the above web sites. This will include an application form, a list of eligible practices and average costs, and specifics on Kansas’s ranking process, including criteria used to evaluate applications.