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Kansas State Technical Committee Minutes - November 2003

Kansas State Technical Committee (KTC) Meeting
Wednesday - November 19, 2003
9:30 a.m. - Kansas Highway Patrol Training Academy
2025 East Iron - Salina, Kansas

Harold L. Klaege, State Conservationist, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) gave the welcome and opening remarks. Introductions were made.

Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP)

Steven A. Parkin, Assistant State Conservationist, Conservation Programs Staff NRCS, gave an evaluation and assessment of Fiscal Year (FY) 2003 EQIP Activity. The EQIP activity summary report and maps are attached.

The following documents require Adobe Acrobat.

Adobe Acrobat DocumentFiscal Year 2003 EQIP Activity Summary (166 KB)
Adobe Acrobat DocumentKansas FY-03 Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) Contracts Approved (131 KB)
Adobe Acrobat DocumentKansas FY-03 Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) Applications Received (135 KB)
Adobe Acrobat DocumentAir Quality - Livestock Management Applications (82 KB)
Adobe Acrobat DocumentGrazing Lands Health Applications (185 KB)
Adobe Acrobat DocumentSoil Quality - Excessive Wind Erosion Applications (103 KB)
Adobe Acrobat DocumentWater Quality - Confined Animal Waste Applications (797 KB)
Adobe Acrobat DocumentWater Quality - Non-Confined Animal Waste Applications (81 KB)
Adobe Acrobat DocumentWater Quality - Nutrients/Pesticides/Sedimentation Applications (1.4 MB)
Adobe Acrobat DocumentWater Quantity - Water Management Applications (123 KB)

Gaye Benfer, Soil Conservationist, Conservation Programs Staff, NRCS, reviewed the EQIP application evaluation criteria and eligible practices developed with assistance from the EQIP subcommittee. (Draft application evaluation criteria worksheets and eligible practice lists are attached.)

The following documents require Adobe Acrobat.

Adobe Acrobat DocumentAir Quality - Objectionable Odors (Livestock Management) Evaluation Worksheet (64 KB)
Adobe Acrobat DocumentAir Quality - Eligible Practice List (57 KB)
Adobe Acrobat DocumentGrazing Lands Health - Evaluation Worksheet (76 KB)
Adobe Acrobat DocumentGrazing Lands Health - Eligible Practice List (55 KB)
Adobe Acrobat DocumentSoil Erosion - Wind Evaluation Worksheet (79 KB)
Adobe Acrobat DocumentSoil Erosion - Eligible Practice List (55 KB)
Adobe Acrobat DocumentWater Quality - Excessive Organics in Ground and Surface Water (Confined Animal Waste) Evaluation Worksheet (68 KB)
Adobe Acrobat DocumentWater Quality - Excessive Organics in Ground and Surface Water (Concentrated, Non-Confined Animal Waste) Evaluation Worksheet (68 KB)
Adobe Acrobat DocumentWater Quality - Nutrients/Pesticides/Suspended Sediment Evaluation Worksheet (70 KB)
Adobe Acrobat DocumentWater Quality - Eligible Practice List (62 KB)
Adobe Acrobat DocumentWater Quantity - Inefficient Water Use on Irrigated Land; Aquifer Overdraft Evaluation Worksheet (77 KB)
Adobe Acrobat DocumentWater Quantity - Eligible Practice List (61 KB)

Consensus was reached on all items except for the following:

  • Discussion was held on the Grazing Lands Health Resource Concern regarding different cost share rates for using ecologically friendly methods of brush management.  No consensus was reached.
  • The NRCS made the following proposal for the NRCS Practice Code 441, Microirrigation (Conversion) in the Water Quantity Resource Concern eligible practices list: 50 percent - not to exceed $250/acre. The NRCS took into consideration that this was a more efficient system, but is concerned about the cost-effectiveness of the practice. There was concern voiced from the group that this was not an effective incentive to encourage a producer to install the practice. No consensus was reached.

Adding additional application evaluation criteria to address the sedimentation in federal reservoirs was discussed. These criteria will address Soil Erosion – Streambank; Water Quality – Excessive Suspended Sediment and Turbidity in Surface Water; and Water Quantity – Reduced Storage of Water Bodies by Sediment Accumulation. Priorities will be placed on those federal reservoirs that provide water supply storage and have accelerated deposition; offers that have multiple resource concerns; and address at-risk species. The criteria will also take into account the distance to the reservoir and the cost-effectiveness. The group reached consensus on recommending this new resource concern.

Gaye reviewed the EQIP allocation recommendation. (See attached) Gaye also reviewed the process to steer EQIP to the locally-led level by having county allocations. County allocations will focus on three resource concerns: Grazing Lands Health, Soil Erosion – Wind, and Water Quality Nutrients/Pesticides/Suspended Sediment. It was the consensus of the KTC to adopt this recommendation.

Kansas EQIP Allocation Recommendation

  • Air Quality - 6 percent
  • Grazing Lands Health - 30 percent
  • Soil Erosion - 4 percent
  • Water Quality - 50 percent
    • Concentrated Non-Confined Animal Waste & Confined Animal Waste - 70 percent (35 percent)
    • Nutrients/Pesticides/Suspended Sediment - 30 percent (15 percent)
  • Grazing Lands Health (Drought) - 5 percent
  • Streambank Erosion/Sedimentation (Federal Reservoirs) - 5 percent

Discussion was held on setting threshold levels in the application evaluation process for the county allocations to be used. Applications below those levels would not be funded. This mechanism would reduce the risk of a lower quality project in one county being funded at the expense of a higher quality project in another county.

Gaye reviewed a NRCS proposal on setting a cap on incentive payments at $25,000 per contract. A point was presented that there were no limits set on this at the national level. It was the consensus of the group to adopt this recommendation.

Meeting adjourned at 3:00 p.m.

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