How EQIP Works in Kansas

Priority Natural Resource Concerns

Based on local advice through the Kansas State Technical Committee (KTC) and national EQIP priorities, nine natural resource concerns were identified as priorities in Kansas for Fiscal Year 2005.

These natural resource concerns address national, state and local priorities.  Each of the water quality concerns direct focus on Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) issues across the state along with protecting the State’s federal reservoirs.  Air quality is addressed through several of the concern categories by reducing volatile organic compounds, decreasing particulate matter and increasing carbon sequestration.

Many of the concern categories address soil erosion issues on cropland and along streambanks.  Sedimentation issues in federal reservoirs across Kansas are also specifically addressed.  Protection of the State’s valuable ground and surface water supply is addressed with several of the concern categories, but especially with the water quantity concern.  Efforts are focused on converting irrigated land to non-irrigated land and providing net water savings of irrigation systems.

At risk species habitat was identified as a concern.  Kansas NRCS, with advice from KTC, has chosen to address this concern within each of the priority natural resource concerns.  Additional priority is given to those applications whose treatment addresses restoring or improving at-risk species habitat that is affected by that priority natural resource concern.

Applications having EQIP priority natural resource concerns with a planned treatment level that will meet or exceed NRCS electronic Field Office Technical Guide (eFOTG) quality criteria are eligible for EQIP.

Applications which do not meet this requirement will be considered ineligible.  Applications that have EQIP priority resource concerns already treated to quality criteria, priority resource concerns with ineligible practices, priority resource concerns that do not meet application evaluation criteria, or have a resource concern other than a priority natural resource concern are ineligible.

A Self-Assessment Tool has been developed for producers to complete during the application process.  The Tool is designed to assist producers with determining if EQIP is the appropriate conservation program for their land and to better prepare the producers for their visit to the local NRCS office.  The Tool will be made available in hard copy, electronically and through a web version.  The tool is required to be completed and returned to the NRCS office prior to the application period cutoff date.

The availability of other programs, both public and private, to assist with activities related to the priority natural resource concerns was considered.  Additional funds are available from other state and federal agencies, as well private organizations, for the treatment of these priority resource concerns and may be partnered with EQIP.  The Sedimentation of Federal Reservoirs natural resource concern incorporates funding secured from other sources within the evaluation criteria.

Evaluation Criteria

Statewide evaluation criteria for each concern have been developed and eligible practices identified within each resource concern.  Applications are evaluated by the primary resource concern.  Evaluation criteria consider cost effectiveness of practices, practices that provide long-term environmental benefits, use of practices that promote carbon sequestration and treat multiple resource concerns, compliance with federal, state, and local regulations, and benefit to at-risk species.  Within each resource concern category additional factors are used to sort applications including cost effectiveness of the project using total project cost (see Sorting Order within each priority resource concern Application Evaluation Criteria).

Evaluation criteria is designed to focus EQIP funds towards long-term environmental enhancements.  Conversion of cropland to permanent vegetation, incorporation of low or no-till cropping systems and implementation of grazing management systems provide long-term benefits and encourage carbon sequestration.  Priority is also given to those landowners willing to enter into a 10-year contract with the State of Kansas to convert irrigated land to non-irrigated land.

The use of geo-spatial data and tools enable Kansas NRCS to implement a streamlined process that ensures the optimization of environmental benefits and standardization of application evaluation in EQIP.  Geo-spatial data was compiled for the allocation and application process.

For the application process, a tool (AV-EQIP) was constructed to gather information used to determine the amount of environmental benefit gained from each application and track location of applications.  Applications are evaluated by determining if they reached threshold priority levels.  The information gathered is transferred to a database which then ranks all the applications in their appropriate resource concerns and determines the order of optimization of environmental benefits. 

These tools are used extensively after funding decisions are made to evaluate program delivery, assess program effectiveness, and analyze before and after impacts of treatment.

In developing the application evaluation criteria and eligible practices for the Water Quantity natural resource concern, consideration was given to how adjoining states are addressing the High Plains Aquifer concern.

Eligible Practices

Cost-share percentages have been set by the State Conservationist based upon recommendations from the KTC.  Incentive payments may be provided for up to three years to encourage producers to carry out management practices they may not otherwise implement without the incentive.   Incentive payments are limited to $25,000/contract except for those incentives in the Water Quantity priority resource concern that are specifically for conversion to non-irrigated land.

Eligible practices were chosen to address the priority natural resource concerns with consideration for other natural resource concerns.  As a result, multiple natural resource concerns will be treated with EQIP funds.

Allocation Process

Allocations are made to NRCS administrative areas for the Air Quality; Forestland Health; Sedimentation of Federal Reservoirs; Water Quality - Concentrated, Non-Confined Animal Waste; Water Quality - Confined Animal Waste; and Water Quantity natural resource concerns.  Application in these resource concerns are ranked within the NRCS administrative area.

The following documents require Adobe Acrobat.

NRCS Administrative Area Map (95 KB) (Text version)

Allocations are made to the county level for Grazing Lands Health; Soil Quality; and Water Quality - Nutrients, Pesticides, Suspended Sediment.  All allocations are based on the amount, type, and the magnitude of the resource concern.  Applications in these resource concerns are ranked within the county.

2005 Application Evaluation Criteria

2005 Eligible Conservation Practices

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