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Missouri Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP)Updated 05/09/2012 Select documents on this page require Acrobat Reader. Please click here to download. The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) was reauthorized in the “Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008” (Farm Bill) to provide a voluntary conservation program for farmers and ranchers that promotes agricultural production, forest management, and environmental quality as compatible national goals. Through EQIP eligible participants may receive financial and technical assistance on agricultural land to implement structural and management conservation practices, to optimize environmental benefits. EQIP offers contracts with a minimum term that ends one year after the implementation of the last scheduled practices and a maximum term of ten years. These contracts provide financial assistance to implement conservation practices. Missouri’s EQIP is developed using locally led conservation through Local/County Work Groups, Soil and Water Conservation Districts, and the Missouri State Technical Committee. National priorities and national measures are also an important consideration in the EQIP development and ranking of applications. Eligibility Criteria Owners of land in agricultural production or persons who are engaged in livestock or agricultural production on eligible land may participate in the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). EQIP practices and activities are carried out according to an EQIP plan of operations developed in conjunction with the producer that identifies the appropriate conservation practice or measures needed to address the resource concerns. All conservation practices must meet NRCS technical standards to receive EQIP financial assistance. NRCS is not required to provide financial assistance for all activities required to meet the applicable NRCS technical standard. Producers may elect to use an approved independent third-party provider for technical assistance, if available. Information about third-party technical assistance is available at USDA TechReg. Note: a practice started before the EQIP contract is approved by NRCS is not eligible for financial assistance. As required by the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008 (2008 Farm Bill), 60 percent of EQIP funds will be targeted to livestock related conservation practices. In Missouri, livestock related conservation practices are generally available using Missouri Pasture/Hay Land Use funds and Missouri Animal Feeding/Waste Operations funds. How to Apply for EQIP Interested parties may apply for EQIP at their local NRCS office located in the USDA Service Center. Your local USDA Service Center agencies are also listed in the telephone book under United States Government, Department of Agriculture. EQIP applications are accepted year round; however, NRCS establishes application "cut-off" dates for evaluation and ranking of eligible applications. NRCS personnel will assist each applicant to complete their application in the applicable fund pool. To begin the application process for EQIP, applicants must submit a recently-signed NRCS-CPA 1200 Conservation Program Application. Fiscal Year 2012 EQIP Application Evaluation Cut-off Dates:
Available FY12 EQIP Financial and Technical Assistance Information on practices available for financial assistance in Missouri for the FY12 EQIP Crop, Forest, and Pasture/Hay Land Uses and the Animal Feeding/Waste Operations are available in the Missouri 2012 EQIP Policies. Crop, Forest, Pasture/Hay Land Use Applications – Applications in each of these three separate area-wide Land Uses, will be evaluated for funding with other eligible applications in that same Land Use in that same Area. The national concerns have been developed by national staff, the state concerns were developed based on input from the State Technical Committee, conservation partners and NRCS technical and program staffs, while the local concerns are based on area-wide compilations from each county’s Local Work Group in that specific area. Applicants who provide a written request, and qualify, for funds targeted to Beginning Farmer/Rancher (BF) and Socially Disadvantaged Farmer/Rancher (SDF) will compete on a statewide basis with similar (BF or SDF) applicants under the applicable Land Use. Animal Feeding/Waste Operations Applications – Eligible applicants requesting EQIP financial assistance for practices associated with animal feeding/waste facilities must have a current Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plan (CNMP) that references the installation (need) of the animal feeding/waste practices on the acres requesting assistance, prior to NRCS providing technical or financial assistance (payments). An applicant may request EQIP financial assistance to use an approved independent third-party provider for development of a Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plan for all waste-generating animals and waste management operations under their control. Information about third-party technical assistance is available at USDA TechReg. Eligible FY12 EQIP Animal Feeding/Waste (AF/W) applications will compete for funds on a statewide basis. Applicants who provide a written request, and qualify, for Animal Feeding/Waste funds targeted to Beginning Farmer/Rancher (BF) and Socially Disadvantaged Farmer/Rancher (SDF) will compete on a statewide basis with other BF Animal Feeding/Waste applications or SDF Animal Feeding/Waste applications. Information on practices available for financial assistance in Missouri for the FY12 EQIP Crop, Forest, and Pasture/Hay Land Uses and the Animal Feeding/Waste Operations are available in the Missouri 2012 EQIP Policies. On November 30th, United State Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the following national initiatives that will offer eligible Missouri EQIP applicants technical and financial assistance to address specific concerns: National Energy Initiative Applications – The Energy Initiative (EI) is designed to assist eligible applicants in two ways: (1) Identify ways to conserve energy on their farms through an on-farm energy audit as detailed in an Agricultural Energy Management Conservation Activity plan, and (2) Provide assistance to implement specific conservation practice standards. Eligible FY12 EQIP Energy Initiative (EI) applications will compete for funds on a statewide basis. Information on practices available for financial assistance in Missouri for the FY12 EQIP Energy Initiative (EI) are available in the Missouri 2012 EQIP Energy Initiative Policy. Additional information can be found within the Agricultural Energy Management Plan (AgEMP) Overview. National Seasonal High Tunnel Applications –The Seasonal High Tunnel Initiative (HTI) has the potential to assist eligible applicants in addressing resource concerns on cropland such as improving air, plant & soil quality, reducing nutrient & pesticide transport, and reducing energy use by providing consumers with a local source of fresh producer, in an environmentally safe manner. Eligible FY12 EQIP Seasonal High Tunnel Initiative (HTI) applications will compete for funds on a statewide basis. Information on practices available for financial assistance in Missouri for the FY12 EQIP Seasonal High Tunnel Initiative (HTI) are available in the Missouri 2012 EQIP Seasonal High Tunnel Initiative Policy. National Organic Initiative Applications – The EQIP Organic Initiative (OI) provides assistance to eligible applicants to install conservation practices on agricultural operations related to organic production, whether those operations are certified organic producers or producers who are transitioning to become certified organic or producers who fall under the exempt category in the National Organic Program (NOP) regulation. Eligible FY12 EQIP Organic Initiative (OI) applications will compete for funds on a statewide basis. Information on practices available for financial assistance in Missouri for the FY12 EQIP Organic Initiative (OI) are available in the Missouri 2012 EQIP Organic Initiative Policy. More Information for Producers Interested in the EQIP Organic Initiative. On May 8, 2012, United State Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the availability this fiscal year of additional EQIP financial assistance to eligible farmers, ranchers and forest landowners, to implement conservation practices to help provide cleaner water for their neighbors and communities in targeted watersheds. While NRCS accepts applications for EQIP financial assistance on a continuous basis throughout the year, all FY12 NWQI applications must be submitted by June 15, 2012 in order to be considered for this FY12 NWQI funding opportunity. National Water Quality Initiative Applications – The National Water Quality Initiative (NWQI) will assist eligible Missouri producers to address high-priority water resource concerns in selected small watersheds with impaired streams and/or waterbodies. Missouri NRCS has made available over $700,000 in FY12 EQIP funds to provide financial assistance addressing surface water resource concerns of excessive nutrient & organics and excessive suspended sediment & turbidity in the following watersheds: Kyle Creek-North Fork Spring River in Barton and Dade counties Lower Little Medicine Creek in Grundy and Sullivan counties Upper Troublesome Creek in Knox and Lewis counties NRCS Field Office staff in (these) selected counties will assist eligible applicants in the completion of both the FY12 EQIP NWQI Screening Criteria Worksheet and FY12EQIP NWQI Ranking Tool. Screening priority and ranking score is based on the applicant’s selection of one or more of the available FY12 EQIP National Water Quality Initiative practices, as described in the Missouri 2012 EQIP – National Water Quality Initiative Policy (PDF, 144 KB) A certified conservation planner will assist you to develop a conservation plan addressing the resource concerns on your farm for the applicable land use and funding opportunity available in Missouri’s Fiscal Year 2012 EQIP. NRCS Field Office staff will also assist you to complete all required information for your FY12 EQIP application. Other FY12 EQIP Funding Initiatives – Cooperative Conservation Partnership Initiatives Passage of the 2008 Farm Bill has several opportunities for conservation partners to leverage their resources with FY12 EQIP technical and financial assistance provided by NRCS, in order to address mutually beneficial resource concerns on agricultural and nonindustrial private forest lands. The Cooperative Conservation Partnership (CCPI) is a voluntary conservation initiative that allows NRCS to enter into partnership agreements with eligible entities, and combine financial and technical resources to enhance conservation outcomes on eligible agricultural and nonindustrial private forest lands in Missouri. Funding levels for CCPI projects funded in previous years has been established. Producers with land located in the following counties may apply for FY12 financial assistance for the project-specific conservation practices, as indicated below: Carter, Reynolds or Shannon (PDF, 53 KB) Gasconade (PDF, 42 KB) Holt (PDF, 35 KB) Iron, St Francois or Ste Genevieve (PDF, 39 KB) Lafayette (PDF, 24 KB) Newton or McDonald (PDF, 55 KB) Saline (PDF, 31 KB) |
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