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EQIP funding up to $1.37B on the table, for applicants

 

By MICHELE F. MIHALJEVICH

Indiana Correspondent

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) will have $1.37 billion to fund conservation programs nationwide and for technical assistance in 2015, according to a USDA official.

The amount is about $3 million less than the program received in fiscal year 2014, said Mark A. Rose, director of the Financial Assistance Programs Division of the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), which administers EQIP. Last year’s dollars supported more than 37,000 contracts involving 11.2 million acres.

EQIP is voluntary but offers funding to farmers and landowners who agree to implement certain conservation practices on their land in order to protect natural resources. Eligible practices include cover crops, nutrient and waste management and grassy waterways.

"Producers really like the program, as it helps them to accomplish conservation they might not be able to achieve on their own," Rose explained. "EQIP is helping producers having issues with nutrients and runoff."

Farmers participating in the program will see a few changes, Rose said, including an increase in the payment limit over the life of the farm bill from $300,000 to $450,000. Previously, producers needed a waiver for any amount more than $300,000 if the practices they were considering were environmentally significant, he said.

A waiver will no longer be necessary. The payments could be for different projects on the same farm in multiple years, he noted.

The Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program has been repealed and a minimum of 5 percent of EQIP funding will now support wildlife. Another change gives program officials flexibility in recovering advance payments if producers don’t use the funds within 90 days.

Advance payments of up to 50 percent will be available to historically underserved groups such as Native American tribes, Asian, black and beginning farmers, Rose said. The previous amount was 30 percent.

"We’re also targeting military veteran farmers and ranchers," he said. "We want to provide an opportunity for veterans to get into farming. Their applications are a higher priority. Once applications are received, they’re ranked. If veterans meet the statutory requirements, they get funded first."

The changes were included in an interim final rule published Dec. 12, 2014. A public comment period on the changes closed Feb. 10 and NRCS officials have been looking over comments received, Rose said. The final rule will be published later, though he said there is no set timeline. In the meantime, EQIP will operate under the interim final rule.

NRCS officials in recent years have stressed the importance of soil health, said Eric Gerth, Illinois NRCS assistant state conservationist for financial assistance programs. "We’re looking at living organisms in the soil and how to make (soil) healthier," he explained. "Studies have shown with improved soil health comes increased yields. It’s the ‘in’ thing to do now. More and more we’re trying various practices associated with soil health, including cover crops."

State officials are also focusing on drainage water quality management, he said. Illinois doesn’t know what its funding apportionment will be for 2015, he added, though he anticipates it will be similar to last year. In fiscal year 2014, $10.7 million was obligated into contracts in the state.

For the fiscal year, 2,300 applications for EQIP were not funded though they were eligible, Gerth said. "We always have hope for more participation, but we do have the backlog. It shows there is a need out there and a desire for people to find a way to do this."

A Kentucky NRCS official said the inclusion of the former wildlife incentives program into EQIP will allow work to continue in eastern Kentucky’s heavily forested areas. One concern has been the Golden-winged Warbler, which has seen its habitat decline in recent years.

"We’ll be able to target areas that we haven’t been able to target before," said Kate Little, NRCS resource conservationist in the state. "The habitat for the Golden-winged Warbler has to be above a certain elevation. We’ve contacted landowners, asking them to open forest canopies and to plant native grasses and pollinators."

Kentucky hasn’t received word of the funding it will have available, but Little hopes the state will receive $10 million-$11 million. In fiscal year 2014, Kentucky had a little more than $11 million, she said.

While producers may apply at any time to participate in EQIP, NRCS offices occasionally set deadlines in order to prioritize requests. Kentucky has set March 20 as its next application deadline.

"For those who farm for a living, EQIP is important from a monetary standpoint," Little noted. "That land is all the land you have. You take care of it to boost your bottom line. If you’re an environmentalist, you can do something good for the native species that live there. You can do something good for their habitat and the environment."

Rose said interested producers should visit their local NRCS or USDA service center, and first work to develop a conservation plan for their property.

"Identify your resource concerns and once those concerns are identified, prioritize those concerns and use EQIP or other programs to address those concerns," he added. "One farm (with environmental issues) doesn’t seem like a whole lot, but if you multiply that by the number of farms, it is a lot."

2/25/2015