Farm Bill to reauthorize EQIP assistance

With passage of the 2002 Farm Bill, farmers and ranchers now have an opportunity to install needed conservation practices on their property with assistance from the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP).

EQIP was reauthorized when President George W. Bush signed the bill into law on May 13, 2002.  EQIP is part of the Conservation Provisions section within the new legislation. Although reauthorized, EQIP has undergone a facelift to simplify the administrative concurrence process and improve delivery of the program.

Producers who request EQIP assistance will be able to use program funds in the first year of the conservation contract.  Further the program increases total payment amounts to $450,000 per individual for the life of the new Farm Bill.  Changes also include elimination of both the Geographic Priority Areas (GPA’s) and “bidding down” process for cost share assistance.

The revised program emphasizes conservation practices relative to livestock production and eliminates animal unit caps on large confined livestock operations.

Of benefit to many producers is the cost share incentive for defined limited resource for beginning farmers and ranchers.  Qualified producers may be eligible for up to 90 percent cost share for needed conservation practices.  Final rules for qualified producers are pending.

USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has administrative and technical responsibility for EQIP.  According to Tomas Dominguez, Acting State Conservationist for NRCS in Texas, “EQIP is a voluntary USDA conservation program for farmers and ranchers to treat soil, water, and related natural resource concerns on eligible land. Passage of the new Farm Bill represents not only an agency commitment to conservation, but an opportunity for landowners across Texas to install needed conservation on their lands.”

Interested landowners should contact their local representatives for NRCS located in their county USDA Service Center.  Applications for the 2002 funding period are being accepted through June 28, 2002.  Additional information is available on the USDA website at http://www.usda.gov/farmbill.