Colbert County 2006 EQIP Program

Executive Summary

The USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Colbert County, Alabama, will hold a signup for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) for the 2006 Fiscal year. This signup will be held on a continuous basis. Any eligible land user who has a resource concern or problem on pastureland, cropland, or hay land may apply for assistance through this program.

Applications may be made at the NRCS office of the Colbert County USDA Service Center located at 1700 Neil Morris Road, Suite A, Tuscumbia, Alabama, Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. The telephone number is 256-383-4323, extension 3 and the fax number is 256-383-8250. The local contact person for NRCS is Kathy Gotcher, District Conservationist.

The USDA work group has prioritized the resource concerns in Colbert County as:

1. Animals/Grazing Systems
2. Soil Quality/Erosion on Cropland
3. Forestry/Wildlife
4. Water Quality/Animal Waste

All applications will be ranked using an environmental benefits worksheet and approvals will be given to the applicants that will provide the greatest environmental benefits, i.e. those receiving the most environmental points. Contracts will be developed for approved applications in order of descending environmental points, until all funds are obligated.

Applications will be batched and ranked. The first batching of applications will have a cut-off date of January 6, 2006. Subsequent batching dates will be announced as needed.

Eligible Practices, Restrictions, and Cost-share rates approved by the Alabama State NRCS will be used to obligate contract funds. Planned conservation practices used to address the priority resource concerns will come from this list.  The USDA work group set the following limit for cost share: 1. Residue Management - 175 acre per person.

In the event of applicants having the same points the following tiebreaker will be used. Applicants with tie points will be numbered and placed in a container prior to Soil and Water Conservation District Board of Supervisors meeting, during the meeting Supervisors will draw to determine the order of rank for tied applicant. Contracts will be developed for approved applications in order of descending environmental points, until all funds are obligated.

Additional information is available at: http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/eqip/.  

 These documents require Adobe Acrobat.

Conservation Program Application - CCC1200 (330 KB)
State Practices and Restrictions (121 KB)
State Cost-Share Rates (115 KB)

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