Escambia County 2006 EQIP Program

Executive Summary

The USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Escambia County, Alabama, will hold a signup for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) for the 2006 Fiscal year. Signup is open countywide and is continuous.

This program is designed to address resource concerns or problems on cropland, pastureland, woodland, or hayland requiring practices that meet the Alabama 2006 EQIP Eligible Conservation Practice List with cost-share rates and restrictions. An additional restriction for conservation tillage applies locally--Conservation tillage acreage is limited to 150 acres maximum for this annual sign-up per producer/operator

Applications are taken at the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) office between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday at the Escambia County USDA Service Center and Agricultural Science Building located at 175 Ag Science Drive, Brewton, Alabama 36426. You may contact this office for additional information at 251-867-8042, extension 3, or by contacting the District Conservationist at detra.boutwell@al.usda.gov.

The final date for accepting applications to meet the first batching period for ranking and prioritizing applications will be January 6, 2006. Additional batching periods will be held as needed to obligate available funding.

All applications will be ranked and approvals based on a State approved environmental ranking worksheet that has been adjusted to meet local resource concerns. Local resource concerns have been prioritized as follows:

1) Forest Health and Wildlife
2) Erosion/Soil Quality
3) Grazing Lands
4) Water Quality (Animal Waste)
5) Water Conservation

Applications with the highest point totals generated from this worksheet will be ranked higher in consideration to receive cost share assistance than those applications with lower points. Limited Resource Farmers will be eligible for cost-share adjustments up to 90 percent except for practices where flat rates have been assigned. Ranking scores for Beginning Farmers will be increased by additional points according to a state ranking recommendation.

Applications not funded during 2006 may be deferred per the applicant’s request to the following year’s program sign-up; however, they may be subject to program guideline modifications prior to the following sign-up’s first batching period.

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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