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Marion County 2006 EQIP Program

Executive Summary

The USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service in Marion County, Alabama, is accepting applications for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) for the 2006 fiscal year. Applications will be accepted on a continuous basis. Any eligible landuser who has a resource concern or problem on pastureland, hayland, cropland, forestland or other eligible agricultural land may apply for assistance through this program.

Applications may be made at the Marion/Winston USDA Service Center located at 285 Laurel Lane in Hamilton. Office hours are Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. until 4:00 p.m.  The telephone number is 205-921-3103, extension 3, and the fax number is 205-921-2008. The contact person at the USDA office is Lawayne Robinson, District Conservationist.

Local resource concerns have been discussed and identified by the local USDA work group.  The concerns have been prioritized as:

  1. Water Quality (animal waste)
  2. Grazing
  3. Erosion/Soil Quality
  4. Forest Health/Wildlife
  5. Water Conservation

All applications will be ranked using an environmental benefits worksheet. Approvals will be given to those applications 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. If applications are tied in environmental points, the least costly application will be funded first. If applications are still tied, the tie will be broken by a random drawing at a called meeting of the USDA work group.

The first batching period for ranking and prioritizing applications will end January 6, 2006. Additional batching periods will used, if funds remain available. Any application filed after a batching date will be considered in the next pool of funding. If funds remain after all eligible applications for the county concerns are funded, unfunded applications for statewide concerns will be funded. The order of funding of county funds to address statewide concerns will be:

1. Limited Resource Farmer
2. Invasive Species
3. Litter Transport

The NRCS state approved list of eligible practices and cost-share rates will be used in Marion County, with the following exceptions:

  • Incentive payments for Residue Management (329) will be limited to 125 acres per applicant unless funds remain after funding of all the eligible county and state wide concerns. If the acreage limit is raised because of the availability of funds, the acreage limit will be raised equally for all eligible applications.
  • Funding of the Upland Pine Wildlife Habitat component of the Forest Health/Wildlife concern will be limited to 75 acres per applicant unless funds remain after funding of all the eligible county and state wide concerns. If the acreage limit is raised because of the availability of funds, the acreage limit will be raised equally for all eligible applications.

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

  These documents require Adobe Acrobat.

Adobe Acrobat DocumentConservation Program Application - CCC1200 (330 KB)
Adobe Acrobat DocumentState Practices and Restrictions (121 KB)
Adobe Acrobat DocumentState Cost-Share Rates (115 KB)

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