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Lee County 2008 EQIP Program

Executive Summary

The USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) serving Alabama’s Chambers and Lee Counties will hold a signup for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) for the 2008 Fiscal Year. This signup will be held on a continuous basis.

Any eligible landuser who has a resource concern in grazing lands, erosion, forest health/wildlife or animal waste may apply for assistance through this program.

Applications may be made at the NRCS Opelika Field Office USDA Service Center located in the Lee County Agricultural Building, 600 South 7th Street, Opelika, Alabama 36801 or NRCS 3381 Skyway Drive Auburn, Al 36830. Office hours are Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The telephone number is 334-745-2511 or 334-887-4500. The fax number is 334-745-4870. Two locations are due to relocation of Field Office. Contact is District Conservationist Jason Gardner.

The local USDA Work Group has identified the resource concerns in order of priority in Chambers and Lee Counties as:

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

All applications will be ranked using the statewide EQIP Ranking Form and 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.

Batching (ranking) of applications will start on October 26, 2007. Applications will be batched and ranked in intervals according to the NRCS State Office guidelines until all money is allocated or pulled from the county at the end of the program year. Applications filed after October 26, 2007, will be considered during the next batching period, if additional funds become available. Any special projects not funded through the state-wide concerns will be funded through the county allocation until money is spent or pulled. These will be funded after all other applications are funded from the original batching of October 26. The special projects will be funded in this order:

  • Small/Limited Resource Farmer
  • Forest Health
  • Invasive Species
  • Water Conservation

Lee County will use the Alabama NRCS state approved EQIP Practice and Payment Schedule for practices, cost-share rates, and restrictions. Note that some practices offered under the Small Farm Initiative are not offered through the county program.

To encourage high contract completion, there will be a high priority given to applications that agree to three practices or less. All other applications will be given a low priority and funded according to ranking, as long as funds are available.

County Ranking Tool for FY2008 County Allocations

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

 These documents may require Adobe Acrobat or Microsoft Excel.

Adobe Acrobat DocumentAlabama EQIP Practice and Payment Schedule 2008

Adobe Acrobat DocumentAppendix to Form NRCS-CPA-1202: Conservation Program Contract (National NRCS-will open in new window)

Adobe Acrobat DocumentConservation Program Application - NRCS-CPA-1200 (39 KB)

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