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Winston County 2008 EQIP Program

Executive Summary

The USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) serving Winston County, Alabama, is accepting applications for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) for the 2008 Fiscal Year. Applications will be accepted on a continuous basis. Any eligible land user who has a resource concern or problem on pastureland, hayland, cropland, 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 office fax number is 205-921-2008. The contact person is J. Wade Hill, District Conservationist.

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

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

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 October 26, 2007. Additional batching periods will be used, if funds remain available. Any applications filed after a batching date will be considered in the next pool of funding.

All conservation practices and cost-share rates will be the same as in the Alabama NRCS state approved EQIP Practice and Payment Schedule, with the following exceptions:

  • Practices with incentive payments will be limited to 125 acres per applicant unless funds remain after funding of all the eligible county concerns. If the acreage limit is raised because of the availability of funds, the acreage limit will be raised equally for all eligible applications.
  • Pasture planting will be limited to 50 acres per applicant unless funds remain after funding of all the eligible county concerns. If the acreage limit is raised because of the availability of funds, the acreage limit will be raised equally for all eligible applications.

Limited resource farmers will be paid at an increased payment rate.

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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