MAINE BULLETIN NO. ME 300-8-1
October 12, 2007
SUBJECT: LTP – EQIP delivery for FY 2008
ACTION REQUIRED BY: December 5, 2007 and December 31, 2007
Purpose: To provide policy and guidance for the delivery of EQIP for
FY2008
Expiration Date: September 30, 2008
GENERAL:
2008 EQIP State Allocation:
Maine’s initial allocation of EQIP financial assistance funds is $5,331,987.
Approximately $565,000 of this will be set aside for various state level
initiatives and funding of necessary reserve accounts. The remainder will be
allocated to county offices after the end of the ranking and evaluation period.
These will be allocated proportionally based on the total of fundable
applications in an office.
We are hopeful that there will be additional allocations of EQIP funds to the
state depending on the passage of the next farm bill and final 2008
appropriations by congress. Any future county allocations will take into
consideration the amount of funds allocated during this first round of
applications.
Fund obligation deadlines:
We will announce a single, state-wide ranking and evaluation period that will
end at the close of business on December 5, 2007. Only EQIP applications which
are planned and ranked, marked as “High” priority (see Maine Amendment 5, CPM
Part 512), and with a status of “Pre-Approved” will be considered for funding.
All applications which are to be considered for funding must have the “Estimated
Cost” populated in ProTracts.
After selection for funding, a contract must be signed and obligated in
ProTracts by December 31, 2007.
EQIP:
CNMP Development:
According to EQIP policy, all producers with contracts that include
structural practices related to waste storage and handling must agree to develop
and implement a Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plan (CNMP). Further, the CNMP
must be developed before the implementation of the structural practices. The
following policy is in effect for EQIP in FY 2008.
• No applications containing structural practices related to waste storage
and handling will be approved for contracting prior to the development of a
certified CNMP.
• Structural practices include; Manure Transfer (634), Waste Storage Structure
(313), Composting Facility (317), Waste Treatment Lagoon (359), Anaerobic
Digester (366) and Waste Treatment (629). Heavy Use Area Protection (561) and
Waste Treatment Strip (635) are also subject to the CNMP requirement when the
purpose is to address manure management.
• $350,000 will be set aside at the state level to fund all eligible and “ready”
CNMP development-only applications.
• There will be no cut-off date or ranking and evaluation period established for
CNMP development-only applications. Applications will be approved for funding
(FA) on a continuous basis as long as funds are available.
• Applicants will be eligible for contract approval when they are able to
provide all of the necessary soil tests and records required for CNMP planning.
Irrigation Practices:
Irrigation practices are not included in the EQIP payment schedule. This is
in keeping with the Maine irrigation technical assistance policy (Maine Bulletin
ME-180-7-1). If there are instances of landowners who, according to Maine’s
policy, meet the criteria for receiving technical assistance and who wish to
apply for financial assistance under EQIP, contact Bill Yamartino.
Cropping System Payments:
Payments for practices which improve soil condition will be available for all
offices. These practices are Conservation Crop Rotation (328), Cover Crop (340),
and Residue Management (329, 344 and 345). The following conditions will apply
to contracts where these practices are included for the purpose of improving
Soil Condition Index (SCI);
• The first payment for new, soil improving Crop Rotations will be made in
the year the change in rotation is affected. (i.e. for a potato rotation that’s
adopted to include hay in the 3rd year, the first payment can be made early in
the 3rd year when the hay is well established)
• Payments for Crop Rotations can be made for three consecutive years once the
conditions for making the initial payment are met. (reminder: payments are
limited to a maximum of three years)
• Fields receiving payments for crop rotations are NOT eligible for cost share
for the practice Pasture and Hayland Planting (512).
• When planning practices for potential inclusion in a contract there are two
thresholds which will determine their eligibility for payments. At least one of
the following conditions must be met. The first is the standard quality criteria
for soil organic matter depletion (SCI of the existing cropping system is
negative and the resulting SCI for a new system is positive). The second is
where the SCI of an existing system is <0.5 and the SCI for a new system is
>0.5. This is in accordance with the ranking sheet element for factors which
increase carbon sequestration.
• All other practices which may be associated with a change in cropping system
(i.e. nutrient and pest management) will be eligible only in cases where the
resource concerns related to nutrients and pesticides do not meet quality
criteria for the benchmark condition and will meet these quality criteria for
the contracted alternative.
Forestry Practices:
Conservation practices (both structural and management) in Forestland will be
eligible for inclusion in a cost share contract only when a Forest Stewardship
Plan or other forest management plan that meets the State of Maine Stewardship
Plan standard has been developed for the acres to be enrolled in the program.
The NRCS conservation plan will be developed based on the Forest Stewardship
Plan. Eligible practices will be those that are determined to be necessary
according to the program ranking sheet. An agreement with the Maine Forest
Service is pending which would provide the services of the District Foresters
for developing the necessary NRCS plan from the Stewardship plan.
Prescribed Forestry Plan Initiative:
Maine NRCS is making EQIP payments available for land owners to develop
Prescribed Forestry plans in FY 2008. These plans must meet the planning
standard for Practice Code 409, Prescribed Forestry. Under this initiative,
eligible landowners will sign up for the Prescribed Forestry only (similar to
the CNMP-only option). Sally Butler will review the developed plans to determine
that they meet the Prescribed Forestry planning standard.
After the plan has been developed and the payment made, the landowner will be
eligible to apply for practice implementation prescribed in the plan.
Eligibility Criteria:
• Minimum 10 acre forestland (contiguous)
• No current management plan exists or existing plan is greater than 10 years
old
• Applicant meets all other EQIP eligibility criteria
Payment Rates:
• Forestland 10 ac. to 50 ac. $20/acre
• Forestland > 50 ac. $12/acre
• There is a $4000 maximum per landowner under this initiative.
• No technical assistance funds will be obligated through TSP’s for the plan
development.
Sign-up Period and Funding:
• Applications for this initiative will be accepted on a continuous basis and
funded as long as funds are available.
• $50,000 of EQIP FA funds will be set aside at the state level for this effort.
• Plans must be completed in the first year of the contract.
• Participation by Field Offices is optional. The DC’s decision should be based
in part on Local Work Group priorities.
• ANYONE RECEIVING EQIP PAYMENTS FOR A PRESCRIBED FORESTRY PLAN WOULD NOT BE
ABLE TO RECEIVE WOODSWISE PAYMENTS FOR A STEWARDSHIP PLAN ON THOSE SAME ACRES
AND VISA VERSA.
/s/ Joyce Swartzendruber
JOYCE A. SWARTZENDRUBER
State Conservationist
DIST: E
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