How the Environmental Quality Incentives Program Works in Maine

2008 Environmental Quality Incentives Program Application Information  

The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) is a voluntary conservation program managed by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).  It supports production agriculture and environmental quality as compatible goals. Through EQIP, agricultural producers may receive financial and technical help to address resource conservation needs on eligible lands.  EQIP is a competitive program, with projects ranked to fund the most environmentally beneficial projects at each of Maine's 15 service centers.

EQIP was reauthorized in the 2002 Farm Bill and is administered by NRCS.

EQIP provides financial assistance in the form of a fixed payment rate for each eligible practice and activity under contract.  The payment rate will be the compensation for the program participant.

Eligibility

Any agricultural producer engaged in livestock or crop production on eligible land may apply for EQIP. Eligible land includes cropland (as well as hayland), pastureland, private non-industrial forestland, and other farm lands as determined by the Secretary of Agriculture.

Eligibility Criteria

In order to be eligible to signup for EQIP, the applicant must be determined to be an eligible producer by NRCS. If you are a new USDA program applicant, please contact your local USDA Service Center for information on eligibility requirements.  If you have been a USDA program participant in the past, please contact your local USDA Service Center to review and update your information. 

The land offered for EQIP must also be determined eligible by NRCS. Eligible land for the 2008 EQIP signup is land that has a resource concern identified by a certified conservation planner that can be addressed through application of the conservation practices eligible for this signup period.

The participant must complete and sign all necessary forms including the CCC-1200 (which is the official application).  Financial assistance is contingent on the producer not starting the practice prior to having an approved EQIP contract signed by the appropriate NRCS representative.

Input from Outside Groups, Agencies, and Citizens:

A key component of the delivery of EQIP in Maine is the input and recommendations of both the Maine State Technical Committee and each of the 15 USDA Local Work Groups.   Their input will ensure that state and local priority resource concerns will be reflected along with national priorities in delivering EQIP.  

The list of eligible practices for the county-wide signups, county scoring criteria, eligible resource concerns, and payment rates and limits are based on input from the USDA Local Work Group.  The USDA Local Work Group is made up of USDA and other governmental resource agency staff working in a given county.  Landowners may provide advice and information to the USDA Local Work Group as part of the locally-led process.

Locally-Led Conservation Program Delivery

Each USDA Local Work Group in Maine has contributed to a resource assessment and identified resource concerns and conservation priorities in its specific area. Based on that assessment, objectives for the use of EQIP funds have been determined. Each USDA Local Work Group has also had input into the customization of the basic state ranking sheet with a point structure that reflects the locally-identified natural resource concerns along with national priorities.

Application Process

Application information and details about eligible practices and payment rates are available by USDA Service Center Area. Signup is conducted on a continuous basis. Once a landowner makes an application for EQIP they will be contacted by the NRCS field staff.  If a conservation plan is not already prepared, NRCS field staff will schedule a visit for that purpose based on a local priority screening system. The conservation planning process is necessary to determine the conservation need and complete the evaluation and ranking of the application. A completed plan will be necessary for the application to be ranked and included in the pool of applications eligible for funding. Applications for which the planning process is not yet completed will be deferred until the next scheduled ranking and evaluation period. Additionally, producers will be responsible for securing all necessary permits and NRCS will complete environmental and cultural resource reviews before an EQIP application moves forward into the contracting phase.

Agricultural producers accepted into EQIP will enter into a contract with NRCS.  EQIP offers contracts for practice implementation from one to ten years. These contracts provide financial assistance for implementing conservation practices. Contracts for waste storage or treatment facilities will require the development and implementation of a comprehensive nutrient management plan.  A comprehensive nutrient management plan must be developed prior to contracting for animal waste storage and management structures.

Ranking Criteria

Ranking of applications will be done in each of Maine's 15 USDA Service Center areas.  The NRCS field staff will evaluate each eligible application. The ranking criteria have been developed with input from the State Technical Committee plus the USDA Local Work Group and will reflect National, State and local priorities. Maine's ranking criteria keys on Field Office Technical Guide resource concerns and quality criteria. Evaluation and ranking of applications will only be completed after NRCS field staff has completed the conservation planning process with a landowner. Higher priority will be given to applications that use cost-effective conservation practices, address national, state and local priority resource concerns, and provide long-lasting, environmental benefit.

Eligible Conservation Practices

Designated Conservationists, with input and recommendations from the USDA Local Work Group, have identified eligible practices and determined rates of payment rates for eligible practices.

Allocation of Funds

The State Conservationist will periodically invite Designated Conservationists to submit Program Requests from each of the 15 USDA Service Centers. These requests will reflect the need for funds to address locally-identified resource concern areas.  These include: Cropland, Pasture, Animal Waste, Forestry and Wildlife. Other resource areas may be included if recommended by the USDA Local Work Group.  Each of these will represent its own pool for ranking and selection purposes. Each Service Center program request will represent its own pool for ranking purposes. There are no statewide sign-ups planned for Maine.

At the Service Center level, each USDA Local Work Group will recommend funding targets (as a percent of their total allocation) for each of the resource concern areas being addressed at their locale. 

Maine’s State Conservationist will allocate EQIP funds to each NRCS office taking into consideration national, state and local priorities and the degree to which the purpose of EQIP will be met.

Biosecurity Issues

All NRCS personnel entering the farm, as a minimum, will wear disposable footwear while on site. At the end of the visit the footwear will be left at the site at a location of the producer's choosing for proper disposal to prevent any contamination. NRCS employees will implement additional biosecurity practices as required by the producer’s biosecurity plan.