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United States Department of Agriculture
Natural Resources Conservation Service
9173 W. Barnes Dr., Suite C
Boise, Idaho 83709

For more information:
Sharon Norris  (208) 378-5725
Communications Director


IDAHO GETS ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY INCENTIVES PROGRAM

BOISE, Aug. 7, 2002--The recently passed 2002 Farm Bill is making a new round of conservation funding available for this fiscal year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service. Idaho has received an additional $3.1 million for the Environmental Quality Incentives program, which includes $2.7 million for financial assistance and $497,400 for technical assistance. Funds must be expended by Sept. 30.

"We’ve targeted these funds to helping us work through the backlog of EQIP applications that we currently have on hand," said Richard Sims, NRCS state conservationist.

Sims said his agency knows that many of the farmers and ranchers who applied for participation in the program in the past may have become frustrated because there wasn’t enough money to fund all applications. "With the beginning of the new federal fiscal year on Oct. 1, there is the potential for an additional $700 million of EQIP funds to be made available nationwide," he said.

Sims said the new Farm Bill streamlined the program, which will help improve time efficiencies.

Major changes in EQIP include:

  • Competitive bidding process eliminated, allowing small and limited resource farmers to compete on an equal basis with larger producers.
  • Application and contracting process streamlined.
  • Minimum contract length decreased from five years to one year after the last practice is installed. Maximum contract length remains the same at 10 years.
  • A producer can receive payment after the first practice is installed. Previously a landowner couldn’t receive payment for practices installed during the first year of the contract period.
  • Establishing a maximum payment limitation of $450,000 for the total of EQIP contracts entered into by an individual. This flexibility will accommodate today’s cost of business and will help producers comply with newer and higher environmental standards.
  • Providing for incentive payments to producers to develop and implement comprehensive nutrient management plans for confined livestock feed operations.

These program changes apply to all contracts approved on or after May 13, 2002. EQIP has a continuous signup period, so producers interested in the program can apply any time at local NRCS offices. NRCS will establish future ranking dates when funding becomes available for fiscal year 2003, sometime after Oct. 1.


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