California NRCS Begins New Year-Round Contracting for EQIP Conservation Projects

News provided by

USDA - Natural Resources Conservation Service

Dec 10, 2014, 02:57 ET

DAVIS, Calif., Dec. 10, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- NRCS in California is rolling out a new approach for farmers and ranchers applying for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). The new system will shorten the time between applying for EQIP and, for those selected, getting a contract. Applications will be ranked and approved for funding multiple times throughout the year instead of once or twice as done previously.

"Predictably there will be logistics to iron out, but our goal is to shorten the time between when a farmer applies for EQIP and when selected applicants receive a contract—giving farmers more certainty for making operational decisions and also allowing good projects to get on the ground faster," says Carlos Suarez, state conservationist for NRCS in California. Suarez adds that it should smooth out the workload distribution for the Agency and thus make conservationists more available more of the year to help farmers and ranchers with technical assistance and conservation planning. The new approach is being rolled out in Arizona and California and could become a national model for states across the nation, Suarez adds.

While EQIP applications have always been accepted year round, NRCS ranked them once a year, funding those that provided the greatest environmental benefit. This forced a significant lag time for some applications, as the Agency reviewed, developed plans for, and ranked literally thousands of EQIP applications.

"One big question is how much money to allocate each batching period," says Alan Forkey, Assistant State Conservationist for Farm Bill Programs. "When you rank once a year, you just fund all the projects you can until the money runs out. This will take more monitoring and tracking to ensure that funds are available throughout the year, but the benefits are significant and should outweigh the logistic challenges."

Each EQIP application must include a conservation plan, co-developed by the landowner and the NRCS conservationist, spelling out the actions that will be taken to improve the natural resource condition being addressed and the timeline for doing so. The first batching of applications in California for fiscal year 2015 will occur in January. Additional batching periods will be held throughout the spring and early summer.

In 2014 NRCS California invested over $100 million in California's farm, ranch and non-industrial forestland using the EQIP program providing boosts in water conservation, water quality, soil and rangeland health, wildlife habitat and more.

NRCS has provided leadership in a partnership effort to help America's private landowners and managers conserve their soil, water and other natural resources since 1935.

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/california-nrcs-begins-new-year-round-contracting-for-eqip-conservation-projects-300007976.html

SOURCE USDA - Natural Resources Conservation Service