Environmental Quality Incentives Program Benefits Northern Neck Farmers

A traditional way of farming, passed down through several generations, is giving way to more innovative farm methods. Instead of bare, wet soil normally seen in cornfields after heavy rains, protective layers of shredded corn stalks, wheat and barley stubble covers the field.

Farmers in Virginia now have the opportunity to apply for a unique federally funded program to help conserve their soil and implement conservation measures. The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) provides cost share and technical assistance to farmers like Clifford Dixon who implement specific soil-saving conserving practices on their land like continuous no-till.

The land, 755 acres located in Westmoreland County, drains to the Potomac River a half mile away. Although Dixon grew up on a farm, his knowledge was passed along to him by his father. “I was continuing my father’s tradition, I didn’t really know anything else,” he says. For almost a century, the Dixon families did not stray away from their conventional methods of farming, until about two years ago when NRCS’ District Conservationist Debbie Bullock, introduced Dixon to EQIP.

Clifford Dixon agrees that using continuous no-till saves him time and money. Not having to plow, means less wear and tear on his machinery and that he uses less fuel. Dixon also points out that soil erosion is no longer a problem.

In Westmoreland County, where sandy, highly leachable soils are dominant, fertilizer can seep into groundwater, causing water pollution. NRCS recommends farmers have a Nutrient Management Plan (NMP) to match fertilizer applications to crop needs and soil types. Soil samples are collected and reviewed by a Technical Service Provider (TSP). A TSP uses the results to develop a NMP specific to the soil type and farm operation

In the old days, we had to farm in the field, now we have to farm in the office on paper, or you’re not going to win out in the field.” Programs like EQIP offer cost-sharing to encourage these conservation practices. As Dixon explains the pros and cons of this program, which pay him to farm in a timely and money saving way while protecting his land, he stops momentarily. Unable to think of any disadvantages, he says, “Why not, if it’s there, go for it.”

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