  |
 |
 |
 |
New Mexico Home
About Us
News
Programs
Technical Resources
Soils
Partnerships
Contact Us |
   |
|
|
New Mexico Environmental Quality Incentives ProgramGeneral Program Description
Through participation in EQIP agricultural producers may receive financial and technical assistance in developing and implementing conservation plans which include structural and management practices intended to treat a wide range of natural resource concerns. A participant with an approved contract may be reimbursed up to 75% of the costs incurred in implementing various conservation practices. And incentive payments may be available in some areas to encourage participants to adopt management practices such as Prescribed Grazing, Irrigation Water Management, Upland Wildlife Habitat Management, and others. In New Mexico the program is developed at the local level with input from the people, organizations and government agencies best acquainted with local resource concerns and solutions. Formal recommendations to the local NRCS Designated Conservationist are provided by the Local Work Group (LWG). The LWG is comprised of representatives of government agencies at the local, state, and federal levels, including Tribal governments and special units of government. The LWG is tasked with the responsibility of advising the NRCS Designated Conservationist on various issues related to establishing the EQIP at the local level. Some of these issues include identifying and prioritizing natural resource concerns, recommending eligible practices and cost share rates, and developing application ranking criteria. For FY 2009 financial assistance funds will be initially allocated to the local level based on a formula which includes the number of acres of various agricultural land uses (e.g. grazing lands, irrigated cropland, etc.) within each LWG area. Applications are rated using an approved criteria for each land use. The criteria will be slightly different from one LWG area to another. The highest rated applications within each LWG area are selected for contracts. Each state may offer more than one evaluation period each year. All NRCS Field Offices will accept an application at any time of the year. Reimbursement of Expenses Related to Conservation Practice ImplementationSuccessful applicants will be offered a contract which will clearly identify the amount of financial assistance funds obligated to implement the contract. Each conservation practice in the EQIP Plan of Operations will have a pre-determined reimbursement cost per unit, e.g. $25./acre of brush management or $9.00/feet of pipeline. For more details on these costs please refer to the FY 09 NM Payment Schedule. Tribal LandsNew Mexico NRCS recognizes that some segments of our population have been traditionally underserved by Federal programs. Therefore, a certain percentage of the state's fund allocation has been set aside specifically to fund applications received on Tribal lands. The applicant may be an individual or a Tribal government. The ranking criteria is the same for these applications as for applications on non-tribal land. Animal Feeding OperationsMitigating the impacts of animal feeding operations (AFO) on various natural resources, especially surface and groundwater quality, has been designated as a priority concern by the State Conservationist as recommended by the State Technical Committee. Therefore, a certain percentage of the state allocation has been designated to assist AFO producers address these resource concerns. A financial incentive payment of $1,000 has also been established to encourage participants to develop an approved Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plan (CNMP) Private - Federal Cooperative Grazing Lands InitiativeThis effort began in FY 2005 and was received very well by ranchers holding Bureau of Land Management or Forest Service allotments. A certain percentage of the state allocation will be dedicated to this effort again in FY 2009. The requirements listed below will be in effect for FY 2009 applications. Other information and criteria have not been finalized. Some of the criteria an applicant must meet in order to be considered are:
Applicants who already have an approved Coordinated Resource Management Plan (CRMP), or who agree to develop a CRMP will receive first consideration for funding. Competition for funding is statewide and applicants are selected for funding based on statewide ranking criteria. The following document requires
Adobe Acrobat. Agricultural Water Enhancement ProgramThe Agricultural Water Enhancement Program (AWEP) replaces the former Ground and Surface Water Conservation (GSWC) component of the EQIP. At this time we are not certain how this component of EQIP will be managed in FY 2009 or how funds will be available to agricultural producers. State Watershed InitiativeIn New Mexico, Local Work Groups who have identified a need for additional assistance in addressing high priority resource concerns within a portion of their watershed have been approved to receive funds being held in a funding pool at the state level. The LWG has made a commitment to dedicate a portion of their initial EQIP allocation, which will be matched with funds from the state reserve. This allows NRCS staff at the field office level to potentially develop more contracts to treat these priority resource concerns. Watershed initiatives have been approved for the following field offices for FY 2009: Pending. For more information please contact the NRCS field office. State Small Acreage InitiativeOccasionally agricultural producers with small acreage operations have been unable to compete with larger operations for financial assistance under the EQIP. New Mexico is experimenting with a new initiative, which will set aside a small amount of funds for producers who meet certain acreage and income requirements. Successful applicants will also be limited to $10,000 to $20,000 of financial assistance. Small acreage initiatives have been approved for the following field offices for FY 2009: Pending. For additional information please contact the NRCS field office. Limited Resource Producers and Beginning Farmers or RanchersApplicants who believe they meet the Limited Resource Producer (LRP) or Beginning Farmer/Rancher (BF/R) criteria may be eligible for higher practice cost-share rates if their application is selected for funding. If you think that you may qualify click here to use our self determination tool. For FY 2009 in New Mexico, a qualified applicant who self-certifies they meet the Limited Resource Producer (LRP) criteria, and is selected for funding, will be eligible for a 90% practice cost-share rate. A qualified applicant who self-certifies they meet the BF/R criteria, and is selected for funding, will be eligible to receive a cost-share rate of 90% for approved practices. FY 2009 Application Sign-Up Deadline DateDevelopment of the program for FY 2009 has begun. The deadline for submitting applications is October 17, 2008. The application process can be involved and time consuming. Applicants are strongly encouraged to sign-up earlier rather than later. Submitting an application does not obligate an individual to sign a contract. Sign-Up and Application Information
Links to Other Useful Documents for the EQIP ProgramThe following documents require
Adobe Acrobat.
USDA Service Center EForms Web Site - for instructions and information Archive EQIP MapsThe following documents require
Adobe Acrobat. Additional InformationContactMichael Neubeiser Last Modified: 09/22/2008 |
|
|
|
The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) is a nationwide voluntary
conservation program administered by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation
Service (NRCS). The programs major goals are twofold: enhancing agricultural
production and optimizing environmental benefits. 
Back to Top