EQIP Program in Kleberg County

The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) offers cost share assistance to agricultural producers to implement on-farm conservation practices.  The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) determines eligible producers for the EQIP program and determines eligible land.  Eligible producers may apply for cost share assistance on conservation practices that will address the identified resource concern identified by the Local Work Group (LWG).

Kleberg County Office Information

Interested agricultural producers may apply in person at the Kleberg County USDA Service Center. Applicants may also request EQIP assistance by telephone, Fax, e-mail, or letter.

Robert Schmidt, District Conservationist

State Resource Concerns Priority Areas that include part of Kleberg County:

Objective:

The objectives of the Kleberg and Kenedy Counties EQIP LWG for Kleberg County are to promote the use of conservation practices for improving and sustaining natural resources throughout the county. Some of the major resource concerns are soil erosion due to wind and water, plant health on rangeland and pastureland, water quality due to sedimentation, and water quantity on pasture land and rangeland.

County EQIP Resource Concern:

Soil Erosion by wind and water - 50 percent of county base funds. Converting highly erosive cropland to grass (Pasture Planting) including facilitative practices and implementation of conservation tillage (residue management) will be given high priority for contract funding in 2007.

Plant Health on grazing lands - 50 percent of county base funds. Improving or maintaining the climax plant community on grazing lands by managing brush and adequately distributing livestock drinking water in order to implement a rotational grazing system is given high priority for contract funding in 2006. Practices that are eligible include residue management - conservation tillage, pasture and hay planting, brush management, water well, cross fence(s), livestock water pipeline(s), water facilities, ponds, range planting, prescribed grazing, grade stabilization structure, grassed waterway critical area planting, and diversion or basin terrace.

Eligible Practices and Cost Share Rates:

Cost Share Rates

Limited Resource Producers 90 percent
Beginning Farmers/Ranchers 75 percent
Others 50 percent

Practices will be cost shared based on the established average cost of the practice. The amount of cost share earned will be the number of units certified after completion multiplied by the average cost multiplied by the cost share percentage.

Cost sharing will be allowed for the following practices as identified in the Field Office Tech Guide (FOTG)

Brush Management Code 314
Mechanical (Root Plowing, Stacking, and Raking)
Mechanical (Grubbing)
Chemical
IPT Individual Plant Treatment
Residue Management Code 329
Critical Area Planting Code 342
Diversion Code 362
Water Well Code 642

Screening and Ranking Criteria

High Priority:
Practices designated by the Local Work Group are part of an RMS conservation plan with NRCS to address all resource concerns (SWAPA) on this operating unit and practice(s) scheduled to be applied in order to achieve proper resource management. This will be done according to Resource Quality criteria in section III of eFotg.

Medium Priority:

Practices designated by the local work group are part of a Progressive Level Conservation Plan with the NRCS on this operating unit, addressing only one or more concerns. This will be done according to Resource Quality criteria in section III of eFotg.

Low Priority:

Practices designated by the local work group are not part of any land treatment plan and Do Not address the resource concerns (SWAPA) at even a progressive level of treatment.