EQIP Program in McLennan 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).

McLennan County Office Information

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

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

Objective:

To provide incentives for the use of conservation practices with the major emphasis on improving plant health and improving water quality.

County EQIP Resource Concern:

In McLennan County the LWG has identified Soil Erosion and plant health as the major resource concerns.

Eligible Practices and Cost Share Rates:

Limited Resource Producer - 90 percent
Beginning Farmers and Ranchers - 50 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 Technical Guide -

Pasture Planting or Range Seeding - Includes seedbed preparation, seed or sprigs, seeding or sprigging. Includes Pasture Planting, Range Seeding, Filter Strips and Field Borders on Cropland fields where commodity crops or annually planted hay crops have been planted two of the last five years. Applies to pastureland or rangeland where desirable species make up less than 30 percent of the existing stand or more than 20 percent bare ground is present.

Ponds - Amount cost shared will be limited to 300 cubic yards per animal unit of carrying capacity served.

Brush Management-Individual Plant Treatment - >50 plants per acres.  Includes approved herbicide and application.

Brush Management-Broadcast Spraying - >20 percent canopy.  Includes approved herbicide and application.

Brush Management-Mechanical Treatment -  Includes rootplowing or treedozing, rootraking, stacking or piling, burning, stump removal and all components needed to prepare the field for establishing permanent grass. Mechanical Treatment will only be approved where tree or brush canopy exceeds 40 percent and treatment will be followed by establishment of permanent grass. See Pasture Planting or Range Seeding.

Grassed Waterway and Critical Area Treatment -  Area to be treated must meet criteria for medium Critical Area Shaping or heavier or meet design for Grassed Waterway as described in the Field Office Technical Guide for McLennan County. Average cost for both practices includes cost for shaping and smoothing to prepare for establishment of permanent grass.

Grade Stabilization Structure - Components include Pipe, Earthmoving, and Reinforced Concrete.

Terraces –  Includes leveling old structures and construction of Parallel Terraces in accordance with the Field Office Technical Guide.

Fence-4 wire, Standard Permanent Fence

Ranking Criteria:

Issue #1 – Will the conservation practice adequately address all three resource concerns sited by the local work group. Example: Cropland converted to permanent grass. Resource concerns addressed are Soil Erosion, Plant Health, and Water Quality. 100 points.

Issue #2 – Will the conservation practice adequately address two of the three resource concerns sited by the local work group. Example 1: Mechanical Brush Management with reseeding where brush canopy is greater than 40 percent. Resources addressed are soil erosion and plant health. Example 2: Terraces Grassed Waterways and/or Critical Area Treatment where soil erosion is in excess of 2 times the soil loss tolerance established for RUSLE2. Resource concerns addressed are soil erosion and water quality. 75 pts.

Issue #3 – Will the conservation practice adequately address only one of the resource concerns sited by the local work group. Example 1: Ponds and fences. Resource concern addressed is Plant Health through better grazing distribution. Example 2: Brush Management where existing canopy is 15 percent or greater but less than 40%, or Pasture Planting or Range Seeding where 20 percent bare ground exists or existing grass community has less than 30 points desirable species. Resource concern addressed is plant health.
Example 3: Grade Stabilization Structure. Resource concern addressed is erosion. 50 points.

Issue #4 – Does the producer have a current conservation plan approved by the local soil and water conservation district prior to September 1, 2006 on this operation unit that addresses the resource concerns being treated. 10 points.

Note: Nutrient Management 590 and Pest Management 595 are recommended for all vegetative practices but will not receive any cost share assistance. A current soil test, less than one year old, from Texas A&M Soil Testing Lab or other approved soil testing lab is recommended on all vegetative practices.