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EQIP Program in Parker 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).

Eligibility

All applicants must be signed up with the Parker County Farm Services Agency and obtain a Farm Number before the application can be processed. All applicants will be required to self certify that they are an agriculture producer prior to the application being processed.

Parker County Office Information

Interested agricultural producers may apply in person at the Parker 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 Parker County:

Specific State Concern State Resource Concern
AFO-CAFO -Poultry  Water Quality/Air Quality
AFO-CAFO -Swine  Water Quality/Air Quality
AFO-CAFO-Beef  Water Quality/Air Quality
AFO-CAFO -Dairy  Water Quality/Air Quality
Salt Cedar Invasive Species
Rolling Plains - Grassland Bird - Bobwhite Quail Wildlife
Limited Resource Farmer or Rancher All

Objective:

The objective of the Parker County EQIP Local Work Group LWG is to promote the use of conservation practices for improving the natural resources throughout the county.

County EQIP Resource Concern:

In Parker County for 2007, the Local Work Group LWG has identified Plant Health as the major resource concern.

Priority for Funding

High Priority Applications- Are those applications which request an eligible practice, meet all USDA eligibility criteria and have applied for USDA cost-share assistance in the 2006 program.

Medium Priority Applications- Are those applications which request an eligible practice in the 2007 program and meet all USDA eligibility criteria.

Low Priority Applications – Are those applications which request an eligible practice and do not have all of the USDA eligibility criteria meet.

High and Medium Priority Applications will be ranked using the national ranking tool and points will be awarded to the application as it addresses National, State and Local issues as well as the cost efficiency of the practice needed to slove the resource concern. Applications will be funded based on the highest total offer index score as funds are available. In the case of ties, the application with the highest tracking number which is ramdonly assigned by Protracts will be funded first.

Low Priority Applications will be ranked with the same procedure if funds are available.

Applications with no eligible practices will not receive a ranking score.

Eligible Practices and Cost Share Rates:

Limited Resource Producers-90 percent
Beginning Farmers or Ranchers- 50 percent
Others- 50 percent

Practices will be cost shared based on the established average cost of the practice. The amount of the 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 -

High Priority Practices

Brush Management 314

  • Treedoze and stack
  • Skid Loader, grubbing/shears
  • Chemical , Individual Plant Treatment

    Range Planting 550 -

    Pasture and Hayland Planting 512
  • Overseeding Legumes

    Nutrient Management 590
  • For establishment only
  • Incentive practice only

    Pest Management 595

    Fencing 382
  • 4 wire barbed wire
  • 2 wire electric
  • 3 wire electric
  • 4 wire electric

    Pipeline 516
    For livestock water

    Prescribed Grazing 528
    This will be for a deferred grazing period of April 1 to November 1 2007 This practice will be cost-share only on Range land.


    All cost share rates are listed as (AC) Average Cost except for Nutrient Management and Prescribed Grazing Incentive, which is (FR) Flat Rate.
    No partial payments will be paid.

    Invoices are required for all work performed.
    Deferred grazing will be required on all brush management, range seeding and pasture planting practices.

    When Nutrient Management is planned a current soil analysis from Texas A&M will be required for the intended purpose.

    Land will be considered cropland if it has been planted to an annual crop in 2 of the last five years.
    Brush management is best done in strips or motts, when scattered trees are left in a park like setting the number of trees remaining will be 10 or less per acre.

    Ranking Criteria:

    Applications will be ranked utilizing the National Ranking Tool and points awarded according to how the application addresses National, State and Local issues along with the cost efficiency of the practice needed to solve the resource concern.

    Local Issues:

    1. 100 points- Are all of the conservation practices requested documented in a conservation plan prior to 11/1/2006?
    2. 90 points – Is cropland ( land planted to an annual crop 2 of the last 5 years) being converted to grassland?
    3. 80 points – Is the Range Seeding or Pasture Planting cost-share practice being utilized?
    4. 70 points – Is the Brush Management cost-share practice being utilized?
    5. 60 points – Is the Fencing cost-share practice being utilized?

    Points will only be awarded in one category between issues 2 and 5.

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