EQIP Program in Throckmorton 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).

Throckmorton County Office Information

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

Objective:

The objective of the Throckmorton County EQIP Program in 2007 is to promote the adoption of sound, cost-effective conservation practices to address the most critical natural resource concerns of the county. The primary resource concerns for Throckmorton County in 2007 are grazing land health invasion of brush species, including mesquite and prickly pear cactus, lack of adequate livestock water, soil erosion on cropland, and lack of productivity on grazing land were identified by the Local Working Group as the chief concerns.

County EQIP Resource Concern:

In Throckmorton County for 2007, the LWG has identified Grazing Land Health (inadequate livestock water), Grazing Land Health (brush management) and soil erosion on cropland as the major resource concerns.

Eligible Practices and Cost Share Rates:

County Base Fund

Limited Resource Producers -90 percent
Beginner Farmer or Rancher - 50 percent
All other Producers - 50 percent

The Primary Practices eligible for cost sharing in Throckmorton County this year include Ponds, Wells, Pipelines, and Troughs to provide livestock water, Brush Management (chemical and mechanical) Pasture and Range Planting, Cross-Fencing for grazing management, Terraces, and Waterways for control of erosion on cropland, and Nutrient Management where needed in conjunction with vegetative practices.

For all the above practices, the amount of cost share earned will be the number of acres/units certified as completed multiplied by the established average cost for the practice multiplied by the cost share percentage. There is an acreage limit on chemical brush management of 750 acres per application and on mechanical brush management of 160 acres per application. For livestock water the following maximum size limits apply to each application - ponds - 5000 cubic yards - pipelines - 5000 feet - trough-2000 gallons. Fencing may be cost-shared for protection of newly seeded pasture or range plantings without being ranked. Cross fencing strictly for grazing management or rotational grazing on existing pastureland or rangeland may receive cost-sharing, but must be ranked. In either case, there is a 3 mile limit per application on fencing. Nutrient Management will be used in conjunction with Pasture Planting and Waterway Vegetation when nutrients are required by soil test for stand establishment.

Cost sharing will be allowed for the following practices as identified in the Field Office Technical Guide -

1) Pond, 2) Well, 3) Pipeline, 4)Trough, 5) , Brush Management 6) Range Planting, 7)Pasture Planting, 8) Fencing, 9)Terrace, 10) Waterway, 11)Nutrient Management.

Ranking Criteria:

A: Livestock Water--No permanent water source in pasture or grazing unit or over 1 mile distance between permanent water sources Award 100 Points
Additional water needed (as determined by NRCS) for grazing distribution Award -90 Points

B: Brush Management--Control Prickly Pear -40 percent or greater canopy cover Award 80 Points; Control Prickly Pear- Less than 40 percent canopy cover Award 70 Points; Control Mesquite-40 percent or over canopy cover Award 70 Points; Control Mesquite-less than 40 perent canopy cover Award 60 Points

C: Range & Pasture Planting—Conversion of Highly Erodible or other cropland to permanent vegetative cover Award 80 Points; Other Range or pasture Planting not associated with cropland or mechanical brush management Award 60 Points

D: Fencing for grazing management Award 50 Points

E: Terraces and Waterways for erosion control Award 40 Points


Note) Application will be ranked according to the predominant cost-share assistance requested for the above categories of practices. Example: An application requesting $2000 in cost-share funds for Livestock Water and $4000 for Brush Management would be ranked under category B-Brush Management since the predominant cost-share request if for that practice.