EQIP Program in Wilson 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).

Wilson County Office Information

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

Teresa Jung, District Conservationist

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

Objective:

The 2007 EQIP main objective in Wilson County is to promote the use of conservation practices for improving the natural resources throughout the county with emphasis on water quantity. This will be accomplished by providing cost share assistance in the installation of approved conservation practices and providing technical assistance.

County EQIP Resource Concern:

The Program Development Group and Local Work Group identified Water Quantity as the major resource concern in Wilson County.

Eligible Practices and Cost Share Rates:

Cost Share Rates

Limited Resource Farmers and Ranchers - 90 percent
Beginning Farmers and Ranchers - 50 percent
All Others - 50 percent

Below are some of the approved Conservation Practices that the Local Work Group (LWG) decided to cost share for 2007 under the EQIP Program as identified in the Field Office Technical Guide . The approved practices will be cost shared on the established average cost of the practice for Wilson County. The amount of cost share earned will be determined by the number of units certified after completion, multiplied by the actual cost not to exceed the average cost, multiplied by the allowable cost share percentage.

Multiple item contracts will be utilized to address the resource concern in order to strive to achieve a Total Resource Management System. 

• Brush Management—Root plow—Heavy
  
• Brush Management--Root plow—Normal
  
• Brush Management—Tree Doze
  
• Pasture Planting—Improved Bermuda Grass
  
• Pasture Planting—Seeded Grass
  
• Range Seeding
  
• Nutrient Management (establishment)
  
• Pest Management (establishment)
  
• Fence (internal)
  
• Irrigation System, Sprinkler (LEPA, LESA, MESA)
  
• Irrigation Pipeline
  
• Pond (Livestock)
  
• Pipeline (Livestock)
  
• Well (Livestock)

Ranking Criteria:

Practices included in this application are part of a higher level of treatment plan that will address all resource concerns at a Resource Management System Level on the entire operating unit.
3 points _____

Medium Priority

Practices included in this application are part of a progressive level of land treatment plan to address all resource concerns at a Resource Management System Level on a part of the operating unit.
2 points _____

Low Priority

Practices included in this application are not part of any land treatment plan and do not fully address all of the resource concerns.
1 point ______

Practices installed shall meet the NRCS, Field Office Technical Guide Specifications.

If there are more funds available than needed for the applications in the high category then applications in the medium category will be evaluated and ranked, and so on, until all available local funds are allocated.