Programs

Farm Bill

Pacific Islands - West Environmental Quality Incentives Program FY2007

General Program Description

Environmental Quality Incentives Program Sign-up Underway

Noni Plant <i>Miranda citrifolia</i> overlooking no till field

The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) is a voluntary conservation program to help farmers with financial and technical assistance in the installation and implementation of conservation practices on eligible agricultural land. Through EQIP, farmers in the Pacific Islands - West (Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and Guam) may receive assistance for agricultural production and environmental quality as compatible goals.

EQIP sign-up is currently underway in the Pacific Islands-West (PI-West) at the Guam and Saipan Field Offices. Individuals and entities can apply for cost-sharing of many types of structural and management conservation practices, which address the following priority resource concerns identified by the State Technical Advisory Committee and the Local Work Groups:

Animal waste from confined livestock operations
Sedimentation from accelerated erosion
Noxious weeds
Insufficient water supply for livestock or irrigation
Pesticide or nutrient contamination of ground or surface waters
At-Risk species habitat
Invasive species (coqui frog, little fire ant, nettle caterpillar)
Ground and Surface Water Conservation

EQIP is a federally funded program under the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (Farm Bill) and is administered by the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). EQIP was reauthorized in the 2002 Farm Bill.

Eligibility

Any farmer or rancher engaged in crop or livestock production on eligible land may apply for EQIP. Eligible land includes croplands, pasture and rangeland, private non-industrial forestland, and other land as determined by the Secretary of United States Department of Agriculture.

Cost Share Rates

EQIP may cost-share up to 50 percent of the average cost of eligible conservation practices. Limited resource producers and beginning farmers may qualify for cost-share up to 90 percent. Incentive payments may be made for a maximum of three years at 100 percent cost share to encourage a farmer or rancher to adopt land management practices (such as nutrient management, pest management, and grazing management). EQIP participants may elect to use a certified Technical Service Provider (TSP) for technical assistance.

The maximum total cost-share and/or incentive payment an individual or entity may receive, directly or indirectly, is limited to $450,000. Highest priority will be given to applications that provide the most environmental benefit. Any EQIP contract in the PI-West in excess of $150,000 must have NRCS PI-West Director's Office and NRCS Regional Office approval.

Signup and Application Information

Interested individuals in the PI-West may apply in person at any USDA Service Center in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands or Guam. Applicants may also request EQIP assistance by telephone, fax, e-mail or letter. Click on the link to USDA Service Centers to find the office nearest to you. The cutoff date for FY2007 is January 16, 2007. The second cutoff date for PI-West FY2007 is January 31, 2007.

Ranking of Applications

Ranking of eligible applications will be completed after the application sign-up period has been announced and the cutoff date is past. Scoring of approved applications will follow the established process and use the approved PI-West EQIP ranking criteria. Applications will be selected for plan development and contracting in ranked order according to the score as available funds allow. If insufficient funds are available to fund all eligible applications, applications will be held in a waiting list and may be ranked with any subsequently received applications during FY2007.

Conservation Practices

Eligible conservation practices approved for cost share are included in the program to address resource concerns. Among them are: mulching, residue management, cover crop, prescribed grazing, vegetative barrier, alley cropping, tree/shrub establishment, and waste storage facility. The list of approved practices for the PI-West is posted on this web site in the PI-West FY2007 EQIP Cost List.

Installation of conservation practices must meet NRCS technical standards. The approved EQIP program participant will receive technical assistance for the planning and application of the conservation practices.

Local Participation and Work Groups

NRCS supports the locally led conservation effort in the delivery of conservation programs. The USDA Local Work Group (LWG) serves as the starting point in the development and coordination of NRCS conservation assistance programs to provide an integral approach for addressing local natural resource concerns. The LWG ensures that the conservation needs assessment is developed using community stakeholder input. Using the assessment process, the LWG identifies resource concerns, recommends eligible practices, payment rates, cost-share levels and funding needs.

The Director of the Pacific Islands - West will make funding available to field offices based on local requests, previous funding demand and other related factors. Available funds should be obligated by March 15, 2007.