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Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP)

Program Overview

The Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP) is a voluntary conservation program that provides assistance to farmers who face threats to soil, water, air, and related natural resources on their land. Through EQIP, the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) provides assistance to agricultural producers in a manner that will promote agricultural production and environmental quality as compatible goals, optimize environmental benefits, and help farmers to meet Federal, State, Tribal, and local environmental requirements. EQIP offers financial and technical help to assist eligible participants install or implement structural and management practices on eligible agricultural land. Additional national information can be found at http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/eqip/.

EQIP is a competitive process. EQIP applications compete for funding on a state-wide basis. A ranking process is conducted to determine which applications will be granted EQIP funding. The Illinois NRCS has several different EQIP ranking criteria categories that were developed with input from the Illinois State Technical Committee. All ranking criteria categories achieve the common EQIP objective of optimizing environmental benefits.

Historically Underserved
NRCS Illinois continues to provide technical and financial assistance to all eligible participants including our Historically Underserved Producers (HUP). EQIP will serve farmers and ranchers who have been subjected to racial or ethnic prejudices because of their identity as a member of a group, without regard to their individual qualities. For more information about Historically Underserved Producers, please review the HUP Factsheet.

List of 2010 Priority Resource Concerns/Considerations:

  • Air Quality
  • Domestic Animals
  • Fish & Wildlife
  • Plant Condition
  • Soil Condition
  • Soil Erosion
  • Water Quality
  • Water Quantity

Steps to the EQIP Application Process for the 2010 Fiscal Year:

Prior to EQIP Sign Up:
Conservation planning completed prior to application ranking allows the ranking process to move more quickly, because the applicant, with help from NRCS, will already have identified the conservation needs and concerns. Conservation plans completed prior to ranking that address all the resource concerns on the farm can yield more points within an application. Planning prior to applying for EQIP also helps ensure the applicant is requesting EQIP funds for the correct practices.

Step 1: Signing up for EQIP at Your Local NRCS Field Office:
EQIP has a continuous sign-up process; applicants can sign up anytime of the year at their local NRCS field office. To sign up for EQIP, applicants must complete the NRCS-CPA-1200 form at their local field office. At the time of application, the applicant will also be provided with a copy of the NRCS-CPA-1202 Contract Appendix, explaining EQIP contract terms and conditions. Reviewing the contract appendix up front helps the applicant know the contract terms and conditions.

All applicants need to meet eligibility requirements in order to apply for EQIP. To ensure you are eligible for EQIP go to “What Documentation is Needed to be Eligible for EQIP?”.

Step 2: FY 2010 Illinois EQIP Ranking Criteria:
Illinois uses a web-based ranking criteria tool for ranking applications, which will be completed by your local NRCS field office. The web-based ranking tool includes the following:

• Yes/No questions for each ranking category;
• State and National ranking questions; and
• A Cost Efficiency Score, which is a benefit-cost calculation of the EQIP application.

 The ranking questions that are used in the web based ranking tool can be downloaded below.

The following documents require either Adobe Acrobat 6.0 or higher, and Microsoft WORD

EQIP 2010 Web-Based Ranking Criteria Tools

Format Date Issued Ranking Criteria Primary Focus Description of Typical EQIP Purpose
DOC
313 kb
1/10 General EQIP Cropland Soil erosion reduction, water quality improvements, and wildlife habitat creation
DOC
277 kb
1/10 Grazing Land Operations Prescribed Grazing for Livestock Improvement of water quality, soil condition, and plant and animal health
DOC
329 kb
1/10 Confined Livestock Operations Waste Management for
Confined Livestock Operations
Improvement of water quality, soil condition, and plant and animal health
DOC
273 kb
1/10 Forest Management Implementation* Forestland Improvement of water quality, soil quality, plant vigor and health, and wildlife habitat
Organic Ranking Criteria
00 kb 00/10 Not available at this time for 2010 Cropland  

00 kb
00 kb
00/10 Organic Production Systems for 2010 not available at this time
  • Transition to Organic Operations
  • Certified Organic Operations
Cropland Improvement of water quality, soil quality, plant vigor and health, and wildlife habitat
Conservation Management Activity Plans
Activity Plans must be developed prior to the installation of the practice according to requirements and schedule.
DOC
233 kb
1/10 Comprehensive Nutrient Management
Activity Plan (CNMP)
Plans for Confined Livestock Operations Development of a detailed plan to manage waste for a confined livestock operation
DOC
229 kb
1/10 Forest Management Activity Plan* Plans for Forestland > 10
contiguous acres
Development of a detailed forestry management plan
DOC
198 kb
1/10 Grazing Management Activity Plan Plans for Grazing Livestock Operations Development of a detailed plan to manage a grazing livestock operation system

* List of Consulting Foresters and Forestry Contractors can be found at the following web site: IL DNR
Additional forestry information and links can be found at the following web site: IL Extension
Reference Material: EQIP Forestry Payment Fact Sheet and EQIP Forestry Quick Guide Fact Sheet

 
Ranking Criteria-Supporting Documents EQIP 2010
Format Date Issued Document Name Description of Typical EQIP Purpose

The following document is available in Adobe Acrobat format, Microsoft WORD, and Microsoft Excel

National Issues

DOC
158 kb
1/10

Traditional
National Issues

Definitions and scoring of National Issues. National Issues are questions found on each ranking criteria. National Issues do not change state to state.
00 kb 00/10 Organic National Issues
2010 not available at this time
Definitions and scoring of Organic National Issues. Organic National Issues are questions found on each ranking criteria. Organic National Issues do not change state to state.

Payment Schedules

XLS
86 kb
1/10

EQIP 
Payment List
(Traditional)


EQIP practices and components (all inclusive list).
XLS
85 kb
1/10

EQIP 
Payment List (HU)

EQIP practices and components for Historically Underserved Producers (HUP) (all inclusive list).

00 kb
00/10

Organic
Payment List


Not available for 2010 at this time

00 kb
00/10

Organic (HU)
Payment List

Not available for 2010 at this time.

References

PDF
1,485 kb
1/10

EQIP
Map References

Maps referenced in the ranking criteria include:
 • EQIP Soil Erosion Quality Criteria Exceptions (Map 1)
 • 12-Digit Watersheds for 303(d) Stream Segments Impaired by Agriculture (Map 2)
 • EQIP Locally Led Resource Planning Projects (Map 3)

Step 3: Practices Available for EQIP Funds:
Practices available for EQIP funds can be found in the “EQIP Conservation Practices and Payment Method” lists within each of the ranking criteria and in the FY2010 EQIP Payment list found in Ranking Criteria-Supporting Documents EQIP 2010.

FY 2010 EQIP Practices for Ranking Criteria

Practices selected for the EQIP application must address the resource concerns identified by the applicant with assistance from the NRCS field office. EQIP applications must include all planned practices that contributed to the ranking score. All practices must meet NRCS standards and specifications, which can be found in section IV of the Illinois eFOTG. Additional practice(s) may be included in the EQIP contract without receiving ranking points as long as the practice(s) address one or more of the resource concerns identified, are listed in the current Illinois eFOTG, and approved by NRCS Area Assistant State Conservationists.

When completing the application process, the field office will explain the payment rate that the applicant will receive for each practice. The applicant will then need to decide if they want to proceed with an EQIP contract, if funded.

Step 4: Funding EQIP Applications:
All applications for EQIP will compete on a state-wide basis, within each of the ranking criteria categories. Applying for EQIP is continuous; however, selecting applications for funding is done periodically through batching periods with specific cutoff dates. Applicants should visit your local field office as soon as possible to begin the application process.

In order for an application to be considered for funding during a particular batching period the applicant must have the following items completed by the batching period cutoff date:

• Completed and signed EQIP application (NRCS-CPA-1200);
• Eligibility requirements;
• Completed and signed ranking criteria;
• List of practices that address the resource concerns identified; and
• Schedule for implementation of the practices selected.
• Adjusted Gross Income form

Applications for EQIP will be taken continuously, however; batching periods will be announced to process applications. The cutoff dates for the Fiscal Year 2010 batching periods will be as follows:

• January 29, 2010 was the cutoff date for the first EQIP batching period.
• Cutoff dates for later batching periods will be established if funding is available.

Archived EQIP Information:

EQIP FY 2009
EQIP FY 2008
EQIP FY 2007
EQIP FY 2006

Contact Information:

For help with the EQIP program in Illinois contact your local NRCS office.


Download Forms and Factsheets

This document requires Adobe Acrobat software.

FORMS:
• NRCS-CPA-1200 - Temporarily Unavailable for Update
• NRCS-CPA-1202 - Temporarily Unavailable for Update

FACT SHEETS:
• “What Documentation is Needed to be Eligible for EQIP?” (PDF, 172 kb).
• EQIP Quick Guide: Forestry Mgmt. Payment Schedule (June 2009) (PDF, 92 kb) 2010 being updated
• EQIP Quick Guide: Forestry Mgmt. Implementation Fact Sheet (June 2000) (PDF, 92 kb)

 

Update 1/19/2010