Teh Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) is available now to farmers.
This website brought to you in part by the following sponsor:
Find out how to advertise here - Email us! [email protected]
Find out how to advertise here - Email us! [email protected]
@break = t51equip.prt
@headline = EQIP assistance available
The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) was established in the 1996 Farm Bill to assist farmers to improve the quality of our natural resources.
EQIP is available to anyone who is involved in livestock or agriculture production. Assistance is provided through incentives and cost share towards the implementation of practices that address soil, water, air, plants, and animals.
Under EQIP, landowners may apply for five to 10-year contracts for assistance in applying conservation systems that address a specific resource concern. Examples of conservation systems include integrated crop management, planned grazing, and animal waste systems.
The application process is competitive and applications are ranked according to environmental benefits achieved per dollar spent.
In the state of Missouri, the major natural resource concerns for EQIP are 1. Water quality, 2. Grazing lands’ health, 3. Soil quality, and 4. Wildlife habitat with animal waste being the most important water quality concern. Each application must meet one of these major concerns when competing for statewide EQIP funds.
Missouri dedicates over half of its available funds to designated priority areas with locally identified resource problems. One of these areas is in the Grindstone, Lost, Muddy, Marrowbone, Honey and Dog Creek watershed area. This watershed area is called the Six Creeks EQIP priority area located in parts of Daviess, DeKalb, Caldwell, Clinton and Gentry counties.
This watershed was designated a priority area due to water quality concerns related to agriculture runoff into area water reservoirs. The primary objectives of this project are to reduce agriculture nonpoint source pollutants, reduce soil erosion, and improve grassland management. Landowners within the project area compete for funds in the project and are excluded from outside competition.
For more information on the Environmental Quality Incentives Program contact the Natural Resources Conservation Service at USDA Service Center in Gallatin.