Features Business/Policy Environment Protection Protection Regulations State United States
Deadline approaching for NRCS programs in CA

October 22, 2013, Davis, CA – For those farm and ranch operators who are interested in applying for Fiscal Year 2014 (FY 2014) Farm Bill conservation program financial assistance through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in California has established Nov. 15, 2013, as the sign-up deadline for submitting an EQIP application for funding consideration.

EQIP is a continuous sign-up, voluntary, conservation program and applications can be submitted throughout the year. An EQIP application received by Nov. 15, 2013, will be considered for FY 2014 funding and applications received after Nov. 15, 2013, may be considered later in the year depending on funding availability.

Interested applicants are encouraged to request conservation planning and technical assistance from a local NRCS field office to help with the development of a conservation plan – the basis for any EQIP application is a conservation plan. NRCS staff is available to help producers create conservation plans on a first-come, first-served basis.

In order to be considered eligible for EQIP, the applicant must have a vested interest in production agricultural or non-industrial private forestland and meet other program eligibility requirements.

EQIP, NRCS’s largest conservation program, helps eligible producers plan and implement conservation practices that address a wide range of natural resource concerns and provide opportunities to improve soil, water, plant, animal, air and related resources on agricultural land and non-industrial private forestland.

For additional information, eligible producers are encouraged to contact their local NRCS Service Center. Service center locations and more information on the programs can be found at www.ca.nrcs.usda.gov.