EQIP available for farmers

Over $11 million in financial assistance is available to Ohio agricultural producers to apply conservation practices on their farms through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). To be considered for the first round of funding selections, farmers must apply at the Wauseon Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) office by Tuesday, Feb. 16.

EQIP is offered through a continuous sign-up, but NRCS periodically makes funding selections as program dollars allow. EQIP offers technical and financial assistance to install conservation practices.

This voluntary program aims at conserving, protecting, and restoring soil and water quality, air quality, and habitat for plants and animals. A variety of conservation practices, such as manure storage, access roads, heavy use pads, cover crops, and pasture management are used to achieve the natural resources management goals of the producer.

An environmental ranking score is developed for each applicant from a conservation plan which considers national, state, and local natural resource concerns. In Fulton County resource concerns include excess livestock manure, nutrient runoff and soil erosion.

When the application is scored, it is compared to other applications and ranked according to the environmental benefit of the conservation plan. To improve the chance of funding for special categories of natural resource concerns or crops, a number of unique EQIP subgroups have been developed. These include: Specialty crops, Livestock, Cropland and pastureland, Forest land.

For more information or to apply for EQIP, contact Mike Weaver at (419) 337-9217, or go online to www.oh.nrcs.usda.gov/.