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New Mexico Environmental Quality Incentives ProgramGeneral Program Description
Through participation in EQIP agricultural producers may receive financial and technical assistance in developing and implementing conservation plans which include structural and management practices intended to treat a wide range of natural resource concerns. A participant with an approved contract may be reimbursed up to 75% of the costs incurred in implementing various conservation practices. And incentive payments may be available in some areas to encourage participants to adopt management practices such as Prescribed Grazing, Irrigation Water Management, Upland Wildlife Habitat Management, and others. In New Mexico the program is developed at the local level with input from the people, organizations and government agencies best acquainted with local resource concerns and solutions. Formal recommendations to the local NRCS Designated Conservationist are provided by the Local Work Group (LWG). The LWG is comprised of representatives of government agencies at the local, state, and federal levels, including Tribal governments and special units of government. The LWG is tasked with the responsibility of advising the NRCS Designated Conservationist on various issues related to establishing the EQIP at the local level. Some of these issues include identifying and prioritizing natural resource concerns, recommending eligible practices and cost share rates, and developing application ranking criteria. For FY 2008 financial assistance funds will be initially allocated to the local level based on a formula which includes the number of acres of various agricultural land uses (e.g. grazing lands, irrigated cropland, etc.) within each LWG area. Applications are rated using an approved criteria for each land use. The criteria will be slightly different from one LWG area to another. The highest rated applications within each LWG area are selected for contracts. Each state may offer more than one evaluation period each year. At this time it is unknown if there will be another evaluation period in New Mexico for FY 2008. All NRCS Field Offices will accept an application at any time of the year. Tribal LandsNew Mexico NRCS recognizes that some segments of our population have been traditionally underserved by Federal programs. Therefore, a certain percentage of the state's fund allocation has been set aside specifically to fund applications received on Tribal lands. The applicant may be an individual or a Tribal government. The ranking criteria is the same for these applications as for applications on non-tribal land. Animal Feeding OperationsMitigating the impacts of animal feeding operations (AFO) on various natural resources, especially surface and groundwater quality, has been designated as a priority concern by the State Conservationist as recommended by the State Technical Committee. Therefore, a certain percentage of the state allocation has been designated to assist AFO producers address these resource concerns. A financial incentive payment of $1,000 has also been established to encourage participants to develop an approved Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plan (CNMP) Private - Federal Cooperative Grazing Lands InitiativeThis effort began in FY 2005 and was received very well by ranchers holding Bureau of Land Management or Forest Service allotments. A certain percentage of the state allocation will be dedicated to this effort again in FY 2008. The requirements listed below will be in effect for FY 2008 applications. Other information and criteria have not been finalized. Some of the criteria an applicant must meet in order to be considered are:
Applicants who already have an approved Coordinated Resource Management Plan (CRMP), or who agree to develop a CRMP will receive first consideration for funding. Competition for funding is statewide and applicants are selected for funding based on statewide ranking criteria. The following document requires
Adobe Acrobat. Ground and Surface Water ConservationUnder the 1996 Farm Bill another component of EQIP was authorized by Congress. This is the Ground and Surface Water Conservation (GSWC) program. The GSWC component of EQIP places greater emphasis on identifying and addressing resource concerns related directly to conserving ground and surface water. The criteria and requirements for participation are more stringent than the general EQIP, because of the statutory requirement to achieve and document irrigation water reduction. First authorized under the 1996 Farm Bill, then re-authorized under the 2006 Farm Bill, the GSWC component of EQIP will expire on September 30, 2007. It is unknown at this time if the GSWC will be authorized under the 2007 Farm Bill. State Watershed InitiativeIn New Mexico, Local Work Groups who have identified a need for additional assistance in addressing high priority resource concerns within a portion of their watershed have been approved to receive funds being held in a funding pool at the state level. The LWG has made a commitment to dedicate a portion of their initial EQIP allocation, which will be matched with funds from the state reserve. This allows NRCS staff at the field office level to potentially develop more contracts to treat these priority resource concerns. Watershed initiatives have been approved for the following field offices: Alamogordo, Artesia, Aztec, Carlsbad, Las Vegas, Lovington, Mountainair, Portales and Roy. For more information please contact the NRCS field office. State Small Acreage InitiativeOccasionally agricultural producers with small acreage operations have been unable to compete with larger operations for financial assistance under the EQIP. New Mexico is experimenting with a new initiative, which will set aside a small amount of funds for producers who meet certain acreage and income requirements. Successful applicants will also be limited to $10,000 to $20,000 of financial assistance. Small acreage initiatives have been approved for the following field offices: Chama, Las Cruces, Las Vegas, Mora, Socorro and Tucumcari. For additional information please contact the NRCS field office. Limited Resource Producers and Beginning Farmers or RanchersApplicants who believe they meet the Limited Resource Producer (LRP) or Beginning Farmer/Rancher (BF/R) criteria may be eligible for higher practice cost-share rates if their application is selected for funding. If you think that you may qualify click here to use our self determination tool. For FY 2008 in New Mexico, a qualified applicant who self-certifies they meet the LRP criteria, and is selected for funding, will be eligible for a 90% practice cost-share rate. A qualified applicant who self-certifies they meet the BF/R criteria, and is selected for funding, will be eligible to receive a cost-share rate for approved practices that is 15% higher than the normal rate for that practice within each Local Work Group (LWG)/Field Office (F.O.) area, not to exceed 90%. FY 2008 Application Sign-Up Deadline DateDevelopment of the program for FY 2008 has begun. The deadline for submitting applications is November 2, 2007. The 2007 Farm Bill legislation is pending. It is unknown at this time if there will be another sign-up during FY 2008. The application process can be involved and time consuming. Applicants are strongly encouraged to sign-up earlier rather than later. Submitting an application does not obligate an individual to sign a contract. Sign-Up and Application Information
Links to Other Useful Documents for the EQIP ProgramThe following documents require
Adobe Acrobat.
USDA Service Center EForms Web Site - for instructions and information Archive EQIP MapsThe following documents require
Adobe Acrobat. Additional InformationContactMichael Neubeiser Last Modified: 05/29/2008 |
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The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) is a nationwide voluntary
conservation program administered by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation
Service (NRCS). The programs major goals are twofold: enhancing agricultural
production and optimizing environmental benefits. 
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