2007 Environmental Quality Incentive Program

Local Work Group Summary for Datil

Introduction:

The Datil Field Office is located in Datil New Mexico in Catron County.  It provides assistance to the Quemado and Salado Soil and Water Conservation Districts with a combined total of not quite 4.1 million acres.  About 39% is Federal lands and 61% is private and state lands, almost all lands are rangeland or grazeable woodland.  The Datil Field Office covers the northern and eastern parts of Catron County, the southern part of Cibola County and the western part of Socorro County. Topography is varied with elevations ranging from 4500 feet to 10,000 feet with much of the area above 6,000 feet.  Soils vary from deep well drained loams and clays to shallow gravelly to rocky soils on mountain sides.  The precipitation ranges from 10 in. in lower elevations to over 20 in. in the higher elevations, with annual precipitation figures varying widely from year to year.

Vegetation ranges from black and blue grama to mountain brush/ mountain muhly, pine dropseed, and in the higher elevations, Ponderosa pine and grasses.  The predominant use of land at the present time is still ranching with more and more emphasis placed on hunting as a source of income.  There is also a component of land being sold as subdivisions in the areas that contain suitable numbers of tree species.

Local Work Group:

The Quemado and Salado SWCDs held a joint Local Work Group Meeting on Aug. 1, 2006 at 10:00 AM at the NRCS office in Datil NM.  Invitations were sent out to Federal, State, and County agencies with seventeen participants attending, and assisting in developing the plan.  Attendees represented FSA, Salado SWCD, Quemado SWCD, USFS, NMSLO, and NRCS

Priority Resource Concerns:

Water quality and water quantity were identified as the primary resource concerns on irrigated cropland and rangeland.

Funding Considerations:

The Local Work Group would allocate monies received by the two Districts based on the same acreage figures used to determine the state allocation to the Datil Field Office, the funds would be split 90% to rangeland practices and 10% to all other practices.  These funds would be interchangeable if not otherwise obligated; funds would be interchangeable between districts if not obligated also.

Cost Docket:

The Southwest Area/Catron County cost docket was reviewed and accepted.

Please refer to the links for the cost docket and eligible practices to view the final approved practices, cost share rates and component costs.

Eligible Practices:

The Local Work Group reviewed the NM approved practice list for EQIP and would recommend using it as is.

Please refer to the links for the cost docket and eligible practices to view the final approved practices, cost share rates and component costs.

Cost Share Rates, Incentive Payments and Caps:

The Local Work Group recommends an increased cost share rate of 75% on any brush control practice since this item is expensive to complete and has long lasting benefits both to the owner and also the adjacent land owners.  This also fits under several of the LWG top priorities.  The LWG has adopted the state criteria for Limited Resource Producers and Beginning Farmer /Rancher.

Please refer to the links for the cost docket and eligible practices to view the final approved practices, cost share rates and component costs.

Ranking Criteria:

Please refer to the links for ranking criteria to view the final approved criteria.

Timelines and Evaluation Periods:

All applications and any supporting documentation must be submitted by November 3, 2006.

< Back to EQIP County Documents