2007 Environmental Quality Incentive
Program
Local Work Group Summary for Silver City
Introduction:
The Silver City Field Office is located in the town of Silver City, county
seat of Grant County, in the southwestern part of New Mexico. The field office
provides assistance to the Grant and San Francisco Soil and Water Conservation
Districts (SWCD) with a combined total of 4.3 million acres. Approximately 35%
are state and private lands and 65% federal lands. There are a wide variety of
landscapes ranging from 4,400 feet up to 11,000 feet elevation. Annual
precipitation ranges from 10 inches in the southern desert to over 20 inches in
the mountains. Soils are extremely variable and complex. They range from deep
loamy soils in the two major river valleys and broad alluvial slopes to shallow
rocky soils in the foothills and mountains. Vegetation ranges from the black
grama, tobosa and dropseeds, yucca, Mormon tea, and mesquite of the desert
grassland type up to ponderosa pine, piņon ricegrass,
mountain brome and mountain muhly of the ponderosa pine type. The present
economy of the area is based on agriculture with less emphasis on the mining and
logging activities of the past.
Local Work Group:
The Grant and San Francisco SWCDs held a combined Local Work Group Meeting
August 7, 2006, at the Glenwood Community Center in Glenwood, NM. Invitations were sent out to federal, state,
and local agencies. Nineteen participants were in attendance and provided
input in developing the FY 2007 EQIP plan. Representatives from the San
Francisco SWCD, Grant Watershed Partnership, BLM, USFS, Black Range RC&D, FSA,
NMDA, and NRCS were present
Priority Resource Concerns:
The LWG selected soil erosion, water quantity and plant condition as the
major resource concerns to be addressed through the EQIP in FY 2007.
The LWG also identified and recommended the Mimbres River Watershed as a
special initiative watershed. Recent flood events have ravaged large
sections of the Mimbres River, increasing the width and area of gravelly
substrate adjacent to valuable agricultural lands, making these portions of land
unproductive.
Funding Considerations:
The Local Work Group decided to continue to allocate monies received to the
two districts based on the same acreage figures used to determine the state
allocation to the Silver City Service Center as done last year. Initially, both
districts will use 5% of the available funds for rangeland practices and 35%
for all other practices. 15% of the initial allocation will be applied to
applications received in the special watershed initiative area of the Mimbres
River. These funds are interchangeable if not otherwise
obligated. Unobligated funds within the districts are also interchangeable.
It is hoped that Section 319 funds will be available to provide matching funds.
Cost Docket:
The southwest area wide county cost docket will be used. Most of the
cost shared practices will use the average cost (AC) payment method
Please refer to the links for the cost docket and eligible practices to view
the final approved practices, cost share rates and practice component costs.
Eligible Practices:
The Local Work Group discussed the "New Mexico Approved Practice List for
EQIP" and recommended using the list as last year.
Please refer to the links for the cost docket and eligible practices to view
the final approved practices, cost share rates and practice component costs.
Cost Share Rates, Incentive Payments and Caps:
The Local Work Group recommended using higher cost share rate (75%) on brush
management.
The Local Work Group recommends an Incentive Payment to be paid to
cooperators planning a prescribed burn on private and state lands. The payment
would be based on a need to defer the pasture from all grazing by domestic
animals during the growing season and the following months prior to the planned
burn in order to have sufficient fine fuels to carry a prescribed fire.
Payments would be made on an animal unit month (AUM) basis for the acreage to be
burned covering the period of the growing season through the month of the actual
burn. This is generally July through April or May of the following year.
Payment would be made upon the completion of the prescribed burn. The Local
Work Group suggests using the rates presently used by the USDA Forest Service in
this same area. The Animal Unit Month Value Coefficients used in estimating
market values for private lands has been used since 1983 and is updated
annually. The calendar year 2006 coefficient for this area is $13.40 per AUM.
Cost Share Rates for Limited Resource Producers:
A cost share rate of 90%, for the first $30,000, will be used for all
applicants who self-certify they meet the Limited Resource Producer criteria.
After $30,000 the rate approved for non-limited resource producers will be used.
Cost Share Rates for Beginning Farmers/Ranchers:
Cost share rates for those applicants who self-certify they meet the
Beginning Farmer/Beginning Rancher (BR/BR) criteria will be fifteen (15) percent
higher than the rate established for non-BF/BR applicants for each practice
within a Field Office/Local Work Group area (for the first $30,000). After
$30,000 the rate approved for non-BF/BR will be used.
Mimbres River Watershed Initiative:
A per practice financial assistance cap of $30,000 has been established for
all applications approved for a contract within the Mimbres River Watershed
Initiative.
Please refer to the links for the cost docket and eligible practices to view
the final approved practices, cost share rates and practice component costs.
Ranking Criteria:
The new national ranking tool will be used. Local issues will be
incorporated into the ranking tool.
Please refer to the links for the ranking criteria to view the final approved
criteria.
Timelines, Evaluation Periods:
All applications and any supporting documentation, for applications outside
the watershed initiative area, must be submitted by November 3, 2006.
Applications within the Mimbres River Watershed Initiative area must be
submitted by December 15, 2006.
< Back to EQIP County
Documents | 
About Us
