2004 Environmental Quality Incentive Program

Local Work Group Summary for Las Cruces

Introduction:

The Las Cruces Field Office is located in southern New Mexico, and is the county seat for Dona Ana County. The field office provides assistance to the La Union Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) and it producers.  Approximately 55% is state and private lands and 45% federal lands.  There is a variety of landscapes ranging from 3,200 feet up to 8,500 feet in elevation.  Annual precipitation ranges from 8 to 12 inches throughout most of the county, but the southwestern part of the county averages up to 16 inches.  Soils are extremely variable and complex with over 80 mapped soils occurring.  They include sandy to gravelly clay or silt clay loams which make up nearly two thirds of the mapped area, deep loamy soils in the Gila River valley, alkaline playas, and rough and broken rock land with very shallow soils.  Vegetation includes blue and black grama, tobosa, dropseeds, bush muhly, creosote bush, yucca, Mormon tea, mesquite, and juniper. Primary field crops are cotton, chile, some winter vegetables, alfalfa, and cereals. We have a few cattle ranches and dairies. Locations of ranches are on the west mesa and most dairies are adjacent to I-10.

Local Work Group:

The Local Work Group (LWG) met on Dec. 18, 2003 at 1:00pm at the USDA Service Center conference room. Invitations were sent out to federal, state, and local agencies.

Representatives included:

• Mary Sanchez                          NRCS, DC

• Frances M. Campbell                LUSWCD, Supervisor

• Ed Provencio                           LUSWD, Supervisor

• Gilbert Garcia                          FSA, CED

• Marsha Wright                         NMDA, Specialist

• Roman Jacquez                        NMACD, FB Specialist

• Lupe L. Garcia                          Hispanic Farmers and Ranchers of America, President

• John M. White                          NMSU, CES Agent

• Sean Lewis                              NRCS, RC

Participants in attendance provided input for the new 2004 EQIP program year. Purpose was to change and update to the EQIP program like: Funding Distribution; Eligible practices; Cost Share Rates; Incentive Programs; Evaluation Periods for 2004; Ranking Criteria; Cost Docket.

Priority Resource Concerns:

Local Work Group (LWG) main concern was drought and water quantity and quality due to drought conditions in the valley. LWG looked at the amount of farmers in the area still irrigating with dirt ditches. Mary reported that 20-30% of all water received this year was wasted by seepage or dirt ditch breaks. EBID has reported to Mary that unless the mountain received 200% of the snow pack, water predictions for this year will be a lot less than last year. This brought the LWG to recommend a fourth category called Drought Mitigation, which will go up to state office for review.   Drought Mitigation would be distributed to farmers or ranchers only needing one practice. In cropland it is going to be going from dirt ditch to concrete lined ditch or pipeline. In range it is going to one well, pipeline, or tank to relief pressure of grazing.

Funding Considerations:

Local Work Group decided to allocate monies received based on a 60/20/10/10 split. Cropland projects would receive 60% of the funding allocated to NRCS, rangeland would receive 20%, AFO would receive 10%, and the new program, Drought Mitigation, would distribute 10%.

Cost Docket - Please refer to the Cost Docket link for specific information.

Cost Docket reviewed by LWG with minor changes made to existing practices. Only one new practice was added and none were removed. 

Eligible Practices - Please refer to the Eligible Practices link for specific information.

Local Work Group agreed to allow all 2003 practices to be eligible to all programs under the EQIP, but with more focus on cement ditches and rangeland water storage under the Drought Mitigation program.

Cost Share Rate and Incentive Payments Please refer to link for specific information. 

Local Work Group reviewed cost share rates and agreed to leave the 50-50% rate for cropland, AFO, and rangeland programs; 90-10% rate for limited resource producers; 75-25% incentive rate for Drought Mitigation program only. 

Ranking Criteria - Please refer to the Ranking Criteria links for specific information.

Current ranking criteria sheets were reviewed by Local Work Group and were approved with minor changes. A new ranking criteria sheet for the new Drought Mitigation program is to be developed and sent to state office for approval. 

Timelines, Evaluation Periods

Please refer to the EQIP Application Information link.

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