2005 Environmental Quality Incentives Program

Local Work Group Summary for Clayton

Introduction: 

The Clayton Field Office serves both the Northeastern and Ute Creek Soil and Water Conservation Districts. Union County lies in the extreme northeastern corner of the state and encompasses approximately 2,400,000 acres.  The Roy F.O. has the lead in conservation matters for the Ute Creek Conservation District. Of this amount, about 133,000 acres lies within the Ute Creek Conservation District. Land use acreages are as such: Rangeland-2,109,752 ac., Irrigated Cropland-70,000 ac., Dry Cropland- 8,880 ac., Woodland-5,000 ac., Animal Feeding Operations-6, and of the Ogallala Aquifer 65,000 ac. A large portion of the rangeland is deteriorating because of the encroachment of vast amounts of pinon-juniper throughout our rangelands. The vast majority of these lands are either private or state lands.

Local Work Group:

A meeting of the Local Work Group was held in the afternoon of Wednesday November 10, 2004. It was explained to the group the purpose of the Eqip program, what their responsibilities were and how their input was important to the overall success of the conservation effort in Union County. We discussed what they perceived as the resource concerns of Union County, proposed cost share rates and the practices that they deemed important to landowners. There were 12 people in attendance.

Represented members were from NRCS, FSA, the Northeastern Conservation District, the COC, the Extension agent, and a member of the County Commission. Other invited members of the Local Work Group chose not to attend. The group had the opportunity to review the proposed cost docket, proposed cost share rates, how the money was allocated to Union County, land use acreages of Union County, and the proposed ranking sheets for the various land uses.

Priority Resource Concerns:

The Local Work Group had the opportunity to review past the past year’s resource concerns and decided to retain them. Those concerns were the general health decline of grazing lands, the invasion of pinon- junipers into the rangelands and the declining Ogallala aquifer water quanities. Water quanities in general are a concern and the use of natural windbreaks such as trees were recommended as a measure against the constant winds for erosion control as well as an energy savings device

Funding Considerations:

The following land uses, and or resource concerns and the percentages of funding allocations that were considered for cost share in Union County for Fiscal year 2004 are as follows. Rangeland- Brush Management  and Rangeland Improvements- 70%, Dry Cropland- 1%, Windbreaks- 5%, Confined Animal Feeding Operations- 12 %, and Irrigated Croplands- 12%.

Cost Docket:

The proposed cost docket was reviewed and approved by the Local Work Group. It was discussed that the cost docket be updated so that current prices, such as steel products, be included in the document.

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:

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 Rate and Incentive Payments:

The Local Work Group recommends that all cost shares be set at 65% except those that are set at 75% by the State Office. Our experience shows that cost shares set as 65% serves as an incentive to get conservation practices on the ground. When cost shares have been set at 50%, the opposite is true and we do not get as many people to participate.

An incentive payment of $8.00/acre has been established for Prescribed Grazing (528a) in association with Prescribed Burning (338).

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:

The Ranking Criteria consists of the following categories:

• Rangelands (includes both brush control as well as Range Improvements)
• Cropland (Irrigated and Non Irrigated)
• Windbreaks and Tree Plantings
• Ogallala Aquifer cost share and incentive payments.

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

Timelines, Evaluation Periods:

All applications and any supporting documentation must be submitted by January 28, 2005.

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