2005 Environmental Quality Incentive
Program
Local Work Group Summary for Los Lunas
Introduction:
The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Los Lunas
Field Office is located in the west-central part of New Mexico. The office is
bordered by Socorro County on the south, Cibola County and Lucero uplift to the
west, on the east by the Cibola National Forest and Torrance County and on the
north by Bernalillo County. Los Lunas, is the county seat of Valencia County, is
on the Rio Grande and is about 11 miles north of Belen. The office encompasses
l.46 million acres, which includes Valencia County, portions of five other
counties: Bernalillo, Cibola, Sandoval, Socorro, and Torrance.
The elevation within the field office ranges from 4,700 feet
at the Rio Grande Valley to about l0, 000 feet a the crest of the Manzano
Mountains. Soils vary from shallow to deep, depending on the alluvial materials.
They range in texture from sand to clay and are generally
calcareous. The depth of the water table from the surface varies from a few
inches to a few feet, therefore, this depth should be considered for any
agricultural undertaking as well as current urbanization in the Rio Grande flood
plain area.
The annual rainfall is very limited in the lower elevations,
about eight inches to about l2 inches in the higher elevations. Forty percent of
the rainfall comes during the months of July, August, and September.
The growing season averages l83 days. The average date of
last killing frost is April 20; average date of first killing frost is October
20. Average lake evaporation is 60 inches per year.
The principal urban centers are: The Village of Bosque Farms;
the Village of Los Lunas; and the City of Belen. Also included in this field
office boundaries are the Isleta and Laguna American Indian Pueblos.
Local Work Group:
Membership on the EQIP Local Work Group includes SWCD
supervisors, Farm Service Agency County Office Chair, Bureau of Land Management,
U.S. Fish & Wildlife, N.M. Game & Fish, N. M. State Engineer, Forest Service,
Manzano District, N.M. Dept. of Environment, Southern Pueblo Agency, State Land
Office, Valencia County Commissioner, Pueblo of Laguna, and Pueblo of Isleta.
The Local Work Group met November 8th, 2004. The group
concluded as they did last year that NRCS needed to consider again increasing
the cost-share rates to 75% for concrete line ditches, irrigation pipe, and land
leveling. Some other concerns were the continued drought conditions,
grazingland management, noxious weed control, and wildlife enhancements.
The local work group met to outline EQIP resource priorities,
review ranking criteria worksheets, cost-share rates, eligible practices, and
discuss funding allocations.
Priority Resource Concerns:
The local work group discussed and outlined the following resource concerns
to be addressed under the EQIP 2005 program:
- Water concerns (water quantity and water quality)
- Dairies (water quality and nutrient management concerns)
- Grazingland
- Noxious weeds
- Salt Cedar control
- Well Head protection
- Wildlife
Funding Consideration:
The local work group recommended that 2005 EQIP funding
allocation for the Los Lunas area field should target resource concerns as
follows:
Cost Docket:
Some of the high use practices continue to be concrete lined
ditches, irrigation pipeline, land leveling, fencing, livestock water
facilities (pipeline, tanks/troughs, pumping stations, wells, ponds). The LWG
recommended that producers or contractors bring in receipts for individual
practices whose actual cost is greater than the cost docket. This is needed to
justify an increase in cost sharing for an individual practice. The cost-docket
was acceptable to the Local Work Group.
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:
For EQIP 2005 the LWG recommended that all previous 2004 cost
share practices be accepted.
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 LWG recommended all high value irrigation practices (land
leveling, pipeline, concrete-ditch lining, drip systems, etc.) be cost shared at
75%. As in 2004, the LWG strongly believes that if these practices are kept at
65% or lower, most of the applicants will not be able to install these practices
on their own. Regarding other practices, including AFO/CAFO and grazing land
practices, the LWG continued to express concern that if too much funding goes to
these applicants with high cost practices, than fewer farmers can participate in
the program. Therefore, the recommendation is to keep these practices at 50%
cost share. The LWG did not set any individual practice financial assistance
limit. Also, no incentive payments were recommended for this 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.
Ranking Criteria:
No changes were recommended for the 2005 rating priorities
percentages set on each ranking criteria element. However, some comments were
made regarding specific practices including more emphasis on water conveyance
(water use efficiency) and less on land leveling (first time land levelers
greater priority over repeat land levelers).
On the Irrigated Cropland ranking criteria, the following
percentages were placed on potential points:
Ranking for Grazinglands
Ranking Livestock Manure Management
-
10% Distance to surface or well
-
10% Depth to water table
-
15% Nitrate contamination
-
30% Status of current manure
facility
-
35% Manure Utilization
In the event two or more applications under the ‘Irrigated
Cropland’ category initially receive the same amount of points, ties will be
broken by re-evaluating and comparing the potential increase in irrigation
efficiency, in 1% increments.
Please refer to the ranking criteria links to view the final
approved criteria.
Timelines, Evaluation Periods:
NRCS will submit the Proposed Plan
EQIP 2005 to the state office by November 24th with the local work group
comments.
-
All applications and any
supporting documentation must be submitted by January 28, 2005.
-
Applications will be ranked and
in Protracts by March 11, 2005
-
Plan development in Toolkit April
29, 2005
-
Application approvals will be
finalized by May 27th, 2005.
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