The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Texas has established a second funding application deadline of Feb. 12 for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP).
“We are encouraging producers to call their NRCS office to discuss conservation planning and financial assistance options,” Kristy Oates, NRCS state conservationist for Texas, said. “Applications received by the Feb. 12 deadline will be ranked for funding by early June.”
Applications are taken year-round for NRCS programs, but deadlines are announced to rank and fund eligible conservation projects.
Farmers and ranchers interested in signing up for EQIP should submit applications to their local USDA service center. If already a USDA client, a farmer can submit applications online via farmers.gov.
EQIP is a voluntary program that provides financial and technical assistance to farmers and ranchers.
Technical assistance is provided without a fee from NRCS specialists to help landowners and land managers plan and implement conservation practices to help them meet their land management goals, address natural resource concerns and improve soil, water, plant, animal, air and related resources on agricultural land and non-industrial private forestland.
The program was reauthorized in the 2018 Farm Bill.
State EQIP initiatives include beginning farmers and ranchers, Colorado River Fresh Water Mussels, fever tick eradication, high tunnel systems, on-farm energy, sourcewater protection, Eagle Mountain Lake, conservation activity plans and disaster recovery, among others.
For additional information, visit the NRCS Texas website at www.tx.nrcs.usda.gov.
Applications for EQIP are accepted on a continuous basis. Producers interested in EQIP can contact their local USDA service center or visit the NRCS EQIP web page.