NRCS Sets Application Period for Environmental Quality Incentives Program

SOMERSET – The current application period for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and five EQIP initiatives offered by USDA, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will close March 18. The EQIP Initiatives that are included in this application round are Working Lands for Wildlife (WLFW), Conservation Activity Plans, the Energy Initiative, the Organic Initiative, and the Soil Health Initiative. This is the second application period set for the 2016 program.
NRCS soil conservationists can assist interested New Jersey agricultural producers and forest land managers by helping them assess the natural resources on their property and suggesting conservation practices that could be planned and implemented with NRCS assistance.
The Environmental Quality Incentives Program offers farmers and forestland managers a variety of options to conserve natural resources while boosting production on their lands. EQIP provides financial assistance for a variety of conservation activities, such as irrigation water management, reduced tillage, field buffers, seasonal high tunnels, rotational grazing systems, and more. Interested producers should visit their local NRCS service center for information on EQIP. Program information is also available at www.nj.nrcs.usda.gov.
NRCS provides financial and technical assistance to help agricultural producers with erosion control, water management, water quality, and other resource concerns through conservation programs authorized by the Farm Bill. Applications for these programs are accepted year round, but application periods are set so that applications can be reviewed and contracts awarded.
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