Auburn, Ala., October 18, 2013 – USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) State Conservationist Dr. William Puckett announced that the batching dates for the following FY 2014 programs have been extended to November 15, 2013:
• Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP)
• Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP)
Applications are accepted on a continuous basis; however, selecting applications for funding is completed periodically through batching periods with specific cutoff dates.
In the CSP and EQIP programs, eligible producers may receive a payment based on the statewide average cost of the installation of the conservation practice.
Socially disadvantaged, limited resource, and beginning farmers and ranchers are eligible for a higher payment based on the statewide average cost of the installation of the conservation practice. In addition, socially disadvantaged, limited resource, and beginning farmers and ranchers can receive up to 30 percent advanced payment for purchasing materials or contracting.
Interested producers should visit their nearest USDA Service Center to determine eligibility. NRCS field offices are listed in the telephone directory under U.S. Department of Agriculture or on-line at http://offices.sc.egov.usda.gov. General program information is available on the Alabama NRCS website at www.al.nrcs.usda.gov. Individuals are not eligible until they have completed the Farm Bill eligibility requirements.