USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Alabama recently announced their first program batching date for Fiscal Year 2022 Conservation Easements and Financial Assistance Programs. November 12, 2021 is the deadline to sign up for various programs. And NRCS Assistant State Conservationist for Programs in Alabama, Steve Musser, says this includes the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP).
EQIP provides financial and technical assistance to agricultural producers to address natural resource concerns and deliver environmental benefits such as improved water and air quality, conserved ground and surface water, increased soil health and reduced soil erosion and sedimentation, improved or created wildlife habitat, and mitigation against increasing weather volatility. Initiatives include Bobwhite Quail, Feral Swine, TUCCA, U.S. Endowment, High Tunnel, Irrigation, Longleaf Pine, On Farm Energy, Organic, Shortleaf, Soil Quality, Strikeforce, Technical Service Provider, Water Quality, White Oak, Working Lands for Wildlife-Gopher Tortoise, and Joint Chiefs’ Partnership.
While applications for EQIP are accepted on a continuous basis, funding is completed periodically through batching periods with specific cutoff dates. Applications received after November 12, 2021 will be held and evaluated for subsequent funding opportunities as available funds permit.
For more information, contact your local USDA Service Center or go to the Alabama NRCS website.