Every year, the Clarendon Soil and Water Conservation District staff works in partnership with the Natural Resources Conservation Service to obligate federal dollars to the Environmental Quality Incentives Program.
The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) is a voluntary program that provides financial and technical assistance to agricultural producers through contracts up to a maximum term of 10 years in length.
These contracts provide financial assistance to help plan and implement conservation practices that address natural resource concerns and for opportunities to improve soil, water, plant, animal, air and related resources on agricultural land and non-industrial private forestland. In addition, a purpose of EQIP is to help producers meet federal, state, trial and local environmental regulations.
The state of South Carolina received $11.9 million for this program for Fiscal Year 2015. Clarendon County received $821,810 to help the local farmers and private landowners in our county. With this money, the NRCS Manning Field office has been able to award 36 contracts to our local landowners. This is an extraordinary amount of funds that will directly benefit the residents of Clarendon County and help preserve the county's natural resources for future generations.
There are many different conservation practices that NRCS has specifications for that can be implemented. They include, but are not limited to, tree planting, high tunnels, cover crops and watering facilities. This program is a cost-share program that helps assist in the cost of installing different conservation practices. It is not a grant. In order to receive a payment on an obligated contract, a practice must be properly installed to NRCS specifications and properly inspected by an NRCS representative and then a landowner can be reimbursed.
The first step in applying for EQIP is to contact your local NRCS office and make an appointment with a representative. After meeting in the NRCS office, a representative will conduct a site visit and discuss the different alternatives to help address the resource concerns on your property. If a practice is deemed eligible, an EQIP application may be filled out and a conservation plan will be written.
This conservation plan will be a tailored, collaborative effort between NRCS and the individual landowner(s). There are several eligibility criteria that must be met, and your NRCS representative will go over them with you. District staff will help you to work up your application and ensure that all eligibility paperwork is completed properly.
If you are interested in applying for the EQIP program, the deadline for 2016 is general around Sept. 30, 2015. You may call the office to discuss any questions you have regarding the program at (803) 435-2612, ext. 3.
It is a pleasure for the Clarendon Soil and Water Conservation District and the USDA NRCS Office to serve the great farmers, producers and landowners of Clarendon County
CASEY BLACKMON
District Manager, Clarendon Soil and Water Conservation District
