Environmental Quality Incentives Program
Financial assistance for US agricultural producers and forest managers to install conservation practices that cut emissions and make working land more resilient.
Deze mogelijkheid is momenteel in het Engels beschikbaar.
Use an EQIP contract to help pay for conservation practices on farms, ranches or non-industrial private forestland. Supported work can improve soil health and drought resilience, store more carbon or reduce greenhouse-gas emissions.
Payment rates depend on the practice and state schedule and are reset each federal fiscal year. Farmers and ranchers in USDA's “historically underserved” category may qualify to receive at least half of a contracted practice payment in advance for materials or services.
USDA includes four groups in this category:
- People beginning in farming or ranching: You must either have never operated a farm or ranch or have operated one for no more than 10 consecutive years. You must also take a material and substantial part in running it (“Beginning Farmer or Rancher”). For a contract with a legal entity, every member must meet these requirements.
- Producers with limited resources: In each of the previous two years, your direct or indirect gross farm sales must be no more than USDA's current indexed limit. In each of those years, your household income must also be at or below the national poverty level for a family of four or below 50% of your county's median household income (“Limited Resource Farmer or Rancher”).
- The specified racial and ethnic groups: USDA's “Socially Disadvantaged Farmer or Rancher” category covers American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, Black or African American, Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, and Hispanic producers. For an entity, socially disadvantaged individuals must hold at least 50% of the farm business.
- Veterans: You must have served in the US Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force or Coast Guard, including a reserve component, and have been released under conditions other than dishonourable. You must also either have operated a farm or ranch for no more than 10 years or have first gained veteran status within the past 10 years (“Veteran Farmer or Rancher”). A legal entity or joint operation qualifies only if every individual member qualifies.
Eligibility
Eligible applicants include agricultural producers, owners of non-industrial private forestland, Indian Tribes, people with an interest in the agricultural or forestry operation, and water-management entities. Eligible land includes cropland, hayland, rangeland, pasture, non-industrial private forest, other farm or ranch land and environmentally sensitive areas.
You must own or control eligible land, meet adjusted-gross-income and payment-limit rules, comply with highly erodible land and wetland conservation requirements, and establish or update Farm Service Agency records for you and the land. If selected, you develop an EQIP plan that addresses at least one natural-resource concern.
How to apply
- Status
- Doorlopend open
- Beperkingen per ronde
- You can apply year-round, but each state sets deadlines for ranking applications for funding.
Contact your local NRCS office. A conservationist will help identify suitable practices and guide the application. Applications are accepted throughout the year, then ranked against state-specific deadlines and environmental priorities.