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Benton County EQIP
The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) is a
voluntary conservation program of the USDA Natural Resources Conservation
Service (NRCS) that promotes agricultural production and environmental quality.
This program is available to farmers and offers financial and technical
assistance to install or implement structural and management practices on
eligible agricultural land.
The following are Benton County resource concerns to be
addressed by EQIP:
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WATER QUALITY:
Excessive Nutrients and Organics in Surface Water and Groundwater; Harmful
Levels of Pesticides in Surface Waters; Harmful Levels of Pathogens in Surface
Water; Excessive Suspended Sediments and Turbidity in Surface Water as written
in Section III of the FOTG.
-
WATER QUANTITY: Excessive Runoff, Flooding, or Ponding;
Excessive Seepage as written in Section III of the FOTG.
-
SOIL EROSION: Sheet and Rill; Ephemeral Gully; Classic
Gully; Wind; Streambank; and Shoreline as written in Section III of the FOTG.
-
SOIL CONDITION: Organic Matter Depletion; Compaction;
Subsidence; Damage from Soil Deposition as written in Section III of the FOTG.
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PLANT CONDITION: Productivity, Health, and Vigor; Noxious
and Invasive Plants; Forage Quality and Palatability as written in Section III
of the FOTG.
-
FISH & WILDLIFE: Inadequate Food; Inadequate Water;
Inadequate Cover/Shelter; Inadequate Space; Threatened and Endangered Species;
Habitat Fragmentation as written in Section III of the FOTG.
-
AIR QUALITY: Chemical Drift; Undesirable Air movement;
Objectionable Odors; Adverse Air Temperature; Excessive Green House Gas (CO2,
N20, CH4); Particulate Matter (PM 10, PM 2.5) as written in Section III of the
FOTG.
-
DOMESTIC ANIMALS: Inadequate Quantities and Quality of
Feed and Forage; Inadequate Stock Water; Inadequate Shelter; Stress and
Mortality as written in Section III of the FOTG.
These resource concerns address the following National EQIP
priorities:
-
Reduction of non-point source pollution, such as
nutrients, sediment, pesticides, or excess salinity IN IMPAIRED WATERSHEDS
CONSISTENT WITH Total Daily Maximum Loads (TMDL’s), where available, as well
as the reduction of groundwater contamination and reduction of point sources
such as contamination from confined animal feeding operations.
-
Reduction in soil erosion and sedimentation from
unacceptable high levels on agricultural land.
-
Promotion of at-risk species habitat
conservation.
-
Reduction of emissions, such as particulate matter,
nitrogen (NOx), volatile organic compounds, and ozone precursors and depleters
that contribute to air quality impairment violations of National Ambient Air
Quality Standards.
The goal of the locally led group was to recommend a
ranking system that rewarded and gave priority to those producers that address
the above resource concerns inclusion within designated a 319/water quality
project, inclusion within a watershed above a public lake and inclusion within
watersheds of primary concern.
-
319 projects: Hannen Lake and Price Creek watersheds –
Water quality, soil erosion, plant condition, and domestic animals.
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Public Lakes: Hannen Lake, Rodgers Park, and Pleasant
Creek watersheds - Water quality, soil erosion, plant condition, and domestic
animals.
-
Watershed of primary concern: Iowa River drainage area,
NE corner of Benton County (east and north of the Cedar River), and Prairie
Creek - Water quality, soil erosion, plant condition, air quality, animal
wildlife, and domestic animals.
The ranking will be completed for the specific practices to
be applied through the EQIP contract. Sign-up is continuous at the NRCS field
office. Application ranking will be done periodically as funding allocations
become available, will be announced through the NRCS State Office, and will be
publicized by all levels of NRCS. The NRCS may establish local, minimum ranking
cut-off levels for funding selection. Initial EQIP funds will be allocated based
on the following percentage unless requests are not received to fully obligate
funds within that resource concern.
The local work group also recommended a list of
conservation practices that are the most cost-effective, longest duration and
address these priority resource concerns in the district.
For more information on EQIP and other NRCS administrated
programs contact the Benton County USDA Service Center located at 1705 West D
St, Vinton, Iowa 52349. Phone 319-472-2161 Press3. Fax 319-472-4649.
The following files require
Acrobat Reader.
EQIP
Practice List - 2009
EQIP
Application Ranking - 2009
EQIP
Nutrient Management Intensity Options - 2009
EQIP Pest Management Intensity Options - 2009
EQIP
Practice List - 2008 For Archival Purposes Only
EQIP
Application Ranking - 2008 For Archival Purposes Only
EQIP
Nutrient Management Intensity Options - 2008 For Archival Purposes Only
EQIP
Practice List - 2007 For Archival Purposes Only
EQIP
Application Ranking - 2007 For Archival Purposes Only
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