Black Hawk 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 Black Hawk County resource concerns to be addressed by EQIP:

• Soil Erosion - Sheet and rill, ephemeral gully, classic gully, and stream bank.
• Soil Condition – Contaminants – Animal Waste and other Organics (N, P, & K), Organics Matter Depletion.
• Water Quality - Harmful levels of pesticides in surface and groundwater, Excessive nutrients or organics in surface and groundwater, Excessive suspended sediment and turbidity in surface water.
• Air Quality – Excessive Greenhouse Gas (CO2), Particulate Matter (PM 2.5).
• Plant Condition - Productivity, Health, & Vigor, Forage Quality and Palatability.
• Domestic Animals – Inadequate Quality and Quantities of Feed and Forage, Inadequate Stock Water
• Fish and Wildlife - Inadequate food, inadequate water, inadequate cover/shelter, T & E species.

These resource concerns address the following National EQIP priorities:  

1. Reduction of non-point pollution, such as nutrients, sediment, pesticides, or excess salinity in impaired watersheds consistent with Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs), where available, as well as the reduction of groundwater contamination and the conservation of ground and surface water resources.
2.  Reduction in soil erosion and sedimentation from unacceptable high levels on agricultural land.

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 that reduce soil erosion on cropland and improve water quality through livestock manure storage systems. They have also identified Dry Run Creek watershed as a priority area. 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.

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 Black Hawk County USDA Service Center located at 2950 Southland Drive, Ste. 2, Waterloo, IA  50702. Phone (319) 296-3262. Fax (319) 296-1557.

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 Practice List - 2007    For Archival Purposes Only
EQIP Application Ranking - 2007    For Archival Purposes Only
EQIP Nutrient Management Intensity Options - 2007    For Archival Purposes Only

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