Clinton 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 Clinton County resource concerns to be addressed by EQIP:

• Soil Erosion - Sheet and Rill - removal of uniform layer of soil from the land surface caused by rainfall and surface water runoff.

• Soil Erosion - Ephemeral Gully - reoccurring gullies on cropland caused by concentrated flow of runoff water. They are obliterated by normal tillage operations.

• Water Quality – Excessive Nutrients and Organics in Surface Water - Degrading ground water quality due to excess animal waste and other nutrients.

• Water Quality – Excessive Suspended Sediment and Turbidity in Surface Water - Pollution from mineral or organic particles degrades surface water quality.

• Air Quality - Particulate matter less than 10 micrometers in diameter - Particulate matter less than 10 micrometers in diameter are suspended in the air causing potential health hazards to humans and animals.

These resource concerns address the following National EQIP priorities:

• Reduction in soil erosion and sedimentation from unacceptable high levels on agricultural land.

• Reduction of non-point source pollution, such as nutrients, sediment, pesticides, or excess salinity in impaired watersheds consistent with Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs).

• Reduction of emissions, such as particulate matter, nitrogen oxides (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 and gives special emphasis to practice application on land within an impaired watershed.

The Watersheds emphasized in 2008 and their known existing impairments are; Elk River Watershed – excess nutrients and organics, excess sediment; Prairie Creek Watershed – excess nutrients and organics, excess sediment; and Lower Deep Creek Watershed – excess sediment.

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 Clinton County USDA Service Center located at 1212 17th Avenue, De Witt, IA  52742. Phone (563) 659-3456. Fax (563) 659-2288.

The following files require Acrobat Reader.

EQIP Practice List - 2008    New!
EQIP Application Ranking - 2008    New!

EQIP Practice List - 2007    For Archival Purposes Only
EQIP Application Ranking - 2007    For Archival Purposes Only

EQIP Practice List - 2006     For Archival Purposes Only
EQIP Application Ranking - 2006     For Archival Purposes Only

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