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Crawford 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 Crawford County resource concerns to be addressed by EQIP:

  • Soil Erosion – Sheet and Rill

  • Soil Erosion – Ephemeral Gully

  • Soil Erosion – Classic Gully

  • Water Quality – Excessive Nutrients and Organics in Groundwater

  • Water Quality – Excessive Nutrients and Organics in Surface Water

  • Water Quality – Harmful Pathogens in Surface or Groundwater

  • Plant Condition – Productivity Health and Vigor

  • Plant Condition – Forage Quality and Palatability

  • Domestic Animals – Inadequate Quantity/Quality of Feed/Forage

  • Domestic Animals – Inadequate Stock Water

  • Fish & Wildlife – Inadequate Cover/Shelter

  • Fish & Wildlife - T & E Species Promotion

  • Air Quality – Objectionable odors

  • Air Quality - Particulate matter (PM 10 and PM 2.5).

  • Air Quality - Excessive greenhouse gas (CO2)

  • Soil Condition – Organic Matter Depletion

These resource concerns address the following National EQIP priorities:

  • Reduction of 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), where available, as well as the reduction of groundwater contamination and reduction of point sources such as contamination from confined animal feeding operations.

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 priorities listed below:

  1. Assist producers with open feedlots to improve manure collection and management.

  2. Improve erosion control on cropland.

  3. Provide additional land treatment above existing recreational water bodies and organized watershed projects in the county.

  4. Encourage multiple resource benefits.

  5. Encourage producers to try long term no-till or nutrient management, both cost efficient and effective practices.

  6. Establish examples of modern improved grazing systems to educate and promote the use of less erosive land uses.

  7. Assist producers that want the guidance of a comprehensive nutrient management plan (CNMP) for their livestock operation.

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. It is the intent of the Crawford County local work group to assist producers with resource concerns relating to existing animal feeding operations, not new feeding operations. If relocating open feedlots to a less environmentally sensitive or easier to treat location, expansion to 150% of existing numbers is allowed. Applications that score negative or minus points will not be approved.

The work group has approved a higher payment rate for limited resource producers.

For more information on EQIP and other NRCS administrated programs, contact the Crawford County USDA Service Center located at 3707 Timberline Drive, Suite 1, Denison Iowa  51442. Phone (712) 263-4123. Fax (712) 263-5918.

The following files require Acrobat Reader.

EQIP Practice List - 2008    New!
EQIP Application Ranking - 2008    New!
 EQIP Nutrient Management Intensity Options - 2008    New!

 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
EQIP Prescribed Grazing Intensity Options - 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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