Johnson 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 Johnson 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.

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

• Classic Gully - Eroded channels that are too deep to be crossed with farm equipment. They may enlarge by head cutting or lateral widening.

Streambank - Accelerated loss of streambank soils restricts land and water use and management.

Plants - Productivity, Health and Vigor - Plants do not produce the yields, quality or soil cover to meet client objectives.

Air Quality - Objectionable odors - Land use and management operations produce offensive smells.

Domestic animals

• Inadequate quantities and quality of feed and forage - Total feed and forage is insufficient to meet the nutritional and production needs of the kinds and classes of livestock.

• Inadequate stock water - The quantity, quality and distribution of drinking water in insufficient to meet the production goals for the kinds and classes of livestock.

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

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.

Animals - Fish and wildlife, Threatened and Endangered Species - Fish and wildlife populations and/or habitat quantity and quality have reached a level that one or more species are in danger of or threatened with extinction.

These resource concerns address the following National EQIP priorities:

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

2. 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.

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

4. Promotion of at-risk species habitat conservation.

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. Contact the field office directly for more information. 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 Johnson County USDA Service Center located at 51 Escort Lane, Iowa City , IA  52240. Phone (319) 337-2322. Fax (319) 358-9521.