O'Brien 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 O’Brien County resource concerns to be addressed by EQIP:

1. Soil Erosion – sheet & rill, ephemeral gully, classic gully, streambank, and wind.
2. Water Quality – excessive nutrients and organics in surface water and ground water, harmful levels of pesticides in surface water and groundwater; excessive suspended sediments and turbidity in surface waters.
3. Air Quality – objectionable odors, particulates <PM 10 and < PM 2.5 criteria, chemical drift, and undesirable air movement.
4. Plant Condition - productivity, health, and vigor, T&E species, noxious or invasive plants, forage quality and palatability.
5. Fish and Wildlife – inadequate food, inadequate cover/shelter, inadequate water, inadequate space, imbalance among and within populations, T& E species.
6. Domestic Animals – inadequate quantities and quality of feed and forage, inadequate stock water, stress and mortality.
7. Soil Conditions – contaminants, animal waste and other organics (N, P, and K), commercial fertilizer (N, P, and K), and OM depletion, residual pesticides
8. Water Quantity – Excessive seepage, inefficient use of water on irrigated land

These resource concerns address the following National EQIP priorities:

1. Reduction of non point source pollution, such as nutrients, sediment, and pesticides in impaired watersheds consistent with TMDL’s ,(where available)as well as the reduction of ground water contamination, and reduction of point sources such as contamination from confined animal  feeding operations.            
2. Reduction of emissions such as particulate matter, nitrogen oxides, 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 and T & E species

Input from local groups was considered when making recommendations for a ranking system that rewarded and gave priority to those producers that address the above resource concerns within certain geographical areas being emphasized because of their added environmental importance. These areas include:

The Floyd River, an identified segment of the Little Floyd River, an identified segment of Mill Creek and Little Sioux River and Dog Creek Lake Watershed. (These areas are currently being classified as impaired waters on the Iowa DNR’s 303D list of impaired waters.

Drainage area’s above Mill Creek Lake, LSFP program detention structures, state cost shared detention structures (flood protection, and grade stabilization sites that already exist and must continue to be maintained and protected to maximize their benefits to the public).

Area’s within 2500 feet of Public Wellheads. (To help ensure the protection of the public’s water supply).

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.

Input from local groups was also considered when making recommendations of conservation practices that are the most cost-effective, longest duration and address these priority resource concerns in the district; as well as establishing maximum cost share limits for certain practices. State and local EQIP subaccounts have  been established to better protect the identified resource concerns.

O’Brien County EQIP Subaccounts are as follows:

• Soil Erosion   40%
• Water Quality and Quanity 50%
• Fish & Wildlife Habitat / Air Quality 10%

For more information on EQIP and other NRCS administrated programs contact the O’Brien County USDA Service Center located at 315 So. Rerick PO Box 543, Primghar , IA  51245. Phone (712)757-3835 ext. 3. Fax (712) 757-8500.

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
EQIP Nutrient Management Intensity Options - 2007    For Archival Purposes Only

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