USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service is looking for public comments on its interim rule for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP).
The program helps producers plan and implement more than 150 conservation practices on working lands.
“The EQIP gives farmers, ranchers and forest landowners the tools they need to improve their agricultural operations while conserving natural resources,” NRCS Chief Matthew Lohr said.
NRCS has appointed $1.2 billion for interested producers in fiscal year 2020.
Changes to the program include: creating incentive contracts and payments for incentive practices to better support locally led conservation needs; offering an advance payment option for historically underserved producers; raising the payment cap for the Organic Initiative to $140,000 for contracts; and expanding the Conservation Innovation Grant program to include conservation and soil health trials.
Comments are accepted until Feb. 17, 2020 and can be submitted online at regulations.gov by searching for Docket Number NRCS-2019-0009.
