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Environmental Quality Incentives Program - California

EQIP

The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) is NRCS’ flagship conservation program that helps farmers, ranchers and forest landowners integrate conservation into working lands.

EQIP provides technical and financial assistance to agricultural producers and forest landowners to address natural resource concerns, such as:

  • Improved water and air quality;
  • Conserved ground and surface water;
  • Increased soil health ;
  • Reduced soil erosion and sedimentation;
  • Improved or created wildlife habitat; and
  • Mitigation against drought and increasing weather volatility.

How It Works

NRCS works one-on-one with producers to develop a conservation plan that outlines conservation practices and activities to help solve on-farm resource issues. Producers implement practices and activities in their conservation plan that can lead to cleaner water and air, healthier soil and better wildlife habitat, all while improving their agricultural operations. EQIP helps producers make conservation work for them. Financial assistance for practices may be available through EQIP.  Some producers may also qualify for advance payment.

Benefits

Some of these benefits include:

  • Reduced contamination from agricultural sources, such as animal feeding operations.
  • Efficient use of nutrients, reducing input costs and reduction in nonpoint source pollution.
  • Improved soil health, which mitigates against increasing weather volatility, improves drought resiliency and can positively affect climate change.
  • Implementation of climate-smart practices that improve carbon sequestration and reduce greenhouse gas emissions while building resilient landscapes.

Conservation at Work Videos

Watch how farmers and ranchers across the country are implementing EQIP practices and other conservation activities in our Conservation at Work video series. For example, see how producers are using the nutrient management conservation practice to improve water quality by more effectively using nutrients.

EQIP Initiatives

Targeted EQIP financial assistance is available through several conservation initiatives. See which initiative is available in your state.

EQIP offers grant opportunities through Conservation Innovation Grants, which awards competitive grants that stimulate the development and adoption of innovative approaches and technologies for conservation on agricultural lands.

Technical Assistance

NRCS offers technical assistance at no cost. Producers can use our personalized advice and information, based on the latest science and research, to make informed decisions about their land.

Technical Service Providers (TSP) can help producers plan, design and implement conservation practices or develop conservation activity plans to improve their agricultural operations. For more information on the Technical Service Provider program, visit the TSP page.

Technical assistance is also offered through our Conservation Technical Assistance (CTA) program.

Need a local Technical Service Provider? Visit the locate a TSP page.

How To Get Started

The first step is to contact your local NRCS office. An NRCS conservation planner will schedule a visit to your property. They will walk the land with you to discuss your goals and review any resource concerns. Following the site visit, the conservation planner will develop a conservation plan that includes a variety of conservation practices or activities to address the resource concerns and management goals discussed.

Applications for NRCS conservation programs are accepted on a continuous basis; however, customers should apply by state-specific ranking dates to be considered for the current funding cycle.

  • Find application ranking dates for your state.
  • See payment schedules for your state.
  • See application.

To learn more about EQIP, contact your local NRCS office.

Fact Sheets

EQIP fact sheet (425.04 KB)

EQIP Data, 2009 - Present

NRCS program data are housed on the Resource Conservation Assessment Data Viewer. EQIP data for FY2009 to the present are available on the EQIP data page. Fiscal year 2014 - 2021 financial assistance data related to EQIP and other NRCS programs are available on farmers.gov.

Organic Transition Initiative

Support for farmers transitioning to organic production

Migratory Bird Resurgence Initiative

Preserving habitats for migratory birds

Disaster

Emergency assistance for California's agricultural producers

California EQIP


Program Contact

 

Jenna Ganoung
State EQIP Program Manager
Davis State Office, California
Phone: (530) 792-5671
Email: jenna.ganoung@usda.gov

Program Deadlines

EQIP Classic - Batch 1

FY23 Application Deadline: December 9, 2022
Ranking DeadlineMarch 1, 2023
Funding Selections: March 15, 2023
Obligation DeadlineJune 23, 2023

 

EQIP-CIC, On-Farm Energy, Watershed Level Water Conservation with Water Management Entities, National Water Quality Initiative (NWQI), Conservation Planning Activities, Sage Grouse Initiative, Southwestern Willow Flycatcher, CA Wildlife Habitat, Joint Chiefs Initiative, WaterSMART, Groundwater Recharge, National Air Quality Initiative (NAQI) - Batch 3 

FY23 Application Deadline: April 3, 2023
Ranking Deadline: June 16, 2023
Funding Selections: June 30, 2023
Obligation Deadline: August 30, 2023

 

EQIP-OTI

FY23 Application Deadline: June 15, 2023
Ranking Deadline: July 7, 2023
Funding Selections: July 14, 2023
Obligation Deadline: August 15, 2023 

 

EQIP-Disaster

FY23 Application Deadline: June 16, 2023
Ranking Deadline: July 21, 2023 EXTENDED!
Funding Selections: July 28, 2023 EXTENDED!
Obligation Deadline: August 15, 2023 

 

EQIP-CIC - Batch 2

FY23 Application DeadlineJanuary 31, 2023
Ranking DeadlineMarch 10, 2023
Funding SelectionsMarch 15, 2023
Obligation Deadline: June 23, 2023



 




EQIP-IRA - Batch 4

FY23 Application DeadlineMarch 17, 2023
Ranking Deadline: May 12, 2023
Funding Selections: May 26, 2023
Obligation Deadline: August 15, 2023

 

EQIP-MBRI

FY23 Application Deadline: June 15, 2023
Ranking Deadline: July 21, 2023 EXTENDED!
Funding Selections: Close of Business Every Friday from May 19 - July 21, 2023 EXTENDED!
Obligation Deadline: August 15, 2023 

Renfroe Farms, a family business with David, Don, Kevin Renfroe and Kim Renfroe-Johnson harvest corn, part of their operation that focuses on utilizing conservation practices developed with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Production and Conservation (FPAC) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to balance land stewardship and production in Carroll County, TN, on Sept 18, 2019. 

A companion video can be seen at youtu.be/IQ5Gj4bvbQU


Renfroe Farm uses Water and Sediment Control Basin (

EQIP Conservation Incentive Contracts

The new Conservation Incentive Contracts is available to address high-priority conservation and natural resources concerns. 

Initiatives for California

Air Quality Initiative
High Tunnel Initiative
Joint Chiefs Landscape Restoration Partnership
Migratory Bird Resurgence Initiative
On-Farm Energy Initiative
Organic Transition Initiative
Sage Grouse Initiative
Water Quality Initiative
Working Lands for Wildlife

The Ranking Process

Additional Information

Ready to get started?

Contact your local service center to start your application.

Find Your Local Service Center

USDA Service Centers are locations where you can connect with Farm Service Agency, Natural Resources Conservation Service, or Rural Development employees for your business needs. Enter your state and county below to find your local service center and agency offices. If this locator does not work in your browser, please visit offices.usda.gov.

How to Get Assistance

Do you farm or ranch and want to make improvements to the land that you own or lease?

Natural Resources Conservation Service offers technical and financial assistance to help farmers, ranchers and forest landowners.

how to get started

To get started with NRCS, we recommend you stop by your local NRCS field office. We’ll discuss your vision for your land.

NRCS provides landowners with free technical assistance, or advice, for their land. Common technical assistance includes: resource assessment, practice design and resource monitoring. Your conservation planner will help you determine if financial assistance is right for you.

We’ll walk you through the application process. To get started on applying for financial assistance, we’ll work with you:

  • To fill out an AD 1026, which ensures a conservation plan is in place before lands with highly erodible soils are farmed. It also ensures that identified wetland areas are protected.
  • To meet other eligibility certifications.

Once complete, we’ll work with you on the application, or CPA 1200.

Applications for most programs are accepted on a continuous basis, but they’re considered for funding in different ranking periods. Be sure to ask your local NRCS district conservationist about the deadline for the ranking period to ensure you turn in your application in time.

As part of the application process, we’ll check to see if you are eligible. To do this, you’ll need to bring:

  • An official tax ID (Social Security number or an employer ID)
  • A property deed or lease agreement to show you have control of the property; and
  • A farm tract number.

If you don’t have a farm tract number, you can get one from USDA’s Farm Service Agency. Typically, the local FSA office is located in the same building as the local NRCS office. You only need a farm tract number if you’re interested in financial assistance.

NRCS will take a look at the applications and rank them according to local resource concerns, the amount of conservation benefits the work will provide and the needs of applicants.

If you’re selected, you can choose whether to sign the contract for the work to be done.

Once you sign the contract, you’ll be provided standards and specifications for completing the practice or practices, and then you will have a specified amount of time to implement. Once the work is implemented and inspected, you’ll be paid the rate of compensation for the work if it meets NRCS standards and specifications.