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The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) provides financial and technical assistance to agricultural producers and non-industrial forest managers to address natural resource concerns
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Fiscal Year 2024 Missouri Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) Opportunities
EQIP
Applications are accepted on a continuous basis.
Next funding opportunity: Application deadline is October 3, 2023
Missouri’s Priority Resource Concerns for FY24:
- Sheet and Rill Erosion
- Classic Gully Erosion
- Plant Productivity and Health
- Terrestrial Habitat for Wildlife and Invertebrates
- Inadequate Livestock Shelter
EQIP provides technical and financial assistance to agricultural producers who are engaged in livestock, agricultural or forest production on eligible land that has a natural resource concern. Applicants under EQIP compete for funding against other applicants on similar land uses. Land use funding pools covered under EQIP funding include, Cropland, Pasture/Hayland, Wildlife, Forestland, and Animal Feeding/Waste. Funding opportunities are also available for applications that focus on climate smart agriculture and forestry conservation practices, or have been identified as focus areas such as MRBI and NWQI.
EQIP provides technical and financial assistance to agricultural and/or forest producers to address natural resource concerns including enhancing water and air quality, conserving ground and surface water, reducing soil erosion and sedimentation, or enhancing wildlife habitat.
The Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (2018 Farm Bill) includes provisions that address the unique circumstances and concerns of socially disadvantaged, beginning, limited resource, and veteran farmers and ranchers (“historically underserved producers”). USDA recognizes the need to be inclusive of all people and ensure equitable access to services. Special provisions are available for producers who meet the definition for historically underserved producers. Increased financial assistance for conservation practices, dedicated conservation funding, and access to advance payments for conservation practice implementation are offered to farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners that fit into any of the following historically underserved groups:
- Limited Resource Farmer or Rancher
- Beginning Farmer or Rancher
- Socially Disadvantaged Farmer or Rancher
- Veteran Farmer or Rancher
For more information on Historically Underserved producers click here.
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.
Use the Service Center locator below to get started.
Fiscal Year 2023 Missouri EQIP Opportunities
EQIP Overview
EQIP is NRCS' flagship conservation program that helps farmers, ranchers and forest landowners integrate conservation into working lands
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Ready to get started?
Contact your local service center to start your application.
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.
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.
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