Florida 2008 State EQIP Sign-Up and Application Information

EQIP provides cost sharing to help farmers with  conservation practices. All sign-ups are conducted at USDA Service Centers in Florida. Farmers can apply for cost-sharing for many types of conservation practices.

Application Ranking and Selection

Annually, NRCS establishes a cutoff date for applications to be evaluated and ranked for current year funding.  The evaluation cutoff date for Fiscal Year 2008 is November 13, 2007. Any applications received after the cutoff date will be held for evaluation for funding the following fiscal year.

Once an application is received by NRCS:

1. NRCS will contact the applicant to conduct an evaluation and ranking of the application.
2. The application will be ranked against all of the other applications within the local work group area/county or tribal area.  Applications received to address resource concerns related to confined livestock operations will be ranked in a statewide pool.
3. After the cutoff date, NRCS will notify the applicant in writing of selection, deferment, or cancellation of the EQIP application.
4. If selected for funding, the contract development process will be initiated.

Applicants selected for funding are not authorized to begin the installation of a conservation practice until they have a CCC-1202 Conservation Program Contract, signed by a CCC representative (NRCS Contracting Officer)

The Ranking Templates used to rank EQIP applications include questions that address various resource concerns and range from Water Quality and Water Quantity to Soil Erosion and Plant/Animal Health.  The more resource concerns that are being addressed the higher the applicant's score.  Once all applications have been ranked the allocation process will begin with the highest scoring applications funded, until all the funds have been exhausted.  There are ten Ranking Templates that include: one for each of the four administrative areas of the state, Confined Livestock Operations, Small Scale and Limited Resource Producers, Ground and Surface Water, Indian Reservations, Northern Everglades Restoration Area, and the Suwannee Watershed.  With several of those Ranking Templates mentioned for specific regions of the state.

 IMPORTANT EQIP INFORMATION FOR PRODUCERS

• In addition to the technical responsibilities for EQIP, NRCS now has administrative responsibilities as well.  This change occurred October 1, 2004, prior to that date Farm Service Agency (FSA) was in charge of the administrative responsibilities of EQIP.  Therefore NRCS will need additional information from the EQIP applicant that has in the past been submitted to the FSA Office.
• Producer Eligibility – In order to be considered an Agricultural Producer, there must be a minimum of $1,000 or more of agricultural products produced and sold, or that normally would have been sold. (Proof provided by IRS Schedule F showing profit or loss from farm operations.) 
• Cost Effectiveness is currently being addressed in each ranking tool criteria by utilizing the following methods: cost sharing on practices with longer life spans, utilizing additional partners to stretch cost share dollars further, addressing multiple resource concerns.
• A practice must be started within the first 12 months of a signed contract.
• An EQIP contract stays with the land; therefore, to prevent the possibility of having to pay liquidated damages and/or cost recovery a participant wishing to terminate a EQIP contract due to the sale of the land must acquire a Successor-In-Interest through the proper documentation to transfer the contract to the new owner of the land.

Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG)

Documents on this page may require Adobe Acrobat 

Forms Needed for Signup:

EQIP Application Steps 2008  Revised 10/07
CPA-09 Power of Attorney Form  04/2005
SF 1199a, Electronic Financial Transfer

Forms Available at these sites
National EQIP website
EQIP Program Application and Contract Appendix

USDA Service Center eForms:  http://forms.sc.egov.usda.gov/eforms/mainservlet
CCC-36, Payment Assignments
CCC-526 AGI Certification
CCC-501a Entity & Joint Operation Information

FY 2008 Ranking Templates 

FY 2008 Payment Schedules

State General (includes Area 1-4, Confined Livestock & Suwannee Watershed)  (366kb)
Indian Reservations (302kb)
Limited Resource Farmer  (307kb)
Small Scale Farmer  (294 kb)
Northern Everglades Restoration Area (299kb)