NRCS Conservation Programs in Nebraska

1
NRCSConservation Programsin Nebraska

• Don Thober (Assistant State Conservationist for
  Programs)

2
NRCS Conservation Programs

• Environmental Quality Incentives Program
• Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program
• Wetlands Reserve Program
• Grassland Reserve Program
• Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program
• Conservation Security Program

3
Environmental QualityIncentives Program(EQIP)
4
EQIP

• Provides assistance to farmers and ranchers who
  face threats to soil, water, air, and related
  natural resource concerns on
• Cropland
• Grazing lands
• Wetlands
• Wildlife land
• Other agricultural land

5
EQIP

• Promotes agricultural production and
  environmental quality as compatible goals
• Optimizes environmental benefits
• Helps farmers and ranchers meet environmental
  requirements

6
EQIP

• Cost share payments
• Up to 75 for structural and vegetative practices
• Up to 90 for beginning and limited resource
  farmers and ranchers
• Incentive payments for land management practices

7
EQIP

• Resource Concerns in Nebraska
• Grassland
• Water Quality
• Water Quantity
• Soils
• Wildlife Habitat
• Wetlands
• Air

8
EQIP

• FY 2004 Decisions
• 20 of Allocation to AFOs
• Option to shift 20 of funds to GSWC
• Clarifying Ranking Items
• Modifying Ranking Points
• Natural Resources Areas of Concern
• Local Ranking Factors
• Special Practice Requests
• Organic Crop Production
• Unique Rotations (1 of 3 years irrigated)

9
EQIP

• Cost share payments in Nebraska
• 50 for most conservation practices
• Option for 75 on some practices
• Based on LWG input
• 30 for sprinkler systems and subsurface drip
  irrigation
• 20 increase for beginning and limited resource
  farmers and ranchers

10
EQIP

• Incentive payments in Nebraska
• Converting irrigated to dryland
• Cropland, Pasture, Range, Wildlife
• No Till / Strip Till Farming
• Irrigation Water Management
• Nutrient Management
• Pest Management
• Waste Utilization

11
EQIP

• Ranking of Applications
• General (NRD based)
• All applications except
• Irrigation
• Animal Feeding Operations
• GSWC Water Savings (NRD based)
• AFO Waste Management (statewide)
• Website
• www.ne.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/EQIP

12
EQIP

• Fund Allocations FY2004
• Initial
  23,504,300
• Incentive Award 750,000
• Livestock Award 465,900
• Total 24,720,200
• General 14,963,300
• GSWC 6,653,800
• AFO 3,103,100

13
EQIP

• Applications
  Approvals
• General 2017 1164
• GSWC 5580 477
• AFO 87 61
• Beef 62
• Swine 17
• Dairy 8
• Total 7684 1642

14
EQIP Trends

• Year Number Acres Funds
• 1997 739 238,000
  5,300,000
• 1998 316 295,200
  3,900,000
• 1999 336 361,300
  3,800,000
• 2000 384 268,800
  4,700,000
• 2001 415 296,500
  4,300,000
• 2002 968 413,800
  12,200,000
• 2003 1258 600,000
  18,500,000
• 2004 1642 718,200
  24,720,200

15
EQIP Trends AFOs

• Year Number Funds
• 2002 8 350,000
• 2003 50 2,169,200
• 2004 61 3,103,100

16
EQIP Trends GSWC

• Year Applications Pivots
• 2002 5289 175
• 2003 5839 324
• 2004 5580 354

17
Wildlife HabitatIncentives Program(WHIP)
18
WHIP

• Encourages creation of high quality wildlife
  habitats that support wildlife
• Uplands
• Wetlands
• Riparian areas
• Aquatic areas
• Cost share payments
• Up to 75

19
WHIP

• Priorities
• Native Prairie Renovation
• Native Grassland Establishment
• Riparian Area Improvement
• Small Cropland Field Conversions

20
WHIP

• Key Changes in FY 2004
• Added 3 Species of National Interest
• Requiring Habitat Evaluation Scoring
• Wildlife Biologist Concurrence of Plans

21
WHIP Trends

• Year Number Acres Funds
• 1997 ---- ----
  ----
• 1998 63 30,800
  576,000
• 1999 72 44,200
  515,800
• 2000 ---- ----
  ----
• 2001 36 29,000
  303,700
• 2002 57 28,500
  520,000
• 2003 36 6,700
  405,000
• 2004 51 9,000
  570,000

22
WetlandsReserve Program(WRP)
23
WRP

• Encourages restoration, enhancement, and
  protection of wetlands
• 10 year restoration agreements
• 30 year easements
• Permanent easements

24
WRP

• Goal - 100,000 Acres by 2007
• Wetlands Reserve Enhancement Program
• Team focused on wetlands (Syracuse)
• Contracting for wetland restoration
• 45,100 acres on 317 contracts
• 54,900 acres to achieve goal
• 18,300 acres per year

25
WREP

• December, 2003 Subcommitttee Meeting
• Four Applications
• Lower Missouri River Floodplain
• June 30th USDA Announcement of First WREP in
  the Nation
• Emphasizes Partnership Efforts and Corridor Value

26
WREP

• Goals 18,800 acres
• 24,000,000 USDA Funding
• 4,000,000 in FY 2004
• Partnership Commitments of 2,000,000
• Flexibility to Obtain Corridor Segments
• Land Eligibility Adjacent to Missouri River
• 41 Upland to Wetland Ratio Eligibility
• 27 Contracts on 2,881 acres in FY 2004

27
WREP
28
WRP WREP Trends

• Year Number Acres Funds
• 1997 13 2,000
  1,400,000
• 1998 10 4,100
  2,000,000
• 1999 21 2,200
  2,600,000
• 2000 38 4,100
  5,000,000
• 2001 32 4,700
  7,000,000
• 2002 39 4,400
  7,300,000
• 2003 50 5,700
  8,000,000
• 2004 65 10,000
  9,500,000

29
GrasslandReserve Program(GRP)
30
GRP

• Goal Restore and protect grassland under threat
  of conversion
• 10, 15, 20, and 30 year contracts
• 30 year and permanent easements

31
GRP

• Ranking of applications based
• Risk of Conversion
• Plant Community
• Tallgrass prairie
• Applications in 2004
• 269 applications
• 186,500 acres
• 29,502,000

32
GRP Trends

• Year Number Acres Funds
• 2003 6 1,500
  1,349,000
• 2004 11 1,540
  1,496,400

33
Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program (FRPP)

• Goal - Protect prime and important land from
  conversion to non-agricultural uses
• Matching funds to organizations with existing
  protection programs
• Easements - perpetual
• Easements held by organization
• Landowners retain rights for agricultural use

34
Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program (FRPP)

• Received 2 Applications for 600,000
• FY 2004 Allocation 86,500
• Additional 432,000
• Total 518,500
• Established Ranking Criteria
• Soils of Statewide Importance
• UNL Conservation Survey Division

35
ConservationSecurity Program(CSP)
36
CSP

• Payments to landusers who practice good
  stewardship
• Incentives to those who want to do more
• Lower Little Blue Watershed
• Land in Nebraska and Kansas
• National allocation pool
• FY 2004 Funds - 41,000,000
• Nebraska - 589,200 on 70 contracts

37
CSP

• 70 Contracts approved
• 51 Jefferson County
• 14 Thayer County
• 5 Fillmore County

38
FY 2004 Allocations - Initial

• Program FY 2003 FY 2004
  Increase
• EQIP-General 11,346,500 19,069,700 68
• EQIP-GSWC 4,765,900 4,434,600 - 7
• WHIP 405,000 570,000
  41
• WRP 6,500,000 5,500,000
  -15
• GRP 1,349,000 1,496,400
  11
• FRPP 374,000 86,500
  -77
• Total 24,740,400 31,157,200
  26

39
FY 2004 Allocations - Final

• Program FY 2003 FY 2004
  Increase
• EQIP-General 13,267,200 20,285,600 53
• EQIP-GSWC 4,765,900 4,434,600 - 7
• WHIP 405,000 570,000
  41
• WRP 8,000,000 9,500,000
  19
• GRP 1,349,000 1,496,400
  11
• FRPP 0
  518,500
• CSP 0
  589,200
• Total 27,787,100 37,394,300
  35

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Other Programs

• NSWCP
• NRD Cost Share
• NBSP
• PL566 Watershed
• Watershed Rehabilitation
• CRP Administered by FSA
• ECP Administered by FSA

41
Technical Service Providers (TSP)

• Online at http//techreg.usda.gov
• FY 2003 Activity
• TSPs in Individual Contracts 0
• NRD Contribution Agreements 21
• Other Contribution Agreements 3
• A E Services Contracts 3
• Cooperative Agreements 0

42
Technical Service Providers (TSP)

• FY 2004 Activity
• TSPs in Individual Contracts 25
• 82 Registered Providers in Nebraska
• NRD Contribution Agreements 25
• Other Contribution Agreements 5
• A E Services Contracts
  7
• Competitive Cooperative Agreements 4

43
State Technical CommitteeSubcommittees

• CSP Subcommittee
• EQIP Subcommittee
• FRPP Subcommittee
• GRP Subcommittee
• TSP Subcommittee
• WHIP Subcommittee
• WRP Subcommittee

44
STC Subcommittees

• Provide Input on Conservation Programs
• Objectives Procedures
• Ranking Worksheets
• Practice List
• Cost Share Rates
• Local Work Group Efforts
• Allocation Formula

45
State Technical CommitteeSubcommittees

• Fall Meetings
• CSP Subcommittee 9/03/04
• EQIP Subcommittee 9/23/04
• WHIP Subcommittee 10/25/04
• GRP Subcommittee 10/25/04
• WRP Subcommittee 10/26/04
• FRPP Subcommittee 10/26/04

46
Whats Ahead?

• EQIP
• Administration to NRCS
• Protracts online contract management
• Minimal changes in procedure for FY 2005
• National ranking template for FY 2006
• Animal Feeding Operations
• NDEQ Water Quality Initiative
• NDNR Water Quantity Initiative
• Invasive Species Initiative

47
Whats Ahead?

• CSP
• 1/8 of state eligible in FY 2005
• Location announced by Secretary
• WRP/WREP
• Increased opportunities for wetland restoration
  with partnership emphasis

48
Whats Ahead?

• WHIP
• At risk species emphasis
• Biologist positions promotion
• FRPP
• Encourage more applications
• Soils of Statewide Importance Eligibility
• GRP
• Emphasis on most critical areas

49
The Natural Resources Conservation Service
provides leadership in a partnership effortto
help people conserve, maintain, and improve our
natural resources and environment.

• www.ne.nrcs.usda.gov