The following information is provided to help you stay aware of the status of programs currently under way.

EQIP Program 

The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) administers a program which will cost-share for erosion control practices as well as manure and livestock management issues. The program is called Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP).

The program is designed to share in the cost at a 75% level on agricultural "working lands", which includes cropland, hayland, and pastures as well as woodlands.

The 2003 Farm Bill has funded conservation programs such as EQIP at very high levels, which will make for an extremely heavy workload for field office staff.  Please apply at your local office early so applications can be processed in a timely fashion for you.

All applications are ranked according to positive impacts on the environment. The higher the positive impacts the higher the score, which in turn increases your chances for funding. All applications throughout the state are ranked in one pool of names. Sixty percent of the funds are dedicated to livestock issues.
 

Help Warrick County Crack The WHIP

The Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program (WHIP) has been reauthorized in the 2002 Farm Bill. This program provides landowners the opportunity to install conservation practices that improve habitat for wildlife with greater emphasis on species such as the Copperbelly Watersnake, Indiana Bat and Bald Eagle that are on the threatened and endangered species list. Habitats may be for quail, deer, rabbit and waterfowl and frogs vary from native prairie to riparian and aquatic areas.

A person may participate in WHIP if he or she owns or leases land, or can provide proof of control of the land for the agreement period. The agreement period is a minimum of 5 years and not to exceed 10 years in duration. The agreement period is set up in a conservation plan and contract.

The plan and contract state what practices are agreed upon and the percentage of cost-share that will be paid. Eligible practices are cost-shared on a 75% basis not to exceed a set rate. Warrick County currently has 150 acres of upland wildlife management through the planting of warm season grasses. Eleven acres of wetland restoration will allow the landowner the ability to fluctuate the water level. This will create various areas for amphibians and reptiles throughout their life.

Applications are accepted through a continuous sign-up process. If you need more information about WHIP, please contact your local NRCS representative at the Warrick SWCD Office or the local State Wildlife Biologist.

Additional State & Federal Dollars Available to Landowners

 The Indiana State Department of Agriculture announces landowner sign-up for the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) which builds upon the current Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), the country’s largest private-lands environmental improvement program. 

Current CRP participants, as well as those landowners interested in signing up for CRP, may qualify to receive additional state and federal funding through the CREP program. By combining federal, state, and private resources, CREP provides landowners with an additional financial package for conserving and enhancing natural resources on farms located within the Highland-Pigeon Watershed. 

CREP will allow farmers in the Highland-Pigeon Watershed to take sensitive farmland out of agricultural production and provide them with financial incentives to offset the cost of production. Landowners can enhance these sensitive areas by applying conservation practices that will protect the water quality in this watershed. Counties in the Highland-Pigeon Watershed include Gibson, Pike, Posey, Vanderburgh, and Warrick. 

The actual amount of federal dollars landowners will receive to participate in CREP is highly variable. The determination of the total amount landowners will receive includes base rental rate, cost of installation of conservation practices, annual maintenance costs and any special incentives. 

State incentives, depending on the conservation practice applied, will range from $100 to $400 per acre. Conservation practices eligible for various CREP payments include: 

• Establishment of permanent native grasses
• Hardwood tree planting
• Permanent wildlife habitat, non-easement
• Riparian buffer
• Filter strips
• Wetland restoration
• Wetland restoration, non-floodplain
• Bottomland timber establishment on wetlands

To learn more about the CREP or CRP, contact your local soil and water conservation district, or your local Farm Service Agency office, located in your County’s USDA Service Center.

Other USDA Programs Available:

     Conservation Reserve Program - Continuous sign-up
     Wetlands Reserve Program  (WRP)
      Conservation Security Program (CSP)
      Grassland Reserve Program (GRP)
      Technical Service Providers (TSP)
      4-Rivers Resource Conservation and Development Area (RC&D)

Click here for information on available
Conservation Technical Assistance

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