Where to get more information
Lauren Smith, District Conservationist, NRCS
Pictures and materials borrowed from Lauren Cartwright, NRCS
History of NRCS

Hugh Hammond Bennett became aware of the threat
posed by the erosion of soils as a surveyor for the
USDA Bureau of Soil

Bennett launched public crusade about the soil
erosion crisis in 1928

President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932 made
conservation of soil and water resources a national
priority in the New Deal administration

The National Industrial Recovery Act (Public Law 7367) passed in June 1933 included funds to fight soil
erosion

Funds created the Soil Erosion Service (SES)
established in the Department of Interior and
appointed Hugh Hammond Bennett Chief in September
1933
History of NRCS

On April 27, 1935 Congress passed Public Law 7446 which established the Soil Conservation
Service (SCS)

1994, SCS’s name was changed to the Natural
Resources Conservation Service
Soil
Human
Air
Water
Plants
Animals
ENERGY
Since
1935
Technical Assistance
Opportunities
Financial Assistance
Opportunities
Since
1935
Technical Assistance Opportunities
Since
1935
Financial Assistance
Opportunities
Environmental
Quality
Incentives
Program
Conservation
Stewardship
Program
This is just an example of the most prevalent financial
assistance programs and initiatives available nationally
through NRCS. Depending on your location there may be
other regional or state initiatives.
Graphic from: Building Soils for Better
Crops: Sustainable Soil Management by
Magdoff and Ven Es (2009)
Sustainability
Historically Underserved (HU)

Limited Resource Farmer (LRF)
• Gross Farm Sales Determination:
In each of the last two years, was your direct or indirect
Gross Farm Sales less than or equal to $172,800 (for
Johnson/Massac & Pope Counties) per year?
Gross Farm Sales is defined as: Gross Income entered on IRS Form 1040,
Schedule F, in the Farm Income Section. For FY 2013 Programs, the Gross
Farm Sales level should be less than the 2010 and 2011 Farm Sales.
• Adjusted Gross Income Determination:
In each of the last two years, was your Total Household
Income less than the JOHNSON/MASSAC/POPE County
"County/Area Value" of $23,050?
Total Household Income is defined as Adjusted Gross Income for
all members in your household or the amount you entered on IRS
Form 1040, Adjusted Gross Income Section. See IRS Web Site for
more information on the IRS form. For FY 2013 Programs, this
should be compared with your Adjusted Gross Income for 2010 and
2011.
County/Area Value is calculated as the higher of the National
Poverty level or 50% of the County/Area Median Household Income.
Historically Underserved (HU)

Beginning Farmer (BF)
• A Beginning Farmer or Rancher means an individual or entity who:
• Has not operated a farm or ranch, or who has operated a farm or
ranch for not more than 10 consecutive years. This requirement
applies to all members of an entity,
• Will materially and substantially participate in the operation of
the farm or ranch.

In the case of a contract with an individual, individually or with the
immediate family, material and substantial participation requires that
the individual provide substantial day-to-day labor and management of
the farm or ranch, consistent with the practices in the county or
State where the farm is located

In the case of a contract with an entity, all members must materially
and substantially participate in the operation of the farm or ranch.
Material and substantial participation requires that each of the
members provide some amount of the management, or labor and management
necessary for day-to-day activities, such that if each of the members
did not provide these inputs, operation of the farm or ranch would be
seriously impaired.
Historically Underserved (HU)

Socially Disadvantaged Farmer (SDF)
• According to Section 2501(e)(2) of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation,
and Trade Act of 1990 (7 USC 2279(e)(2)), a Socially disadvantaged
farmer or rancher (SDA) is defined as a farmer or rancher who is a
member of a “Socially Disadvantaged Group". Therefore a "Socially
Disadvantaged Farmer or Rancher" is defined as:
• Socially disadvantaged group- a group whose members have been subjected
to racial or ethnic prejudice because of their identity as members of a
group without regard to their individual qualities. The definition that
applies to Titles I, V, and VI includes members of a group subject to
gender prejudice, while the definition that applies to Titles II, IX,
XII, and XV does not. Title XIV and the Education and Risk Management
Assistance provision in Title XII do not make specific reference to the
statutory definition of socially disadvantaged farmer or rancher.
• Socially disadvantaged Farmer or Rancher- a farmer or rancher who has
been subjected to racial or ethnic prejudices because of their identity
as a member of a group without regard to their individual qualities.
This term means a farmer or rancher who is a member of a socially
disadvantaged group. Specifically, a group whose members have been
subjected to racial or ethnic prejudice because of their identity as
members of a group without regard to their individual qualities. Those
groups include African Americans, American Indians or Alaskan natives,
Hispanics, and Asians or Pacific Islanders.
Payment Rates

EQIP
• Payment rates for HU Producers are 15-20%
above the traditional payment rate for all
practices.
• Funds allocated to separate fund pools


Application competes in regular fund pool and HU
fund pool
CSP
• Funds allocated to separate fund pools

Application competes in regular fund pool and HU
fund pool
NRCS – Natural Resources Conservation Service
FSA – Farm Service Agency
EQIP – Environmental Quality Incentives Program
CSP – Conservation Stewardship Program
GRP – Grassland Reserve Program
WRP – Wetland Reserve Program
How to participate in NRCS Programs
EQIP Programmatic Overview
CSP Programmatic Overview
How to Participate
Basic Eligibility Requirements
(EQIP and CSP):
FSA Farm Number
Highly Erodible Land (HEL)
Wetland Conservation Provisions
Adjusted Gross Income (AGI)
Proceed to your county NRCS office to sign an application,
then go to the county FSA office to begin this process
Environmental Quality Incentives
Program
Develops and implements contracts with agricultural
producers to implement conservation practices to
address natural resource problems.
Payments are made to
producers once conservation
practices are completed
according to NRCS
requirements
Nutrient Management
Rotational Grazing Systems
Alley Cropping
Windbreak/Shelterbelt
Hedgerow Planting
Stripcropping
Contour Buffers
Pollinator Habitat
Riparian Forest Buffer
Filter Strip
Terrace
Cover Crop
Pest Management
Grassed Waterway
Brush Management
Field Border
Seasonal High Tunnel
Conservation Crop Rotation
Environmental Quality Incentives
Program
…And Much More!
Environmental Quality Incentives
Program
Regular EQIP and EQIP National Initiatives…
Funding is competitive
Applications are ranked based upon national, state
and local criteria – developed annually
EQIP National
Initiatives & Regular
EQIP General Fund –
Statewide funding
pools, participants
compete statewide
Regular EQIP Grazing &
Forestland Funds – County
funding pools, participants
compete within a county (land
use pools)
Environmental Quality Incentives
Program
Deadlines:
FY14 EQIP
Application
cutoff
Funding
cutoff
Obligation
cutoff
Janurary 17
March 14
April 11
March 21
May 18
June 6
April 11
May 30
June 27
Continuous
sign up
Environmental Quality Incentives
Program
Eligibility for EQIP
Persons engaged in
livestock or agricultural
production
Land: cropland,
pastureland, private
non-industrial
forestland
EQIP Payment Rates
Conservation
Practice
Practice
Lifespan
(years)
Unit
Practice
Code
Regular
Payment
Amount
HU
Payment
Amount
Description
Brush
Management
10
Acre
314
$310.85
$373.01
Biological control with
grazing animals (goats)
Conservation
Crop Rotation
1
Acre
328
$76.60
$77.38
Add small grain to
rotation
Cover Crop
1
Acre
340
$37.13
$44.55
Species Mix
Field Border
10
Acre
386
$580.58
$618.88
Pollinator Habitat
Grassed
Waterway
10
Acre
412
$3511.58
$4136.09
36’ top width with
checks
Integrated
Pest
Management
1
Acre
595
$7.35
$8.82
Basic IPM with 1RC
Nutrient
Management
1
Acre
590
$10.81
$12.97
Basic NM
Seasonal High
Tunnel for
Crops
4
Sq
Ft
789
$2.74
$3.29
SHT
Windbreak
Establishment
15
Ft
380
$0.33
$0.35
1 row – bare-root
seedling planting stock
Environmental Quality Incentives
Program
Conservation Stewardship
Program
Conservation Stewardship Program encourages
maintenance of existing conservation activities and
adoption of additional conservation activities –
called enhancements
Five Year Contracts, annual per acre
payments for maintaining existing
conservation activities and implementing
new activities (enhancements)
Examples of Enhancements
Plant: Habitat
development for
beneficial insects
for pest
management
Water Quality:
Integrated Pest
Management for
Organic Farming
Energy:
Locally grown
and marketed
farm products
Soil Quality:
Use of Cover
Crop Mixes
Water Quantity:
Mulching for
moisture
conservation
Soil Erosion:
Continuous No
Till
Intensive
Management of
Rotational
Grazing
Conservation Stewardship
Program
Applicants are ranked using an interactive tool –
Conservation Measurement Tool
Tool generates points based upon existing
level of stewardship and new enhancement
activities. Annual payment based upon
points. National Average $18/ac maximum
FY14 Application Deadlline:
February 7
Continuous
sign up
Evaluate
applications
Fund
Applications
Obligate
Contracts
March 20
March 21
May 9
Conservation Stewardship
Program
CSP Eligibility
Land: cropland, grassland,
prairie land, improved
pastureland, nonindustrial private
forestland
Applicants: Must be the operator
of record on FSA farm records
Conservation Stewardship
Program
CSP Resources
NRCS- CSP website:
Programmatic information
www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/new_csp/csp.html
Enhancements
www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/national/programs/financial/csp/
Farmers’ Guide to the Conservation Stewardship Program
http://sustainableagriculture.net/wpcontent/uploads/2008/08/CSP_FarmersGuide_final_September_2009.pdf
Since
1935
www.nrcs.usda.gov
www.iL.nrcs.usda.gov
Phone Book
Government
Listings
Federal – US Government
Services
USDA – US Dept of
Agriculture
Natural Resources
Conservation Service
Call and make an appointment to visit with your
local NRCS conservationist!
Since
1935
Equal Opportunity
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits
discrimination in all its programs and activities on
the basis of race, color, national origin, age,
disability, and where applicable, sex, marital
status, familial status, parental status, religion,
sexual orientation, genetic information, political
beliefs, reprisal, or because all or a part of an
individual's income is derived from any public
assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply
to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who
require alternative means for communication of
program information (Braille, large print,
audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA's TARGET Center
at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD).
To file a complaint of discrimination write to USDA,
Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence
Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call
(800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202) 720-6382 (TDD).
Helping People Help
the Land
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