EQIP

Devin Fielding held up a photograph of his children when he explained why he farms, as well as the golden opportunity he sees in the University of Idaho-led Innovative Agricultural and Marketing Partnership (IAMP) program, formerly known as Climate-Smart Commodities for Idaho.

Earlier this week, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced funding for agricultural producers and forest landowners to participate in voluntary conservation programs and adopt climate-smart practices.  The Inflation Reduction Act provided an additional $19.5 billion...

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association is out with its policy priorities for 2023.  The priorities focus on advancing animal disease preparedness, protecting voluntary conservation programs, and defending producers from regulatory overreach.   “Our f...

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said recently it’s premature to ask if billions of dollars in Inflation Reduction Act conservation funds can be transferred to the upcoming Farm Bill, even though the need will likely exist.  The decision will be up to Congress, but Vilsack and the administration will have a say in whether to use some of the Inflation Reduction Act’s $16 billion for programs like

Climate change as an issue in the next farm bill is already causing temperatures to rise in the nation’s capital.  But if there’s anything farm leaders agree on, it’s conservation incentives, not dictates.   “Let the innovators compete, let them go after it and do what they want, it’s not ‘one size fits all,’ it gives them a shot to do it," said former Farm Service Agency chief, Jonathan Copp

The USDA is out with a new initiative designed to incentivize conservation practices that improve nutrient management.  Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said the initiative will be based within NRCS.   "We're going to put $40 million of resources that we have available and target those resources through a regional conservation partnership program effort to increase better nutrient management

The USDA’s Natural Resources and Conservation Service announced several new and expanded opportunities for climate-smart agriculture in 2022. The updates include the nationwide availability of the Conservation Incentive Contracts Option under the Environmental Quality Incentives Program. Oth ...

NRCS is accepting applications for the Environmental Quality Incentive Program for fiscal year 2022. Assistant Washington Conservationist for Programs, Keith Griswold, said the voluntary program allows local producers to solve problems on private land ...

The final rule for the USDA's Environmental Quality Incentives Program, EQIP is now published in the Federal Register. "This final rule is just really what I would call a tweaking of the wording, but not any substantially new regulation coming through the final rule than what people actually saw in the interim final rule ...

The public comment period is underway for the interim final rule of the Environmental Quality Incentive Program; comments will be accepted through February 18th.  EQIP has been updated for the 2018 Farm Bill, hence the need for public comment.  ...