You are here.
IPM Reimbursement Part of EQIP Incentive Program - April 2003
April 29, 2003
University Park, PA - The USDA is releasing nearly $695 million in the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) through National Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) for reimbursement on working lands for various conservation practices, including Integrated Pest Management.
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) aims to manage pests -- such as insects, diseases, weeds and animals -- by combining physical, biological and chemical tactics that are safe, profitable and environmentally compatible.
According to Barry Frantz, state resource conservationist with the USDA, NRCS, the funding will help producers with conservation planning and voluntary implementation of conservation practices. In Pennsylvania, over $6.9 million is available.
EQIP, an incentive program under the 1996 Farm Bill, provides technical, financial, and educational assistance to farmers and ranchers to address significant natural resource concerns and objectives. The program is available statewide. Priority natural resource needs are determined by a process that includes conservation districts, NRCS, the Farm Service Agency (FSA), Cooperative Extension Service, tribes, and other units of government interested in natural resource conservation.
"Applicants that are approved for funding develop and submit a conservation plan that will address the identified conservation needs," Frantz explains. The producer develops the conservation plan with the assistance of NRCS or other public or private natural resource professionals, with approval by the local conservation district. The plan is used to develop an EQIP contract that will provide funding to implement the planned practices. Those with higher environmental needs receive preference in the program.
USDA's Commodity Credit Corporation may pay up to 75 percent of the costs of certain conservation practices, such as grassed waterways, filter strips, manure management facilities, capping abandoned wells, and other practices important to improving and maintaining the health of natural resources in the area. Incentive payments can also be made to encourage a producer to perform a land management practice that would not otherwise be done without financial assistance. Incentive payments can be made for up to 3 years, enough time for a producer to decide if they want to continue using the practice at their own cost or not. Land management practices such as IPM, nutrient management, prescribed grazing, and residue management may qualify for incentive payments. "If a producer qualifies for an EQIP contract, they can receive $6 to $12 per acre in incentive payments to begin using IPM, which is one of the more common practices promoted through incentive payments," says Frantz. These payments can be used for a variety of IPM activities covered under the Pest Management practice, including scouting (crop monitoring), pheromone and light trap purchases, pest prediction services, etc.
In addition to the federal dollars, conservation on private land is supported by contributions from state and local sources, tribes, conservation districts and non-governmental organizations as well as from landowners themselves who implement conservation practices and resource management systems.
For more information on the EQIP reimbursement program, see Web site http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/ , or contact your local USDA-NRCS office. For technical information on conservation practices, go to the same Web site and click on the link "Electronic Field Office Technical Guide (eFOTG)". eFOTG contains technical information about the conservation of soil, water, air, and related plant and animal resources. Technical guides used in each field office are localized so that they apply specifically to the geographic area for which they are prepared. Users will also find information such as general state maps, watershed information, conservation practice costs, and agricultural laws and regulations.
The Pennsylvania IPM program is a collaboration between the Pennsylvania State University and the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture aimed at promoting integrated pest management in both agricultural and nonagricultural situations. For more information, contact the program at (814) 865-2839, or Web site http://paipm.cas.psu.edu.