USDA funding for dairies, animal feeding operations

SPOKANE, Wash. (November 22, 2016) – USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service in Washington state has announced that it will make financial assistance available for animal feeding operations and confined animal feeding operations (AFO/CAFOs) through their popular Environmental Quality Incentives Program.

EQIP is a voluntary Farm Bill program that provides financial and technical assistance to agricultural producers to plan and implement conservation practices that improve soil, water, plant, animal, air and related natural resources. In most instances, program participants pay for roughly half of the costs of the conservation measures or practices.

The program is especially popular with the dairy industry because of the financial assistance available for implementing Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plans.

Starting in fiscal year 2017, specific funding will be set aside in the state for implementing practices identified in an applicant’s management plan. Financial incentives to develop a management plan will still be maintained as a priority for current funding as a Conservation Activity Plan (CAP 102).

NRCS policy states that a CNMP must be prepared when NRCS is providing technical or financial assistance to an AFO/CAFO to address manure or wastewater handling and storage, treatment, and nutrient management that involved the application of manure and wastewater associated with the AFO/CAFO. A CNMP has targeted resource concerns focused on improving soil erosion, water and air quality. Therefore, a CNMP must be developed before applying for funding for conservation practices that address any part of the waste management system on an AFO/CAFO.

Although EQIP applications are accepted on a year-round basis, eligible producers and entities interested will have three cut-off dates to submit their applications for consideration for funding in fiscal year 2017. The cut-off dates are as follows: November 18, 2016, February 17, 2017, and April 21, 2017. According to Assistant State Conservationist, Jeff Harlow, “while EQIP applications are accepted on a continuous sign-up basis, if you are interested in applying for 2017 funding for a CNMP, you must submit your application at your local USDA-NRCS service center office by one of the three deadlines.”

Each applicant must establish themselves as a USDA customer and complete all Farm Service Agency (FSA) eligibility requirements prior to the application cut-off date.

Applicants who apply as entities must provide a DUNS number, be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM), and maintain an active registration with current information prior to applying for funding and to remain eligible for payments under a funded contract. For more information regarding SAM and DUNS, or if interested in applying for EQIP funding, contact the local NRCS field office, located through the website at: http://www.wa.nrcs.usda.gov.

To learn about technical and financial assistance available through conservation programs, visit http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/GetStarted or local USDA service center.