Program Guidance for the 2009 New Jersey Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP)

The information presented below is based on program rules developed under the 2002 Farm Bill. With passage of the 2008 Farm Bill in May, statutory language changes mean new program rules need to be written by the Department. These rule changes may impact how New Jersey implements this program. The 2009 program information will be updated after consultation with the State Technical Committee once the new rules are approved for use and prior to any 2009 funding decisions. All applicants will have ample opportunity to review the rule changes and contract terms and will be required to comply with all applicable rules and requirements in place at the time of contract obligation.

Individuals with 2008 contracts should refer to 2008 Program Guidance.

Program Eligibility

Any individual, entity, and joint operation interested in EQIP must be an eligible agricultural producer (see below), and control eligible land for the lifespan of the contract.

Applicants must submit a completed program application (CCC-1200) and Conservation Programs Worksheet, available on the EQIP program page of the New Jersey NRCS website or at any USDA Service Center.

Applicants must initiate or update their farm records with the Farm Service Agency within 30 days of application submittal.

Applicants who request higher payment rates as beginning farmers or limited resource producers are subject to a review of their qualifications. See http://www.lrftool.sc.egov.usda.gov/.

Program Requirements

• No practice can be installed until the final contract document is approved by NRCS, unless a waiver is granted in advance by the State Conservationist.
• At least one practice must be completed during the calendar year that the contract is approved.
• Payment rates in the approved conservation program contract are based on practice extent and not cost.
• Practices are designed/contracted for livestock that have been housed or grazed on land under the operator’s control for at least 12 of the previous 36 months, with an allowance for variations in animal numbers normal for the operation. Waivers to this provision can be requested in writing to the State Conservationist.
• Land must have been irrigated at least 2 of the past 5 years to be eligible for water quantity practices. Contracts that include irrigation systems must also include Irrigation Water Management as an agreed-to practice.
• Management practices (designated MGT) will be scheduled in a contract for three consecutive years. A payment is forfeited if the practice does not meet standards for the year schedule unless the contract holder provides a written justification to the State Conservationist for approval. If two or more years of the practice are forfeited, the contract will be in violation.
• Conservation practices must meet the quality standards of the Conservation Practice Standard and any additional requirements listed in this guidance for program payments to be approved.

Conservation Priorities

Priority practices are listed below according to the primary resource concern addressed by the practice (soil, water, air, plants, and animals). Practices may be included in a contract individually or in combination with other listed practices in order to meet the quality criteria for the resource concern.

Practices grouped under systems must be implemented in the combinations listed in order to receive any preferential system payment rate. If one or more practice in a system does not meet all practice criteria, the entire system will be considered out of compliance for contract management purposes.

Additional supporting practices (page 5) are allowable as part of a contract only when they are required by site conditions for a priority practice or system to be implemented successfully.

Information about conservation practices can be found in the Field Office Technical Guide or on practice job sheets available at local USDA Service Centers.

Funding

Eligible applications will be grouped for competitive ranking into “funding pools” with the highest ranked applications in each pool selected for contract development.

There will be four funding pools in 2009: Beef & Dairy; Other Livestock; Non-Livestock; and Beginning Farmer (BF) or Limited Resource Producer (LRP). A minimum of 10% of available funds will be provided to the BF or LRP pool.

To be eligible to participate in EQIP, an applicant must be an individual, entity or joint operation and meet all of the following eligibility criteria:

1. Be engaged in livestock or agricultural production with an annual minimum of $1,000 of agricultural products produced and/or sold.
2. Have an interest in the farming operation associated with the land being offered for enrollment in EQIP.
3. Be in compliance with the highly erodible land and wetland conservation compliance provisions.
4. Be within appropriate payment limitation requirements.
5. Be in compliance with Adjusted Gross Income requirements.
6. Be in compliance with the provisions for protecting the interests of tenants and sharecroppers, including the provisions for sharing EQIP payments on a fair and equitable basis.
7. Have control of the land for the term of the proposed contract. For structural and vegetative practices, written concurrence by the landowner at the time of the application is required.

Conservation Priorities

SOIL CONDITION RESOURCE CONCERN

Conservation Cover
Establish new permanent vegetative cover on cropland to protect soil and water resources. Includes the planting of native grasses for biomass production.

• Conservation Crop Rotation (MGT)
  Establish a new crop rotation system, including at least one higher residue crop in rotation with at least two other crops, in order to reduce or control sheet and rill erosion to the soil “T” level.
• Contour Buffer Strips
  Establish narrow strips of permanent, herbaceous vegetation across the slope and alternate with wider cropped strips to reduce sheet and rill erosion, reduce transport of sediment and other contaminants, or to enhance wildlife habitat. Payment is made on the buffer strip portion of the field only.
• Cover Crop (MGT)
  Annually establish grasses or legumes for seasonal cover to reduce sheet and rill erosion, increase soil organic matter, sequester carbon in plant biomass and soils, capture and recycle excess nutrients, promote biological nitrogen fixation, or reduce particulate emissions into the atmosphere.
• Residue Management, Mulch-Till (MGT)
  Establish a new tillage system that manages the amount, orientation and distribution of crop and other plant residues on the soil surface until just prior to planting to reduce particulate air emissions and to reduce sheet and rill erosion to the soil “T” level. Participants must document a minimum 30% soil surface coverage at planting.
• Residue Management, No-Till /Direct Seed (MGT)
  Establish a new tillage system that manages the amount, orientation and distribution of crop and other plant residues on the soil surface year-round, while growing crops in narrow slots or residue-free strips in untilled soil, in order to reduce particulate air emissions an reduce or control sheet and rill erosion to the soil “T” level.

SOIL EROSION RESOURCE CONCERN

• Critical Area Planting
  In critical areas disturbed by the installation of approved conservation practices, plant perennial vegetation such as trees, shrubs, grasses, or legumes.
• Diversion
  Construct a channel across the slope with a supporting ridge on the lower side to interrupt water flow on slopes, reduce runoff damage, or divert water away from critically eroding areas.
  Grade Stabilization Structure
  Install a structure to control head cutting in channels as part of an approved erosion control or tailwater recovery system.
• Grassed Waterway
  Construct a graded channel stabilized with suitable vegetation to convey runoff from terraces, diversions, or other water concentrations or to control gully erosion.
• Lined Waterway or Outlet
  Install a waterway or outlet with an erosion resistant lining of concrete, stone, synthetic fabrics or other permanent material to provide for safe conveyance of runoff from structures or water concentrations or to treat existing gully erosion.
• Streambank / Shoreline Protection
  Install structural or bio-engineered treatments used to stabilize banks of streams or shorelines, reduce the offsite or downstream effects of sediment
• Strip Cropping
  Establish new equal width strips of forages or small grains across a field with an alternating pattern of row crops to reduce sheet and rill erosion and the transport of sediment and other water-borne contaminants. Payment is limited to the acres of narrow seeded crops on fields where soil loss is reduced to the soil “T” value.
• Structure for Water Control
  Install a structure as part of an erosion control system to control the direction or rate of water flow or maintain a desired water surface elevation.
• Terrace
  Construct an earthen embankment (combination ridge and channel) across the field slope to reduce soil erosion or retain runoff for moisture conservation.

AIR QUALITY RESOURCE CONCERN

• Air Resources Management
  • Install a solar system to power a new or existing livestock watering system or electric fence for prescribed grazing; or
  • Replace an existing conventional-fuel greenhouse furnace with an alternative fuel furnace (grain or pellet-burning); or
  • Replace an existing 150 HP or smaller irrigation pump engine with a new EPA Tier 3 or 4 certified diesel engine.
• Hedgerow Planting
  Establish dense vegetation in a linear design to screens and barriers to noise and dust.
• Windbreak or Shelterbelt Establishment
  Establish linear plantings of single or multiple row trees or shrubs to provide living barriers to reduce airborne odors, particulates or chemical drift.

WATER QUALITY RESOURCE CONCERN

• Agrichemical Handling Facility
  Install a permanent structure with an impervious surface to provide an environmentally safe area for the mixing and handling of pesticides and fertilizers used on agricultural lands.
• Constructed Wetland
  Construct a shallow water ecosystem to simulate natural wetlands to reduce the pollution potential of agricultural runoff.
• Field Border
  Establish a strip of permanent vegetation at the edge or around the perimeter of a field to reduce erosion from wind and water or manage insect populations.
• Riparian Herbaceous Cover
  Establish grasses and forbs tolerant of intermittent flooding or saturated soils in riparian areas to reduce sediment and other pollutants, to help stabilize stream bank and shorelines, or to increase net carbon storage in the biomass and soil.
• Riparian Forest Buffer
  Establish an area of trees and/or shrubs adjacent to water bodies to reduce excess amounts of sediment, organic material, nutrients, and pesticides in surface runoff and reduce excess nutrients and other chemicals in shallow ground water flow.
• Filter Strip
  Establish herbaceous vegetation in a strip between cropland or grazing land and sensitive areas to reduce sediment, organics and dissolved contaminant loadings in runoff, or serve as Zone 3 of a Riparian Forest Buffer.
• Nutrient Management (MGT)
  Control the amount, source, placement, form and timing of nutrient applications at either a basic or advanced level. Basic involves a nutrient budget and application record keeping system. Advanced involves more frequent monitoring of the soil system. Both include the proper use of manure or organic byproducts as a plant nutrient source, and improvement in the physical, chemical and biological condition of soil.
• Pest Management (MGT)
  Use environmentally sensitive prevention, avoidance, monitoring and suppression strategies to manage weeds, insects, and diseases at either a basic or advanced level. Basic involves crop scouting, economic threshold evaluations and application record keeping. Advanced involves more intensive use of tools or computer programs to reduce impacts further.
• Use Exclusion
  Control livestock access to surface water areas through the use of fencing, including gates where necessary.

WATER QUANTITY RESOURCE CONCERN

IRRIGATION SYSTEM – Must include Irrigation Water Management (IWM) (MGT) as a required practice. Control the volume, frequency and application rate of irrigation water in a planned, efficient manner to match the soil infiltration rate, soil water holding capacity and crop need at various growth stages.
Requires the development of an IWM plan, soil moisture monitoring, and water application record keeping. Includes the installation of meters, monitors, and other appurtenances that aid in the process of implementing the approved IWM plan. May include practices listed below as determined on a site-specific basis. Permanently installed irrigation systems for uniform distribution of water to growing crops must be a minimum 80% efficient.

• Irrigation Water Conveyance
  Install permanent underground high-pressure pipelines and appurtenances.
• Irrigation System, Microirrigation
  Install a minimum 80% efficient irrigation system for uniform distribution of water directly to the plant root zone by means of surface or subsurface applicators to maintain soil moisture for optimum plant growth or effectively apply agricultural chemicals.
• Irrigation System, Sprinkler
  Install a minimum 80% efficient irrigation system to uniformly and efficiently apply water by means of nozzles operated under pressure to maintain adequate soil water for optimum plant growth or effectively apply agricultural chemicals.
• Pumping Plant
  Install a permanent pump at an existing water source to provide an adequate water supply for irrigation or livestock grazing.

RUNOFF MANAGEMENT SYSTEM - Install all designed components of a runoff management system to meet NJ storm water management regulations. May include a Water and Sediment Control Basin, if needed, to temporarily store runoff water, and other practices as determined on a site-specific basis. Other practices include those listed under this and other resource concerns.

TAILWATER RECOVERY SYSTEM - Install a system with facilities for the collection, storage, and transportation of irrigation tailwater to conserve irrigation water supplies and improve offsite water quality. Must include Irrigation Regulating Reservoir as a temporary water storage facility and Irrigation Water Management (see above). May include other practices as determined on a site-specific basis. Other practices include those listed under other resource concerns as well as below.

• Irrigation System, Tailwater Recovery
  Install a system to conserve water supplies and improve offsite water quality that includes proper treatment of irrigation tailwater for reuse on the crop.
• Structure for Water Control
  Install a structure as part of a tailwater recovery system or runoff management system that controls the direction or rate of flow or maintains a desired water surface elevation.

PLANT CONDITION RESOURCE CONCERN

POLLINATOR ENHANCEMENT SYSTEM – must include Early Successional Habitat Management. Develop an area of diverse native herbaceous flowering plants suitable for crop pollinators. A minimum of one acre of habitat must be established for every 25 acres of cropland. May include Brush Management, as described below, if needed prior to or following native herbaceous seeding.

PRESCRIBED FORESTRY SYSTEM – applicants must have an approved Forestry Management Plan for the land prior to the ranking deadline. The system must include Forest Stand Improvement as a required practice. Manipulate the species composition, stand structure, and competing vegetation in order to improve the native ecosystem and wildlife habitat. Includes invasive species control, temporary control of browsing, and non-commercial thinning. Other practices as needed:

• Fire Break
  Establish a strip of herbaceous vegetation 30 feet wide or a bare land 15 feet wide to reduce or stop the spread of fire.
• Prescribed Burning
  Apply controlled fire to a predetermined area to reduce undesirable vegetation, prepare an area for replanting, improve wildlife habitat, or encourage natural regeneration.
• Forestry Site Prep
  Mechanically or chemically prepare an area for tree & shrub planting.
• Tree & Shrub Establishment
  Establish at least four native woody species by planting seedlings or cuttings at the recommended spacing. Includes the use of individual or area tree-shelters to protect new plantings.

PRESCRIBED GRAZING SYSTEM - must include Prescribed Grazing (MGT) as a required practice. Actively manage the vegetation with grazing animals to improve the health and vigor of forage, maintain a desired plant community, reduce accelerated soil erosion, and improve soil condition. Implement the following practices as needed to establish the grazing rotation:

• Animal Trails and Walkways
  Establish travel ways to provide or improve access to forage or water or to improve grazing efficiency and distribution.
• Brush Management
  Remove non-herbaceous plants to restore natural plant community balance, manage noxious woody plants, or improve forage accessibility, quality and quantity, if needed prior to the establishment of the prescribed grazing system.
• Fence
  Install permanent fencing to divide an area of land to improve distribution and timing of livestock grazing.
• Pasture and Hayland Planting
  Plant adapted forage species to improve livestock nutrition and/or health or extend the length of the grazing season. Limited to one planting per pasture during the contract period.
• Pipeline
  Install permanent underground pipe (8-inch diameter or less) to convey water from the source to points of use for livestock.
• Spring Development
  Utilize available springs or seeps to provide water for livestock.
• Stream Crossing
  Construct a stabilized area across a stream to provide a travel way for livestock in order to reduce sediment, nutrient, and organic loads in the stream.
• Watering Facility
  Permanently install a watertight tank or trough to facilitate proper grazing and protect surface water from contamination.
• Water Well
  Install a new well, less than 6” in diameter, to replace an existing water supply causing environmental damage.

ANIMAL WASTE RESOURCE CONCERN

NOTE - All contracts with practices that move or store manure must include the development of a CNMP.

Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plan (CNMP) - Develop a written plan that details the handling of manure from the point of production to the ultimate disposal site. Include all conservation practices needed to implement the system and a time schedule for implementation. Include a nutrient balance sheet based on actual manure and soil test results when using manure as a soil amendment. The CNMP practice payment requires the contract holder to engage the services of a certified Technical Service Provider and assist them in developing the plan. Payment is made once the plan is completed.

• Manure Transfer
  Install a system of structures or conduits to transfer animal manure (including bedding, spilled feed, wash water, and other residues) through a hopper or reception pit, conduit, and/or hauling equipment to a manure storage/ treatment facility, loading area, or to agricultural land for final utilization.
• Pumping Plant
  Install a pump to transfer wastewater from source to storage areas and/or from storage areas to disposal sites.
• Closure of Waste Impoundment
  Close waste storage ponds no longer used for their intended purpose in an environmentally safe manner as part of an overall waste management system.
• Heavy Use Area Protection
  Stabilize areas with the least costly suitable material to reduce soil erosion, or improve air and water quality. Payment is limited to areas intensively used by animals when pastures are not available, based on the number of animals that the available pasture normally supports during the growing season.
  Pavilion roofs are used only when other runoff control options are not feasible due to slope or soil limitations.
• Waste Facility Cover
  Install a fabricated rigid, semi-rigid, or flexible membrane over a waste treatment or storage facility to improve water or air quality or capture of biogas for energy production. Payment is limited to the roof area covering the approved practice only plus 25% for incidental livestock housing.
• Wastewater Treatment Strip
  Establish a strip or area of herbaceous vegetation to reduce the loading of nutrients, organics, pathogens, and other contaminants associated with animal manure.
• Solid/Liquid Separation Facility
  Install a filtration or screening device, settling tank, or settling basin to separate a portion of solids from the liquid waste stream in order to better manage the associated nutrients.
• Waste Storage Facility
  Install a structure, embankment, or pit to temporarily store manure, wastewater, and contaminated runoff prior to its utilization on land or other proper disposal.
• Composting Facility
  Install a permanent facility to process raw manure into biologically stable organic material to reduce the pollution potential to surface and ground water.
• Anaerobic Digester
  Install a waste treatment impoundment to biologically treat waste and capture biogas for energy, improve air quality, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

ALL RESOURCE CONCERNS

SUPPORTING PRACTICES for all resource concerns are practices that may be required, due to site conditions, in order to implement approved practices according to practice standards. These practices may be contracted in support of another conservation practice as indicated; but may not be contracted as “stand-alone” practices in any contract.

• Mulching
  Apply plant residues or other suitable materials to the land surface to provide erosion control, suppress weeds, establish vegetative cover, or improve soil condition, as part of an erosion control, tailwater recovery or organic farming system.
• Obstruction Removal
  Remove and dispose of unwanted or hazardous structures, vegetation, and other materials in order to facilitate the installation of new erosion control, animal waste or tailwater recovery measures.
• Pond Sealing or Lining (tailwater system only)
  As part of a tailwater recovery basin, install a manufactured hydraulic barrier consisting of a functionally continuous sheet of synthetic or partially synthetic, flexible material to control seepage.
• Precision Land Forming (tailwater system only)
  Re-grade the surface of the land to allow the implementation of other planned measures under an approved tailwater recovery system.
• Roof Runoff Structure
  Install structures to collect, control, and transport precipitation from roofs as needed to separate clean water from an animal waste or tailwater recovery system.
• Spoil Spreading
  Properly dispose of surplus materials excavated to permit the installation of approved erosion control, animal waste or tailwater recovery practices.
• Subsurface Drain
  Install corrugated plastic tubing beneath the ground to control the water table in fields where a documented phytophthera problem is preventing implementation of a nutrient management system, or where concentrated flow is preventing the installation of other approved practices.
• Underground Outlet
  Install an under ground conduit to collect surface water from terraces, lined waterways, diversions, surface drains or other approved practices and convey it to a suitable outlet as part of an approved erosion control system.