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WHIP Contract InformationNRCS accepts applications for all of our conservation programs throughout the year, but establishes funding periods to facilitate application review and contract development. The current funding period for WHIP will close on August 15, 2008, for the 2009 program. 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.
Who Is Eligible?To participate in WHIP, landowners must own or have control of the land under consideration. The land must be eligible to receive farmland tax assessment rates. Land is not eligible for WHIP if it is currently enrolled in another USDA Farm Bill conservation program, such as the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) or the Wetland Reserve Program (WRP). Land is also ineligible if it is used for mitigation or if the land is owned by the federal government. Documents on this page require
Adobe Acrobat. All applicants are required to have or develop a conservation plan for their land. The conservation plan will describe the landowner’s wildlife goals, and list habitat improvement practices, as well as a schedule for implementation. Based on this plan, the landowner will enter into a cost-share contract with NRCS that will last from 5 to 10 years. Payments are made after a practice is installed, and landowners agree to maintain all installed practices for the life of the contract. NRCS will conduct annual reviews with the landowners during the life of the contract to monitor practice success or failure and determine if plan modifications are needed. What Practices are Eligible for Funding?The 2009 Program Guidance for WHIP describes the conservation priorities and practices eligible for funding in 2009. Program payment rates are provided separately in the 2009 Payment Schedule. The following documents provide this information, as well as fact sheets on priority areas addressed by WHIP.
Documents on this page require
Adobe Acrobat. How Do I Apply?Applications for WHIP will be accepted by NRCS Service Centers at any time during the year. You may download and complete the application materials below. Applications should be submitted to your local Natural Resources Conservation Service office either in person or by mail. For more information on WHIP priority categories and benefits, contact your local NRCS Service Center.
Documents on this page require
Adobe Acrobat. How Are Applications Evaluated?The applicant works with the local NRCS staff to determine, based on the approved conservation plan, which practices are to be included for program ranking. Applications are ranked by answering a series of national, state-wide, and local questions, and by evaluating the cost-efficiency of the selected practices. National questions are the same in every state for the program. For WHIP in New Jersey, all applications are evaluated in one group so both state-wide questions and local questions reflect important state-wide resource issues. Cost-efficiency is based on the practice installation cost, annual maintenance cost, practice lifespan, and benefits to multiple resource concerns. The following documents are used by NRCS to evaluate individual contract applications. They are provided here to allow applicants to review the criteria and potentially improve the quality of their application.
Documents on this page require
Adobe Acrobat. If the applicant wishes to change the practices for which they are requesting financial assistance prior to the evaluation deadline, the application will be re-ranked. Once applications are selected for funding, no further changes will be allowed; however the applicant may withdraw from the program at any time prior to contract signature without penalty. < Back to Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program Home Page Last Modified: June 30, 2008 |
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