If you own land in the state of Mississippi, you may want to sign up for this program, regardless of the amount of land you own. Do you manage 10,000 acres in the Delta? Do you have a half-acre-homestead? If so, then read on.
The United States Department of Agriculture/Natural Resources Conservation Service
(NRCS) is providing financial assistance through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) to
help Mississippi producers, farmers and ranchers implement conservation practices.
NRCS strives to help producers and landowners enact environmentally friendly activities such as improving
water and air quality, building healthier soils, improving grazing and forest lands, enhancing organic
operations and conserving energy. EQIP provides financial assistance for a variety of conservation programs,
which include irrigation water management, tree/shrub planting, field buffers, rotational grazing systems
and erosion control practices. All programs are voluntary and offer science-based solutions that benefit
both the landowner and the environment.
“The Environmental Quality Incentives Program offers producers a variety of options to conserve natural
resources on their properties”, stated Kurt Readus, NRCS state conservationist for Mississippi.
“This conservation investment helps to improve environmental health and the economy of Mississippi’s communities.”
To qualify for EQIP, an applicant must be an individual, entity or joint operation that meets eligibility criteria.
Applications for EQIP and all NRCS financial assistance programs are accepted on a continuous basis with
specific sign-up deadlines being established to rank, contract and fund qualified tracts of land. The deadline
to sign-up to be considered in the EQIP first ranking period is October 1, 2017.
Applicants can sign up at their local NRCS office. For more information about EQIP, visit the NRCS website: http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/ms/programs/financial/eqip/?cid=nrcs142p2_017159
To locate the nearest NRCS office visit http://offices.sc.egov.usda.gov/locator/app.
