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| PLATTE COUNTY EQIP PROGRAMHow EQIP is being implemented in the county:The Platte County Local Work Group has identified the following natural resource concerns as the top priority: 1. Grazingland Health This local priority supports the national priority to reduce soil erosion and sedimentation from agricultural lands. Grazing land impacted by the ongoing drought condition was identified as HIGH PRIORITY for Platte County. HIGH priority applications are those focusing on planned and applied grazing systems used to incorporate rest for plant recovery during the growing season utilizing fencing and water development. A properly planned and applied grazing system can be an effective way to prepare for drought, adapt management during drought, and help recover from drought. 2. Ground and Surface water quality affected by animal wasteThis local priority supports the national priority to reduce non-point source pollution in impaired water bodies. Waste management systems, feedlot relocation, and nutrient management will be targeted in an effort to help producers avoid regulation, and improve water quality. This resource concern will be ranked at the state level. 3. Irrigation Water ManagementThis local priority supports the national priority of conservation of ground and surface water. Improved irrigation efficiencies are crucial in dealing with critical water shortages. Irrigation systems with low efficiencies such as flood and wild flood will be targeted for improvement. Inefficient farm and field delivery systems will also be targeted for improvement. As irrigation systems are improved, nutrient and pest management concerns will be addressed through the development of conservation plans. 4. Wildfire RecoveryThis local priority supports the national priority to reduce soil erosion and sedimentation from agricultural lands caused by wildfire. Conservation practices such as prescribed grazing, deferred grazing and critical area planting will be implemented to reduce erosion. 5. Grazing Land Initiative This local priority supports the national priority to reduce soil erosion and sedimentation from agricultural lands. Grazing land impacted by the ongoing drought condition was identified as HIGH PRIORITY for Platte County. HIGH priority applications are those focusing on planned and applied grazing systems used to incorporate rest for plant recovery during the growing season utilizing fencing and water development. A properly planned and applied grazing system can be an effective way to prepare for drought, adapt management during drought, and help recover from drought. 6. Windbreak Initiative This local priority supports the national priority to reduce soil erosion and sedimentation from agricultural lands. Conservation practices such as field and farmstead windbreaks will be planted for energy conservation and/or wildlife habitat. Eligible Practices and Cost Share Rates: The state cost list will be used in addition to any variances granted to the LWG for 2004. The cost share rate will be 50% for Grazing Land Health, Windbreaks and Irrigation. Cost share for Wildfire Recovery will be 60% for Critical Area Planting and 50% for fencing. Ground and Surface Water Quality affected by animal waste will be cost shared at 75%. Irrigation Sprinklers greater than 15 years of age and a net efficiency loss greater than 15% from new condition are eligible for cost share at 40%. Stockwater wells will not be approved for cost-share on Cropland with the exception of Cropland Conversion and Livestock Waste projects.
Screening Tool and Ranking Procedures: NRCS will use the localized screening tool and forward only HIGH PRIORITY applicants to the LWG for evaluation. The LWG will use only the information provided from each resource concern evaluation worksheet. Anonymity will be maintained throughout the process with only the District Conservationist having access to the names of each applicant. The LWG will use the overall score of the all factors for each resource concern to evaluate all HIGH PRIORITY applicants. If the SCREENING WORKSHEET indicates HIGH PRIORITY, the applicant has reached the minimum threshold for funding providing the county allocation is sufficient. If the county allocation is not sufficient to fund all of the HIGH PRIORITY applications, the total score will be used to rank the applications. HIGH PRIORITY applications will be sorted from High score to Low score. In the event a tie occurs, individual ranking criteria will be compared beginning with factor #1 until the tie has been broken. The LWG will use a composite scoring system for each resource concern to effectively evaluate each applicant. The composite scoring system reinforces the LWG priorities for each concern and is explained on each worksheet. All HIGH PRIORITY applicants will be ranked for each resource concern in case additional funding is secured or approved applicants defer their application to a later sign-up. In the event a resource concern ranking produces a tie, the applicant ranking the highest on the first criteria will have priority. If a tie persists, the LWG will use the second criteria. The LWG has determined there is no need to cost-share an irrigation project to improve efficiencies if there is no water to be applied in the new system. Therefore, if a producer has contracted to supply irrigation water for alternative uses (Surface or Well) and lacks sufficient water to realize any conservation benefit, an application will be screened as LOW PRIORITY. Additionally, producers applying for cost-share to improve “on-farm” irrigation efficiencies defined as gated pipe and side roll sprinklers systems on the same land cannot apply to improve their system for a minimum of 3 years without either cost-share recovery or reduction of cost-share to 40% for subsequent improvements. Fund Pools:The county allocation for EQIP is split among three fund sources: Grazing Land Initiative, General EQIP and High Plains Aquifer EQIP funding. Grazing Land Initiative contracts will be funded from county allocation specified for GLI. Funding for Grazing Land Health and Wildfire Recovery resource concern will be from the General EQIP county allocation based on the percentage of HIGH PRIORITY applications received compared to the total. Irrigation Water Management resource concern funding is based on the High Plains Aquifer EQIP allocation. Windbreak resource concern will receive a base allocation of $15,000. The LWG reserves the right to move funds between each resource concern to facilitate funding applicants where money has been underutilized or additional funding is needed to approve an applicant Click to view ranking worksheets:
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