IPM Reimbursement
Part of EQIP Incentive Program
April 29, 2003
University Park, PA - The USDA is releasing nearly $695 million in
the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) through National
Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) for reimbursement on working lands
for various conservation practices, including Integrated Pest
Management.
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) aims to
manage pests -- such as insects, diseases, weeds and animals -- by
combining physical, biological and chemical tactics that are safe,
profitable and
environmentally compatible.
According to Barry Frantz, state resource
conservationist with the USDA, NRCS, the funding will help producers with
conservation planning and voluntary implementation of conservation
practices. In Pennsylvania, over $6.9 million is available. EQIP, an incentive
program under the 1996 Farm Bill, provides technical, financial, and
educational assistance to farmers and ranchers to address significant
natural resource concerns and objectives. The program is available
statewide. Priority natural resource needs are determined by a process
that includes conservation districts, NRCS, the Farm Service Agency (FSA),
Cooperative Extension Service, tribes, and other units of government
interested in natural resource conservation.
"Applicants that are approved for
funding develop and submit a conservation plan that will address the
identified conservation needs," Frantz explains. The producer
develops the conservation plan
with the assistance of NRCS or other public or private natural resource
professionals, with approval by the local conservation district. The
plan is used to develop an EQIP contract that will provide funding to
implement the planned practices. Those with higher environmental
needs receive preference in the program. USDA's Commodity Credit
Corporation may pay up to 75 percent of the
costs of certain conservation practices, such as grassed waterways, filter
strips, manure management facilities, capping abandoned wells, and other
practices important to improving and maintaining the health of natural
resources in the area. Incentive payments can also be made to encourage a
producer to perform a land management practice that would not otherwise be
done without financial assistance. Incentive payments can be made for up
to 3 years, enough time for a producer to decide if they want to continue
using the practice at their own cost or not. Land management practices
such as IPM, nutrient management, prescribed grazing, and residue
management may qualify for incentive payments. "If a producer
qualifies for an EQIP contract, they can receive $6 to $12 per acre in
incentive payments to begin using IPM, which is one of the more common
practices promoted through incentive payments," says Frantz. These
payments can be used for a variety of IPM activities covered under the
Pest Management practice, including
scouting (crop monitoring), pheromone and light trap purchases, pest
prediction services, etc.
In addition to the federal dollars,
conservation on private land is supported by contributions from state and
local sources, tribes, conservation districts and non-governmental
organizations as well as from landowners themselves who implement conservation practices and
resource management systems.
For more information on the EQIP
reimbursement program, see Web site http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/,
or contact your local USDA-NRCS office. For technical information on
conservation practices, go to the same Web site and click on the link "Electronic Field Office
Technical Guide (eFOTG)". eFOTG contains technical information about
the conservation of soil, water, air, and related plant and animal resources. Technical guides used in each field office are localized so
that they apply specifically to the geographic area for which they are
prepared. Users will also find information such as general state maps,
watershed information, conservation practice costs, and agricultural laws
and regulations.
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Editors Contact:
Kristie Auman-Bauer
(814) 865-2839
Email
The Pennsylvania IPM program is a
collaboration between the Pennsylvania State University and the
Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture aimed at promoting integrated pest
management in both agricultural and nonagricultural situations. For more information, contact
the program at (814) 865-2839, or Web site http://paipm.cas.psu.edu.
