NRCS in N.H. Announces Extended Signup Period for Select EQIP Applications for Fiscal Year 2024

DOVER, N.H. May 9, 2024 - Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in New Hampshire has announced that it has extended the signup period for applications under the Environmental Quality Incentive Program for Conservation Plan Activity (CPAs), Design, Implementation Activity (DIAs), and Conservation Evaluation and Monitoring Activities (CEMAs).

The signup period for these applications in the statewide funding pool has been extended from May 10, 2024, to June 28, 2024.

The CPAs, DIAs, and CEMAs are EQIP financial assistance opportunities for participants to hire Technical Service Providers (TSP)or Qualified Individuals (QI) to provide conservation planning, practices designs or implementation instructions, and monitoring or evaluation of conservation measures applied to the land.

TSP and QI include individuals, private businesses, American Indian tribes, nonprofit organizations, and public agencies. TSPs expand the number and availability of conservation technical experts capable of offering customized, one-on-one conservation advice to agricultural producers. You can learn more about CPAs, DIAs, and CEMAs here.

The above funding opportunity is being offered under the NRCS's Act Now initiative. Under Act Now, NRCS has the authority to immediately preapprove and obligate a ranked application in a designated ranking pool when an eligible application meets or exceeds a State determined minimum threshold score.

For this round, the threshold of 10 points has been established.

The Act Now authority allows NRCS to allocate funding to high value conservation projects as applications are received - on a rolling basis - if they meet the 10-point threshold. This results in accelerated service, processing, and implementation of conservation activities: more conservation, sooner. Learn more about Act Now here.

Assistance is only a phone call away. NRCS and FSA staff are ready to answer your questions, work to ensure your success with USDA Farm Bill programs, and address conservation concerns on your land.

With new technology in place, many required documents can now be signed virtually, right from a smart phone or computer, significantly reducing mailing delays and trips to the local service center. This helps keep producers where they need to be - in the field and on the farm.

You can find your local service center on the USDA's Farmers.gov website here: https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/contact/find-a-service-center.

While NRCS New Hampshire has established official application signup periods, NRCS accepts program applications year-round on a continuous basis. Signup dates are necessary for the agency to assess and rank applications against each other for funding, based on their potential conservation impact.

For more information on NRCS Farm Bill programs, you can visit the NRCS, New Hampshire website here: https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/NewHampshire

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