DOVER, N.H. — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in New Hampshire has established the Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) , Agricultural Management Assistance (AMA) , and Conservation Stewardship Program application and ranking batch dates.
The application deadline for FY 2022 consideration is: October 29, 2021
The ranking batching date for FY 2022 funding is: January 28, 2022
Applications for the EQIP , AMA , and CSP programs may be submitted at any time year-round, but only eligible applications submitted by October 29th, will be considered for funding in the announced ranking batch on January 28.
Landowners interested in protecting, conserving, or restoring the natural resources on their property through technical or financial assistance should contact their local USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) field office to begin the conservation planning process.
Applicants for these programs should have an NRCS Conservation Plan developed. These plans are completed by NRCS certified conservation planners working directly with the landowner, at no cost, and help determine which programs best suit the conservation needs of the property.
EQIP:
As NRCS’ flagship financial assistance program for working lands, EQIP helps producers make improvements to benefit agriculture and conservation. It offers technical help for planning and designing conservation practices that protect water and air, improve soil health, enable better care for farm animals, manage animal waste, and assist in sustaining the nation’s agricultural lands. This program also offers financial assistance to make these practices more affordable once an application is determined to be eligible for funding.
AMA:
The AMA program provides technical and financial assistance to agricultural producers for crop season extension through the installation of seasonal high tunnels and supporting practices, irrigation efficiency improvements to existing systems, and to address weather resiliency through irrigation water collection and storage practices. New Hampshire is one of 16 states in which the AMA is available due to the historically low participation in the Federal Crop Insurance Program.
CSP:
As the nation’s largest conservation program in terms of participating acres, CSP is designed to assist farmers in developing enhanced conservation activities and take their conservation efforts to the next level. This program focuses on a producer’s entire agricultural or forestry operation.
Producer and land eligibility requirements and National and state resource priorities can be found on the online here:
- EQIP: https://go.usa.gov/xM8UY
- AMA: https://go.usa.gov/xM8U4
- CSP: https://go.usa.gov/xM8U2
–USDA, NRCS