Environmental Quality Incentives Program - New Mexico

New Mexico FY 2024 Application Deadline

EQIP applications are accepted at any time of the year.  Applications received by the application deadline are evaluated for funding if the applicants have completed the eligibility requirements.  

The first application deadline for FY 2024 funding consideration is November 3, 2023.

This application deadline applies to the following:

• Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) (Includes CIC and IRA)
• Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) and CSP Enhancements (Includes IRA)
• Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP) Wetland Reserve Easement (WRE)
• Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP) Agricultural Land Easements (ALE)

Although applications are accepted on a year-round basis, only applications received by November 3, 2023, will be considered for funding this fiscal year for projects where the majority of the land is located in New Mexico.

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Program Overview

The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) is a voluntary program authorized under the Agricultural Improvement ACT of 2018 (2018 Farm Bill) that helps producers install measures to protect soil, water, plant, wildlife, and other natural resources while ensuring sustainable production on their farms, ranches and working forest lands.  In addition, a purpose of EQIP is to help producers meet Federal, State, Tribal and local environmental regulations.  The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) administers EQIP funding and provides participants with professional conservation expertise. 

Payments are made to participants after conservation practices and activities identified in an EQIP plan of operations are implemented. Contracts can last up to ten years in duration.   Each EQIP contract with a person or legal entity will be limited to $450,000 over the term of the contract.  A person or legal entity may not receive, directly or indirectly, payments that, in the aggregate, exceed $450,000 for all 2018 Farm Bill contracts entered into during fiscal years 2019. Payments received for technical assistance are excluded from this limitation.

The State Conservationist, with advice from the State Technical Committee and local working groups, allocates funds to various EQIP fund accounts and develops a ranking process to addresses National, State and Local priority natural resource concerns in a cost-effective manner. 

State Priorities

The New Mexico State Conservationist establishes state priority natural resource concerns using recommendations of the State Technical Committee and tribal Conservation advisory councils.  Local Working Groups establish local priorities. 

Financial Assistance

Those who submit an application and are accepted into EQIP may receive payments to offset costs associated with materials and installation of conservation practices. Practices funded through EQIP may include such measures as: manure management practices, pest management treatments, irrigation systems improvements, forest stewardship plans and management practices, erosion control and buffers, range and pasture planting, brush management, fencing, watering facilities, and a wide range of other practices.  

The New Mexico list of conservation practices shows approved practices and the lifespan of each practice.

The amount of financial assistance for a conservation practice is determined by practice scenarios that identify the costs of the typical installation settings.  The costs used in the scenarios are regional averages and are not intended to be used as an estimate of the actual cost to install a practice.  Historically underserved participants receive 90 percent of the total cost of a scenario and all other participants receive 75 percent.  These percentages are captured in the payment schedule, which in the past was referred to as a cost list.

NRCS will select the conservation practice scenario that bests addresses the resource concern at the least-cost to the government.  The least-cost scenario selected in an EQIP contract does not limit the choice of treatment options of the participant. However, the treatment option implemented must meet NRCS standards and specifications, address the identified resource concern, and be approved by an individual with NRCS job approval authority.  

The practices funded by EQIP varies by EQIP fund account.

Application Evaluation and Selection

EQIP applications are evaluated and ranked for available funding based on local, state and national program priorities.  Screening tools may also be used to manage workload and identify projects that will provide the most environmental benefits.  All NRCS programs will utilize CART for assessing and ranking all applications received during the announced sign-up or batching periods to determine funding.  The Conservation Assessment Ranking Tool (CART) is the agency’s official application used to assist conservation planners to assess site vulnerability, existing field conditions, and potential resource concerns on a unit of land.  The local Field Office collects information about the applicants’ agricultural operations through existing information, on-site visits, and/or personal communications and works with the applicant to develop an EQIP Conservation Plan/Schedule of Operations.  The information collected is used to assess and rank the application which results in a numerical score. Applicants compete for available EQIP funds within a specific fund account, such as irrigated crop or grazed range or forested land, etc.  Applications are selected for funding in the order of screening priority and highest-ranking score.  Applications may be ranked throughout the year as long as funds are available. 

Screening and ranking criteria are developed separately for each EQIP fund account. 

Applicants can request to be considered in all applicable fund accounts or can specify that their application be considered in just certain fund accounts.

EQIP IRA Fund Accounts for FY 2024

Ranking Thresholds

State Initiatives 

Act Now IRA Crop/Pasture: 35
Act Now Forestry: 35
Act Now Range: 35

Team Initiatives

Team 1: 20
Team 2: 25
Team 3: 50
Team 4: 45
Team 5: 30
Team 6: 50
Team 7: 50
Team 8: 55
Team 9: 35
Team 10: 30
Team 11: 25

EQIP General Fund Accounts FY 2024

National Rankings

State Rankings

Area Rankings

Team Rankings

 

Please direct all questions about applying for EQIP to your local office.

Kenneth J. Branch
Assistant State Conservationist for Programs
(505) 761-4454 voice
(855) 538-6003 fax
E-mail: kenneth.branch@usda.gov