Roles and Responsibilities

The following describes the roles and responsibilities of agencies of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and their partners for implementing the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) in Title III of the Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996. It covers national, regional, State, and local priorities.

This will be the model used for all conservation programs for which the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has been designated the lead agency. These include EQIP, the Wetlands Reserve Program, the Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program, and the Farmland Protection Program. The Farm Service Agency (FSA) is the lead agency for the Conservation Reserve Program and the Flood Risk Reduction Program. The agencies will work jointly on the Conservation Farm Option.

The Administration of EQIP NRCS will, with concurrence from FSA, be responsible for establishing policies, priorities, and guidelines for the EQIP and other conservation programs. Conservation districts and FSA county committees will each have a role in the local implementation of the programs. The State Technical Committee, which includes membership of the FSA State Committee, will offer advice on establishing criteria and priorities at the State level.

• Establish policies, procedures, regulations, with FSA concurrence, make recommendations, and seek review and comment by others, as appropriate;
• Develop a handbook for NRCS and FSA employees on policies for the programs, with FSA concurrence;
• Approve national level funding decisions, determine allocations to regions and States, set cost-share and incentive payment limits, define eligible practices, with FSA concurrence;
• Develop and conduct national public outreach campaign;
• Establish national priorities, with FSA concurrence, after consulting with Forest Service, Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES), and other national partners;
• Identify and approve national conservation priority areas jointly with FSA and consulting with other national partners;
• Provide technical leadership for planning and implementation, including approval and evaluation of qualifications of others providing technical assistance;
• Provide overall program management leadership, including identification and monitoring of program performance indicators, evaluating, and reporting program impacts on resources;
• At the regional level, integrate State and local recommendations in regional strategic plans; and
• Provide leadership for developing cooperative agreements with CSREES, Agricultural Research Service, Forest Service, and other national partners concerning their roles and responsibilities.

Farm Service Agency will:

• Have responsibility for implementing administrative processes and procedures for contracting, performance reporting, and financial matters, including allocations and program accounting;
• Concur on policies, procedures, regulations, handbooks, and national program priorities;
• Concur on national level funding decisions, determination of allocations to regions and States, cost-share and incentive payment limits, and the definition of eligible practices;
• Identify and approve national conservation priority areas jointly with NRCS, in consultation with other national partners;
• Assist NRCS with a national public outreach campaign;
• Provide leadership for establishing, implementing, and overseeing administrative processes for contracts, payment processes, and administrative and financial performance reporting;
• Provide leadership for appeals and mediation processes; and
• Provide additional services to support administration of conservation provisions as mutually agreed to with NRCS.

• Chair State Technical Committee;
• Perform conservation needs assessment and establish State policies, priorities, priority areas, eligible practices, and program performance indicators in consultation with FSA, FSA State Committees, State conservation agencies, State conservation associations, and other members of the State Technical Committee;
• Determine cost-share and incentive payment limits, with FSA State Committee concurrence;
• Establish State program management policies, procedures, and performance indicators;
• Conduct statewide public outreach campaign;
• Provide technical leadership for planning and implementation, including evaluation of qualifications of others providing technical assistance;
• Determine fund allocations for local level based on State Technical Committee advice, with FSA State Committee concurrence;
• Participate in appeals and mediation processes, as appropriate;
• Identify, monitor, and analyze performance indicators, and evaluate and report program impacts on resources; and
• Provide leadership for developing cooperative agreements with Cooperative Extension Service and other State partners concerning their roles and responsibilities.

• Implement administrative processes and procedures relating to contracting, performance reporting, and financial matters;
• Participate (SED) on the State Technical Committee;
• Monitor and analyze administrative and financial performance indicators;
• Provide additional services to support administration of conservation provisions as mutually agreed to with NRCS;
• Assist NRCS with statewide public outreach campaign; and
• Implement appeals and mediation processes for appeals referred to FSA State Committee, in conjunction with county committees and NRCS.

• Participate on the State Technical Committee;
• Provide advice to NRCS on priorities, priority areas, eligible practices, State program management policies, procedures, and performance indicators;
• Concur on allocation of funds to the local level; and
• Hear appeals.

• Chair a local work group, convened by the conservation district(s), and involving FSA county committee(s) and other local entities, to assess natural resource conditions and needs, identify program priorities and resources available, develop proposals for priority areas, and make program policy recommendations;
• Provide program management leadership;
• Implement policies and procedures;
• Provide technical leadership for planning and implementation;
• Accept program applications and forward to FSA;
• Prepare and approve conservation plans for approved program contracts;
• Concur with FSA on contracts and contract modifications;
• Be responsible for technical quality and technical approval of work;
• Analyze performance indicators and reports;
• Monitor, evaluate, and report program impact on resources:
• Participate in appeal and mediation processes, as appropriate; and
• Provide leadership for developing cooperative agreements with Cooperative Extension Service and other local partners concerning their roles and responsibilities.

• Partner with NRCS and conservation district on a local work group to assess natural resource conditions and needs, identify program priorities and resources available, develop proposals for priority areas, and make program policy recommendations;
• Accept program applications and perform associated administrative functions;
• Determine eligibility of producers;
• Administer payment limitation provisions, as applicable;
• Prepare and administer contracts including:

­p;Preparing administrative documents,

­p;Maintaining contract and related financial records,

­p;Processing contract modifications,

­p;Disbursing payments upon appropriate county committee authorization,

­p;Maintaining administrative and financial performance records for the program, as mutually agreed to with NRCS. For example, include livestock production portion of contracts, number of contracts, contract amounts, types/quantity of specific conservation practices, payment records, practices completed, and other appropriate information;

• Assist with quality assurance and quality checks as mutually agreed to with NRCS;
• Collect, summarize, and report on administrative and financial performance indicators;
• Provide additional services to support administration of conservation provisions, as mutually agreed to with NRCS, such as maintaining information in an integrated database relative to conservation provisions;
• Assist conservation district with local program outreach campaign; and
• Process appeals and mediation process in conjunction with county committee and NRCS.

• Partner with NRCS and conservation district on a local work group to assess natural resource conditions and needs, identify program priorities and resources available, develop proposals for priority areas, and make program policy recommendations;
• Approve applications, contracts, contract modification, and disbursement of funds to producers based on needs and priorities identified by the local work group;
• Determine persons for payment limitation purposes; and
• Hear appeals.

• Conduct local program outreach campaign;
• Convene a local work group to partner with NRCS, FSA, and the FSA county committee, and provide leadership for the assessment of natural resource conditions and needs, identify program priorities and resources available, develop proposals for priority areas, and make program policy recommendations;
• Accept program applications and forward to FSA;
• Approve conservation plans and modifications in conjunction with NRCS; and
• Provide technical and related support within available capability and established priorities.