The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) is NRCS’ flagship conservation program that helps farmers, ranchers and forest landowners integrate conservation into working lands.
General Description
The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) is a voluntary program that provides financial and technical assistance to agricultural producers and non-industrial forest managers through contracts. These contracts provide financial assistance to help implement conservation practices that address natural resource concerns and for opportunities to improve soil, water, plant, animal, air and related resources on agricultural land and non-industrial private forestland.
How to Apply
The application process is a continuous process. Those who are interested should work with their local NRCS office to identify and plan the conservation measures needed to address the resource concern identified on their land.
When applying for EQIP, schedule a meeting with NRCS to discuss your options before moving forward. Local NRCS conservationists will help you develop a conservation plan, identify conservation measures and pursue funding through one of the EQIP fund pool options available in West Virginia. Those who have previously developed a conservation plan with NRCS could already have the conservation planning step completed.
Eligible applicants may apply for EQIP by completing the CCC-1200 EQIP application form (see below) and all other eligibility forms can be obtained at the local USDA Service Center Locator.
For more information about EQIP, how to apply and program eligibility requirements, interested applicants should contact a NRCS field office in the county which you own land or where you have an agricultural operation.
Click here for Resource Concerns
Accepting Applications
Applicants are responsible for completing and filing all application and eligibility paperwork as required. If funded, participants are required to sign a contract and agree to implement the planned conservation practices to NRCS standards and specifications as scheduled.
Starting a conservation practice prior to written contract approval will result in the ineligibility of that practice for EQIP assistance unless a waiver has been approved (see CPM 440, Part 530.23).
Applications are accepted, from all eligible agricultural producers or non-industrial private forest landowners, on a continuous basis throughout the year.
FY 2026 Round 1 application batching date is January 15th, 2026
Eligibility
Agricultural producers, subsistence landowners, non-industrial private forestland and Indian tribes, and water management entities are eligible to apply for EQIP. Eligible land includes cropland, rangeland, pastureland, non-industrial private forestland and other farm or ranch lands.
Socially disadvantaged, beginning and limited resource farmers, Indian tribes, and Veteran Farmer/Rancher are eligible for an increased payment rate and may receive advance payment of up to 50 percent to purchase materials and services needed to implement conservation practices included in their EQIP contract.
Applicants Must:
- Control or own eligible land
- Comply with adjusted gross income limitation (AGI) provisions
- Be in compliance with the highly erodible land and wetland conservation requirements
- Have an identifiable Resource Concern on the offered land unit(s)
- Work with NRCS to develop an NRCS EQIP plan of operations to improve the identified Resource Concern(s)
Ranking Process
The EQIP ranking process is guided by priorities established at both local and state levels to address natural resource concerns. Local Working Groups (LWGs)—organized by Conservation District boundaries—bring together agricultural producers, forestland owners, conservation organizations, and partner agencies to identify and prioritize resource needs within their areas. In West Virginia, 14 LWGs cover all 55 counties, each recommending local priority resource concerns, priorities, and recommendations regarding conservation program administration and implementation. These recommendations inform the State Technical Committee and the NRCS State Conservationist, who finalize EQIP implementation. Applications are evaluated using the Conservation Assessment Ranking Tool (CART) to assess site conditions and rank proposals across funding pools. While all land users may apply, funding is allocated using a state formula that considers factors such as cropland and grazing acres and the number of unfunded applications, and funding is not guaranteed for every county.
Jeff Griffith, State Farm Bill Specialist or NRCS.WVFBPrograms@usda.gov
Ready to get started?
Contact your local service center to start your application.
How to Get Assistance
Do you farm or ranch and want to make improvements to the land that you own or lease?
Natural Resources Conservation Service offers technical and financial assistance to help farmers, ranchers and forest landowners.
To get started with NRCS, we recommend you stop by your local NRCS field office. We’ll discuss your vision for your land.
NRCS provides landowners with free technical assistance, or advice, for their land. Common technical assistance includes: resource assessment, practice design and resource monitoring. Your conservation planner will help you determine if financial assistance is right for you.
We’ll walk you through the application process. To get started on applying for financial assistance, we’ll work with you:
- To fill out an AD 1026, which ensures a conservation plan is in place before lands with highly erodible soils are farmed. It also ensures that identified wetland areas are protected.
- To meet other eligibility certifications.
Once complete, we’ll work with you on the application, or CPA 1200.
Applications for most programs are accepted on a continuous basis, but they’re considered for funding in different ranking periods. Be sure to ask your local NRCS district conservationist about the deadline for the ranking period to ensure you turn in your application in time.
As part of the application process, we’ll check to see if you are eligible. To do this, you’ll need to bring:
- An official tax ID (Social Security number or an employer ID)
- A property deed or lease agreement to show you have control of the property; and
- A farm number.
If you don’t have a farm number, you can get one from USDA’s Farm Service Agency. Typically, the local FSA office is located in the same building as the local NRCS office. You only need a farm number if you’re interested in financial assistance.
NRCS will take a look at the applications and rank them according to local resource concerns, the amount of conservation benefits the work will provide and the needs of applicants. View Application Ranking Dates by State.
If you’re selected, you can choose whether to sign the contract for the work to be done.
Once you sign the contract, you’ll be provided standards and specifications for completing the practice or practices, and then you will have a specified amount of time to implement. Once the work is implemented and inspected, you’ll be paid the rate of compensation for the work if it meets NRCS standards and specifications.