2023 Environmental Quality Incentives Program

NRCS North Dakota Announces Funding Opportunities in Fiscal Year 2023

October 1, 2022 – September 30, 2023

ND Fiscal Year 2023 EQIP Practice List_2 (177.52 KB)
ND Fiscal Year 2023 General Guidance_3 (324.14 KB)
North Dakota EQIP FY23 Cost List (312.08 KB)
North Dakota Scenarios_FY23.pdf (3.4 MB)

NRCS North Dakota Announces the Environmental Quality Incentives Program – Organic Transition Initiative (EQIP - OTI) Opportunity

The OTI provides funding to support producers transitioning to organic production by providing financial assistance (FA) and technical assistance (TA) to implement conservation practices that support organic production. The OTI supports USDA’s objective of developing diverse and equitable food systems while encouraging climate-smart agriculture by focusing funds on transitioning producers to organic production.

Eligible practices and scenarios are listed below.

Location: North Dakota

Application Deadline: June 9, 2023

Organic Transition Initiative - Practice List (155.75 KB)
Organic Management (823) Scenarios (166.15 KB)

ND NRCS Announces an EQIP-Joint Chief’s Landscape Restoration Partnership (JCLRP) North Dakota Badlands Restoration Project Phase 2

North Dakota NRCS and North Dakota USFS were awarded a JCLRP for FY 2023 through FY 2025. The ND JCLRP Badlands restoration project will focus on managing native ponderosa pine and rocky mountain juniper stands with mechanical or chemical treatments. By managing these stands producers are reducing fuels and threat of wildfire to communities and private property.

The FY23 JCLRP Badlands Restoration Project Phase 2 will be implemented through the ACT NOW application process (Title 440 Conservation Program Manual Part 530.37). ACT NOW allows NRCS to immediately approve and obligate a ranked application in a designated ranking pool(s) when an eligible application meets or exceeds a State-determined minimum ranking score. This means no longer having to wait for all applications to be reviewed and preapproved in a ranking pool. See your local field office for more information.

Approved Locations:  Private or Public land within North Dakota’s Badlands in western North Dakota located in Billings, Dunn, Golden Valley, McKenzie and Slope Counties. See attachment.

EQIP-JCLRP ACT NOW Sign-up period: February 23rd, 2023 through July 14th, 2023

FY 23 JCLRP ND Badlands Project Area Phase 2 (424.75 KB)

ND NRCS Announces Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) funding through Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP)

The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 will provide assistance to agricultural and forestland producers to invest in climate and clean energy solutions and promote climate-related benefits through Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) programs. A select list of practices and their facilitating practices are eligible for this sign-up.

The FY23 EQIP-IRA will be implemented through the ACT NOW application process (Title 440 Conservation Program Manual Part 530.37). ACT NOW allows NRCS to immediately approve and obligate a ranked application in a designated ranking pool(s) when an eligible application meets or exceeds a State-determined minimum ranking score. This means no longer having to wait for all applications to be reviewed and preapproved in a ranking pool. Contact your local office for further details.

Approved Locations: North Dakota

Application Sign-up period: February 15th, 2023 through June 9th, 2023 (or until funds have been expended)

Climate-Smart Agriculture and Forestry (CSAF) Mitigation Activities List FY23 (530.24 KB)

ND NRCS Announces the Migratory Bird Resurgence Initiative Program

The Migratory Bird Resurgence Initiative program emerged from a North Dakota concept called the Working Wetlands program. Farmers and conservation leaders worked together to find a new approach to conserve small wetlands in working cropland. The North Dakota project was instrumental in guiding the development of the new NRCS program.

EQIP-MBRI Sign-up period: February 15, 2023 through July 14, 2023 (or until funds are expended.)

MBRI applications will be processed in the order they are received up to the application cutoff date of July 14, 2023.

The State office will preapprove applications submitted to SAT that exceed the ranking threshold of 20.

Approved Locations: Counties within the Prairie Pothole Region of North Dakota

Prairie Pothole Region of North Dakota (117.98 KB)

NRCS North Dakota Announces the Environmental Quality Incentives Program – Conservation Incentive Contract (EQIP-CIC) Opportunity

The purpose and focus of EQIP-CIC is Climate Smart Agriculture, Forestry, and drought mitigation. EQIP-CIC provides payments for incentive practices and can be a steppingstone for producers between EQIP and the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP).   

The entire state of North Dakota is considered a High Priority Area, with Grasslands (Range and Pasture), Cropland and Associated Ag Lands being the land uses eligible for EQIP-CIC. In Fiscal Year 2023, applicants must address one or more of the following priority resource concerns to be eligible for EQIP-CIC: Degraded Plant Condition, Soil Quality Limitations or Livestock Production Limitation. 

A key feature to EQIP-CIC is that the contracts will be for a minimum of five years, and must have a management practice planned on the contracted acreage. Supporting conservation practices may be contracted if needed to facilitate the management practice. Payments for EQIP-CIC will follow existing EQIP payment schedules.

Location: North Dakota

Application Deadline: March 3, 2023

ND Fiscal Year 2023 EQIP-CIC Practice List (75.36 KB)
EQIP-CIC Fact Sheet-North Dakota (3.95 MB)

NRCS North Dakota Announces the National Water Quality Initiative (NWQI)

The purpose of NWQI is to work with producers and landowners to implement voluntary conservation practices as part of areawide efforts to improve water quality in high-priority areas. NWQI is designed to help individual agricultural producers take actions to reduce the runoff of sediment, nutrients, and pathogens into surface waters where water quality is a critical concern.

The State Conservationist has worked with State water quality agencies, State Technical Committees, and other partners to select watersheds that would receive targeted, long-term investment in order to accelerate voluntary conservation efforts to improve water quality.

NWQI emphasizes a “systems approach” to address priority natural resource concerns. A cornerstone of this approach is to encourage producers to implement a system of practices that has been determined to address specific high-priority resource concerns in selected watersheds and incorporate practices that address the concepts of avoiding, controlling, or trapping pollutants, or “ACT.”

Location: Upper James (Eddy/Foster Counties); Horseshoe Lake, Outlet Forest River, Park River (Walsh County)

Application Deadline: December 30, 2022

NRCS North Dakota Announces the Greater Sage Grouse Initiative Funding Opportunity (GSGI)

Location: Designated Sage Grouse Areas in Bowman, Slope, and Golden Valley Counties

Application Deadline: December 30, 2022

Working Lands for Wildlife (WLFW) is a partnership that leverages capabilities and resources, targets assistance where it is most needed, engages State and local partners, and works with agricultural producers, forest land managers, and Tribes. Working Lands for Wildlife promotes voluntary, incentive-based conservation on private and Tribal lands.