2024 Environmental Quality Incentives Program

North Dakota Announces ACT NOW Application Process for EQIP

ACT NOW allows NRCS to 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. Ranking and preapprovals will continue until May 10, 2024 or until funds are expended, whichever comes first.

State Determined Minimum Threshold: 10 points

Applicable Fund Pools: Animal Feeding Operation; Beginning Farmer; CPA, DIA, & CEMA’s; Energy; EQIP-CIC; Forestry; Greater Sage Grouse Initiative; High Tunnel/Small Farm; IRA; Joint Chief’s Landscape Restoration Partnership; Irrigation; Local Work Groups; Tribal; NWQI; Organic; Socially Disadvantaged; Wildlife

Rank:  

Round 1 - March 15, 2024

Round 2 - April 12, 2024

Round 3 - May 10, 2024

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 ACT NOW Sign-up period:  March 1, 2024 through May 10, 2024.

MBRI applications will be processed in the order they are received up to the application cutoff date of May 10, 2024.

The State office will preapprove applications submitted to SAT that exceed the ranking threshold of 10.

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

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: Horseshoe Lake, Outlet Forest River, Park River (Walsh County)

Application Deadline: March 1, 2024

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.

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.

Application Deadline: March 1, 2024

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: March 1, 2024

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.

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.

Location: North Dakota

Application Deadline: March 1, 2024

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 2024, 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 1, 2024

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. Please contact your local field office for more information.

Approved Locations: North Dakota
Application Deadline: November 17, 2023