There are five regional EQIP AFO-CAFO fund pools in California. The conservation goals and priorities for these fund pools are to minimize impacts to water quality, improve irrigation efficiency and promote energy conservation on dairies, confined animal operations and associated cropland and/or pastureland.
The following sections include the applicable land uses, resource concerns, and conservation practices for the regional cropland fund pools. A list of servicing offices for each fund pool is provided below.
Land Uses
The descriptions below are the general NRCS land use definitions - applications should fit within, but do not need to exactly match, these descriptions. Below are the applicable land uses for the AFO-CAFO fund pools.
Crop: Land used primarily for the production and harvest of annual or perennial field, forage, food, fiber, horticultural, orchard, vineyard, or energy crops.
Pasture: Land composed of introduced or domesticated native forage species that is used primarily for the production of livestock. Pastures receive periodic renovation and cultural treatments, such as tillage, fertilization, mowing, weed control, and may be irrigated. Pastures are not in rotation with crops.
Range: Land used primarily for the production of grazing animals. Includes native plant communities and those seeded to native or introduced species, or naturalized by introduced species that are ecologically managed using range management principles.
Farmstead: Land used for facilities and supporting infrastructure where farming, forestry, animal husbandry, and ranching activities are often initiated. This may include dwellings, equipment storage, plus farm input and output storage and handling facilities.
Associated Agricultural Lands: Land associated with farms and ranches that are not purposefully managed for food, forage, or fiber and are typically associated with nearby production or conservation lands. This could include incidental areas, such as odd areas, ditches and watercourses, riparian areas, field edges, seasonal and permanent wetlands, and other similar areas.
Grazed: Where grazing animals impact how land is managed.
Irrigated: Where an operational irrigation system is present and managed to supply irrigation water.
Resource Concerns
The goal of conservation planning is to help each client attain sustainable use and sound management of soil, water, air, plant, animal, and energy resources, based on related human considerations (SWAPAE+H). Below is a list of priority resource concerns for the AFO-CAFO fund pools.
SWAPAE+H
Resource Concern Category
Resource Concern
Soil
Concentrated Erosion
Classic gully erosion
Ephemeral gully erosion
Soil Quality Limitation
Aggregate instability
Compaction
Concentration of salts or other chemicals
Organic matter depletion
Soil organism habitat loss or degradation
Wind and Water Erosion
Sheet and rill erosion
Wind erosion
Water
Field, Sediment, Nutrient, and Pathogen Loss
Nutrients transported to groundwater
Nutrients transported to surface water
Pathogens and chemicals from manure biosolids, or compost applications transported to groundwater
Pathogens and chemicals from manure biosolids, or compost applications transported to surface water
Sediment transported to surface water
Field Pesticide Loss
Pesticides transported to groundwater
Pesticides transported to surface water
Salt Losses to Water
Salts transported to groundwater
Salts transported to surface water
Source Water Depletion
Groundwater depletion
Inefficient irrigation water use
Surface water depletion
Storage and Handling of Pollutants
Nutrients transported to groundwater
Nutrients transported to surface water
Petroleum, heavy metals, and other pollutants transported to groundwater
Petroleum, heavy metals, and other pollutants transported to surface water
Weather Resilience
Ponding and Flooding
Air
Air Quality Emissions
Emissions of airborne reactive nitrogen
Emissions of greenhouse gases - GHGs
Emissions of ozone precursors
Emissions of particulate matter (PM) and PM precursors
Objectionable odor
Plants
Degraded Plant Condition
Plant productivity and health
Plant structure and composition
Plant Pressure
Plant pest pressure
Animals
Aquatic Habitat
Aquatic habitat for fish and other organisms
Elevated water temperature
Livestock Production Limitation
Inadequate livestock water quantity, quality, and distribution
Terrestrial Habitat
Terrestrial habitat for wildlife and invertebrates
Energy
Inefficient Energy Use
Energy efficiency equipment and facilities
Energy efficiency farming/ranching practices and field operations
Dust Control from Animal Activity on Open Lot Surfaces
ac
1
378
Pond
no
20
380
Windbreak-Shelterbelt Establishment
ft
15
381
Silvopasture
ac
15
382
Fence
ft
20
386
Field Border
ac
10
388
Irrigation Field Ditch
ft
15
390
Riparian Herbaceous Cover
ac
5
391
Riparian Forest Buffer
ac
15
393
Filter Strip
ac
10
394
Firebreak
ft
5
410
Grade Stabilization Structure
no
15
412
Grassed Waterway
ac
10
422
Hedgerow Planting
ft
15
428
Irrigation Ditch Lining
ft
20
430
Irrigation Pipeline
ft
20
436
Irrigation Reservoir
ac-ft
15
441
Irrigation System, Microirrigation
ac
15
442
Sprinkler System
ac
15
443
Irrigation System, Surface and Subsurface
ac
15
447
Irrigation and Drainage Tailwater Recovery2
no
15
449
Irrigation Water Management
ac
1
450
Anionic Polyacrylamide PAM Application
ac
1
460
Land Clearing
ac
15
462
Precision Land Forming
ac
10
464
Irrigation Land Leveling
ac
15
466
Land Smoothing
ac
10
468
Lined Waterway or Outlet
sf
15
472
Access Control
ac
10
482
Mole Drain
ft
3
484
Mulching
ac
1
490
Tree/Shrub Site Preparation
ac
1
500
Obstruction Removal
ac
10
511
Forage Harvest Management
ac
1
512
Pasture and Hay Planting
ac
5
516
Livestock Pipeline
ft
20
520
Pond Sealing or Lining, Compacted Soil Treatment
sf
15
521
Pond Sealing or Lining, Geomembrane or Geosynthetic Clay Liner
sf
20
528
Prescribed Grazing
ac
1
533
Pumping Plant
no
15
548
Grazing Land Mechanical Treatment
ac
1
550
Range Planting
ac
5
554
Drainage Water Management
ac
1
558
Roof Runoff Structure
no
15
560
Access Road
ft
10
561
Heavy Use Area Protection
sf
10
570
Stormwater Runoff Control
ac
1
572
Spoil Disposal
ac
1
574
Spring Development
no
20
575
Trails and Walkways
ft
10
578
Stream Crossing
no
10
580
Streambank and Shoreline Protection
ft
20
582
Open Channel
ft
15
584
Channel Bed Stabilization
ft
10
585
Stripcropping
ac
5
587
Structure for Water Control
no
20
590
Nutrient Management
ac
1
591
Amendments for Treatment of Agricultural Waste
au
1
592
Feed Management
au
1
600
Terrace
ft
10
601
Vegetative Barrier
ft
5
603
Herbaceous Wind Barriers
ft
5
605
Denitrifying Bioreactor
no
10
606
Subsurface Drain
ft
20
607
Surface Drain, Field Ditch
ft
15
608
Surface Drain, Main or Lateral
ft
15
610
Salinity and Sodic Soil Management
ac
1
612
Tree/Shrub Establishment
ac
15
614
Watering Facility
no
20
620
Underground Outlet
ft
20
629
Waste Treatment
no
10
632
Waste Separation Facility
no
15
634
Waste Transfer
no
15
635
Vegetated Treatment Area
ac
10
636
Water Harvesting Catchment
no
20
638
Water and Sediment Control Basin
no
10
642
Water Well
no
20
650
Windbreak-Shelterbelt Renovation
ft
15
654
Road/Trail/Landing Closure and Treatment
ft
10
660
Tree/Shrub Pruning
ac
10
666
Forest Stand Improvement
ac
10
670
Energy Efficient Lighting System
no
10
672
Energy Efficient Building Envelope
no
10
735
Waste Gasification Facility
no
20
740
Pond Sealing or Lining, Soil Cement3
no
20
910
TA Planning
no
1
911
TA Design
no
1
912
TA Application
no
1
913
TA Check-Out
no
1
1Conservation practice, 367 – Roofs and Covers, is offered as a supporting practice for 366 – Anaerobic Digester only and no other instances of the practice is eligible for financial assistance in this EQIP fund pool.
2Conservation practice, 447 – Irrigation System, Tailwater Recovery, is an irrigation tailwater recovery system and practice payment rates will be based on eligible conservation practices included in the system.
3Conservation Practice 740 – Pond Sealing and Lining, Soil Cement is to be is offered to operations with irrigated cropland and should only be used for the storage of clean water.
Regional AFO-CAFO Fund Pools
Fund Pool
Servicing Offices
Fund Pool
Servicing Offices
Coastal
Capitola LPO
Concord Service Center
Del Norte LPO
Eureka Service Center
Half Moon Bay LPO
Hollister Service Center
Lakeport LPO
Livermore LPO
Napa Service Center
Petaluma Service Center
Salinas Service Center
Santa Maria Service Center
Templeton Service Center
Ukiah Service Center
Weaverville Service Center
Yreka Service Center
San Joaquin Valley
Bakersfield Service Center
Fresno Service Center
Hanford Service Center
Madera Service Center
Merced Service Center
Visalia Service Center
Southern California
Bishop Service Center
Blythe Service Center
Escondido Service Center
Imperial Service Center
Indio Service Center
Lancaster Service Center
Minden Service Center (NV)
Oxnard Service Center
Redlands Service Center
San Jacinto LPO
Victorville Service Center
Sacramento Valley
Auburn Service Center
Colusa Service Center
Elk Grove Service Center
McArthur LPO
Oroville Service Center
Red Bluff Service Center
Redding Service Center
Tulelake Project Office
Willows Service Center
Woodland Service Center
Yuba City Service Center
Upper San Joaquin
Modesto Service Center Stockton Service Center
Vacaville Service Center
Interested Applicants
For more information about EQIP, how to apply and program eligibility, interested applicants should contact a NRCS field office in the county which you own land or where you have an agricultural operation.
