NRCS OFFERS SIGN-UP TO

AGRICULTURE PRODUCERS

 

Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is offering technical and financial assistance to agricultural producers for improving and maintaining natural resources on their land, farm or ranch operation.  Through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, NRCS assist landowners with the design and installation of cost-share practices such as livestock water wells, pipelines, watering facilities, fencing, irrigation structures and other practices to improve and protect natural resources on Ag land.  To be eligible for Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), producers, individuals or entities must be engaged in agricultural or livestock production, and the land must produce an agricultural commodity or livestock.  Eligible land is rangeland, cropland, hayland, or non-industrial forestland.  Federal and State governments are not eligible for EQIP.

 

EQIP applications are accepted on a continuous basis, with a batching period occurring each year to screen and rank received applications based National and State guidelines, as well as local priorities.  Once ranked and accepted into the EQIP program, the applicant enters into a contractual agreement and conservation plan to install planned conservation practices from 1 year up to 10 years.  Cost-share assistance can range from 50 percent up to 75 percent to install the planned practices.  The contract participant, with NRCS assistance plan and schedule contracted practices based on management and financial resources of the landowner.  NRCS will assist the landowner with survey and design of the conservation practices.   Agricultural producers will need to make sure farm records are updated with the Farm Service Agency (FSA) to avoid delay in eligibility for EQIP.

 

For more information on EQIP or other Farm Bill Programs, please contact the Natural Resources Conservation Services or the

Laramie Rivers Conservation District at 5015 Stone Road or call the field office at 745-3698.

 

COST SHARE PROGRAM’S

COMMUNITY WELL TESTING

 

By Liz Harvey

 

For the second year, Laramie Rivers Conservation District and the Wyoming Analytical Lab hosted a community well testing program.  Through the cost share program, we were able to test resident’s wells for nitrates, bacteria, sodium, salinity, and pH, for $40.00; a fraction of the regular cost.  Our hopes were that we could educate well owners on the quality of their water as well as create awareness about each individual’s responsibility in protecting that ground water.

 

This excellent opportunity was utilized by 35 Albany County residents this year.   If you’ve had your water tested but can't make heads or tails of the results?  This handy internet tool provides a helping hand in figuring out what it all means. http://wsprod.colostate.edu/cwis435/regional_index1.cfm 

 

For future reference this link can be found on the B&B Resources page ‘Water’ along with links to a host of other helpful articles, videos and more! http://www.uwyo.edu/barnbackyard/info.asp?p=10824

 

Feel free to call Laramie Rivers Conservation District 721-0072 with any questions you may have.