Cost Share Assistance
 Continuous
Conservation Reserve Program (CRP)
Applications for the Continuous Conservation
Reserve Program (CRP) are accepted by the USDA Farm Service Agency year
round. A voluntary program for agricultural landowners, CRP establishes
conservation practices on environmentally desirable land. Producers
meeting certain eligibility requirements will be automatically accepted
into the program.
CRP practices encourage farmers to
convert highly erodible cropland or other environmentally sensitive acreage
to vegetative cover, such as tame or native grasses, wildlife plantings,
trees, filter strips, or riparian buffers. Scioto County farmers
have used CRP to seed down filter strips along streams to correct scour
erosion during floods and to build grassed waterways to repair gullies
in crop fields.
Cost sharing is provided to establish
vegetative practices. Costs for land preparation and seeding are
reimbursed at the 50% rate. Additional practice and sign-up incentives
result in total reimbursements as high as 90% or more. After practice
installation, farmers receive an annual rental payment for the term of
the multi-year contract.
More information about CRP is available
at http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/crp/.
Environmental Quality
Incentives Program (EQIP)
 The
Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) is a voluntary USDA conservation
program for farmers to treat soil, air, water, and related natural resource
concerns on their working lands. Each county in Ohio receives an
allocation of funds for projects that will be ranked by a local committee.
Applicants whose projects are ranked among the top in each county will
be accepted into the program.
EQIP’s cost-share level is 50 percent
on most construction practices. Livestock waste storage facilities
are eligible for up to 75 percent cost-sharing. Farmers qualifying
as a “Limited Resource Producer” will receive 90 percent reimbursement
on the first $5,000 of cost-share earned. Agricultural water quality
concerns will be treated with a variety of conservation practices that
include: comprehensive nutrient management plans; manure storage
systems; and livestock grazing systems including fencing and livestock
watering systems.
NRCS administers EQIP and provides
technical assistance to eligible producers. Applications for EQIP are accepted
year around with an annual deadline to be set every year in the early Spring.
Additional information about EQIP is available at
http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/eqip/.
For information about other Federal
Cost-Share Programs visit the Natural Resources Conservation Service website
at http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/.
Contact the Scioto Soil & Water Conservation District and the USDA
Natural Resources Conservation Service at (740) 259-9231 for more information
about technical assistance and available programs.
Scioto River Conservation Reserve
Enhancement Program (CREP)
 The
Scioto River Watershed Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP)
is a farmer/landowner-implemented agricultural environmental stewardship
program. The goal is to create 70,000 acres of filter strips, riparian
buffers, wildlife habitat, wetlands, and tree plantings to reduce sediment
and nutrient runoff into the river and its tributaries. As a result,
it will improve biodiversity in the entire watershed. Landowners
enrolling cropland or marginal pastureland will receive 15 annual rental
payments from USDA and cost-share for installation and maintenance of eligible
practices. State incentive payments are provided on wetland and wildlife
conservation practices. State incentive payments are provided on
wetland and wildlife conservation practices.
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Participants in CREP will enroll for
15 years and receive 15 annual payments from USDA FSA.
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Additional bonus incentives are available
for planting warm season grasses and restoring wetlands.
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Cost-share funding is also available
for controlled drainage water managment, livestock fencing, and livestock
watering systems when enrolled with certain CREP practices.
Key Program Options
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Grass filter strips along streams and
watercourses.
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Wildlife habitat plantings along streams,
watercourses, and on certain highly erodible lands.
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Wetland restoration.
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Tree planting and riparian buffer strips
in suitable areas.
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Controlled agriculture drainage water
management.
For more information about Scioto River
CREP visit the Ohio Department of Natural Resources online at http://www.ohiodnr.com/soilandwater/sciotocrep/execsum.htm.
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Residents
of Scioto County can take advantage of the many services offered by the
Scioto Soil and Water Conservation District. Two no-till drills are available
for farmers who wish to plant crops without tilling the soil. Rental of
the drills benefits landowners who do not own a drill and want to practice
conservation farming on their land.