United States Department of Agriculture
Natural Resources Conservation Service		 Oregon Go to Accessibility Information
Skip to Page Content





2010 EQIP Eligibility

Land Eligibility

In general, the term "eligible land" means land on which agricultural commodities, livestock or timber are produced. This includes:

  • Cropland
  • Rangeland
  • Grassland
  • Pasture land
  • Private, non-industrial forestland; and
  • Other land which the Secretary of Agriculture determines poses a serious threat to soil, air, water or related natural resources.

 

Participant Eligibility

To be eligible to participate in EQIP, an applicant must be an individual, entity or joint operation and:

  • The applicant is an agricultural producer that is engaged in livestock or agricultural production, OR the applicant is a private, non-industrial forest landowner. Proof that the land is working forest land or that at least $1,000 of annual farm income is earned may be requested.
  • The applicant has an interest in the operation associated with the land offered for enrollment.
  • The applicant has control of the land for the term of the proposed contract. Applicants will be asked to show documentation, which may be a deed, lease or other evidence of land ownership/control.
  • The applicant is in compliance with the provisions for protecting the interests of tenants and sharecroppers, including the provisions for sharing EQIP payments on a fair and equitable basis.
  • The applicant is in compliance with the highly erodible land and wetland conservation compliance provisions. For assistance assessing your compliance status, contact you local NRCS Service Center.  Click here for more information on compliance.
  • The applicant is within appropriate program payment limitations. The overall payment limitation for EQIP is $300,000 over a six-year period.
  • The applicant is in compliance with Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) requirements. If an applicant has an average adjusted gross nonfarm income greater than $1 million, the person or legal entity is not eligible, unless 66.66 percent or more of the average adjusted gross income is attributable to activities related to farming defined as farm income. Click here to view the AGI fact sheet.

Circumstances that may limit an individual's or entity's participation in EQIP include the following:

  • Federal and state governments and political subdivisions thereof are not eligible.
  • All individual producers, entities or other applications with multiple beneficiaries will provide a taxpayer identification number (TIN) or social security number for each member of the entity and embedded entities at the time of application. This is for purposes of monitoring payment limitations.
  • Entities which do not provide the social security number for each member of the entity are not eligible to participate.

 

For more information on EQIP eligibility, view the EQIP Program Manual (M 440 515 F - Subpart F - Program Eligibility)

< Back to EQIP...